Flame Cabinet

[marhar]

My neighbor had a fire in his attached garage; it spread to his home and destroyed it. He said he accidently dropped a cigarette and it fell into a flammable liquid.

Soon after his accident I bought a flame cabinet for my shop. I was able to buy it at a "scratch and dent sell". I look at the cabinet as insurance. Working on a farm is dangerous enough.

 

[3Ts]

I would like to have a cabinet like that, but it is cost prohibitive for the size I'd need. I have lots of different types of flammables. Instead I store them on a shelf out of the way and are very careful about fire and things that produce a spark and things that get hot. I don't walk around with fire in my hand or hanging from my mouth so I'm satisfied with my fire prevention procedures.

 

[MossRoad]

We are fortunate to have detached garages and sheds. So flammables like gas and spray paint are kept out there. Not much in value if it goes up.

However, dropping a lit cigarette into flammable liquid... no storage cabinet is going to prevent that. Just like filling a gas tank inside a building. Just don't do it.

 

[5030]

I just use common sense which today seems to be a rare commodity.

 

[/pine]

Common Sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most don't use it...!

 

[marhar]

Common Sense is like deodorant. The people who need it most don't use it...!

It is insurance: I hope I never need it but I have it. I do not have open flames around flammable liquids. There is the chance a fire could start in the shop and get to the liquids; they would act as an accelerant. In my 50's I have never had a fire; too old to start now. Being careful is the first line of defense, the cabinet is the second line. I looked online and found mine for $280.00 but I have seen them for twice that amount.

 

[ljjhouser]

Many years ago, I was complaining about oil and grease stains on the garage floor. A friend of mine gave me a 5 gal can of cleaner that was used at the local air force base. I poured some on the floor and scrubbed with a shop broom. Worked like a charm - immediately dissolved the oil.

Then the hot water heater (which was gas) fired up. All I saw was yellow flame from the concrete floor to the rafters. Fortunately, the garage door was open. I ran outside only to discover that my shoes were on fire. Then I ran over to the neighbor and called the fire dept..
They got there within minutes, but the fire was out when they arrived. I guess the concrete floor wouldn't burn, but the rafters were scorched.

The fireman said - oh look, that stuff contains a high percentage of ether.

Now I read labels and keep MOST flameables outside the shop.

 

[ljjhouser]

Insurance is a fact of like that we pay for and hope we never have to use.

 

[MossRoad]

Many years ago, I was complaining about oil and grease stains on the garage floor. A friend of mine gave me a 5 gal can of cleaner that was used at the local air force base. I poured some on the floor and scrubbed with a shop broom. Worked like a charm - immediately dissolved the oil.

Then the hot water heater (which was gas) fired up. All I saw was yellow flame from the concrete floor to the rafters. Fortunately, the garage door was open. I ran outside only to discover that my shoes were on fire. Then I ran over to the neighbor and called the fire dept..
They got there within minutes, but the fire was out when they arrived. I guess the concrete floor wouldn't burn, but the rafters were scorched.

The fireman said - oh look, that stuff contains a high percentage of ether.

Now I read labels and keep MOST flameables outside the shop.

YIKES!!!

 

[MossRoad]

It is insurance: I hope I never need it but I have it. I do not have open flames around flammable liquids. There is the chance a fire could start in the shop and get to the liquids; they would act as an accelerant. In my 50's I have never had a fire; too old to start now. Being careful is the first line of defense, the cabinet is the second line. I looked online and found mine for $280.00 but I have seen them for twice that amount.

My employer just bought several small lockers like that which are about 18" square. Meant for spray cans and other small flammables. My last employer had a few like yours. None of them are cheap.

 

[workinonit]

I saw one of those tall cabinets sell on a farm sale Saturday for $15. I don't put anything flammable in my shop.

 

[5030]

In reality, what causes most spontaneous combustion shop fires is, besides no common sense, wadding up greasy rags and such and leaving them in a pile somewhere and forgetting about them. If I have an oily rag and it don't wind up on the burn pile, I'll spread it out somewhere where all alone, not wadded up in a pile. Actually, I've taken to using the blue heavy duty ship towels on a roll in a dispenser versus cloth shop rags lately.

 

[5030]

My fuel cans all live outside, next to the shop. Never inside.

 

[5030]

We are fortunate to have detached garages and sheds. So flammables like gas and spray paint are kept out there. Not much in value if it goes up.

However, dropping a lit cigarette into flammable liquid... no storage cabinet is going to prevent that. Just like filling a gas tank inside a building. Just don't do it.

I might add that if you fill a portable gas can, always place it on the ground when filling, never in your trunk or on your pickup truck bed, especially if you have a plastic bed liner and always keep the nozzle against the side of the gas can.

 

[MossRoad]

I might add that if you fill a portable gas can, always place it on the ground when filling, never in your trunk or on your pickup truck bed, especially if you have a plastic bed liner and always keep the nozzle against the side of the gas can.

Yep. Static happens.