Well Caught Fire

[TractorGuy]

Looked out the kitchen window this morning and saw my well on fire. I had one non Kidde extinguisher on the wall and grabbed it. The plastic pin broke and wouldn't release the trigger. About that time I thought to turn off the breaker and the fire went out. Wasn't enough left of the pressure switch to determine the cause but a new switch and gauge got me back in business. I ended up cutting the pin out of that old fire extinguisher and hangin it back on the wall. Hate to throw anything away that might be useful. Won't take but a second to see if it will work next time I need one and another is always close by.

 

[Code54]

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/safety/413615-kidde-fire-extinguisher-recall.html#post5449265
Check out this thread....

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I thought maybe it was a natural gas fire. I had a buddy who grew up in Oklahoma, and everyone in his area had to vent their water well to get rid of the methane. They pumped the water into an open cistern.

That's a good way to get rid of the hydrogen sulfide stink in some wells too. H2S is volatile, and will bubble off fairly quickly.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Bad connection = heat = fire.

Either the contacts or loose wires.

 

[Diggin It]

Bad connection = heat = fire.

Either the contacts or loose wires.

You looked at the 'after' picture too, eh?

 

[bunyip]

What where the likely consequences had you not been there?

 

[ArlyA]

You are not alone..... I know people who's pump house had exploded. Does that count? They reside among a nature gas field which seeps up and congregates in there pump house and there above the ground well pump kicks on. Boom!

 

[fried1765]

Looked out the kitchen window this morning and saw my well on fire. I had one non Kidde extinguisher on the wall and grabbed it. The plastic pin broke and wouldn't release the trigger. About that time I thought to turn off the breaker and the fire went out. Wasn't enough left of the pressure switch to determine the cause but a new switch and gauge got me back in business. I ended up cutting the pin out of that old fire extinguisher and hangin it back on the wall. Hate to throw anything away that might be useful. Won't take but a second to see if it will work next time I need one and another is always close by.

View attachment 608601

View attachment 608602

Kidde extinguishers have a generally poor reputation.
I have been told that Amerex are much better.
In any case, you should avoid ALL extinguishers with plastic parts.

 

[TractorGuy]

Bad connection = heat = fire.

Either the contacts or loose wires.

Or lizards? We'll never know now cause it was too charred to tell. Last service was December 2010. Funny thing was the pump ran right up to the end. I still had 50 PSI on the tank and wife was in the shower.

 

[Industrial Toys]

That's pretty much the only cause of electrical fires. Unless you have a short or overload and your overcurrent protection does not work. A bad connection makes heat but does not trip overcurrent protection, hence the invention of ARC fault breakers.

With the vibration of the pump, I would guess a loose connection over bad contacts.

 

[bunyip]

Ants seem to find a way into everything even though it is sealed, antenna baluns are a favourite for them as you discover when you lose TV reception.

 

[ruffdog]

Kidde fire extinguisher recall:

Kidde Fire Extinguisher Recall

 

[TractorGuy]

What where the likely consequences had you not been there?

Not sure really. The breaker was trying to trip and probably would have eventually. If it would have happened a week ago the tree beside the well would have gone up in flames for sure. We are just getting some rain after a several week drought so the tree was dripping wet.

 

[gary49]

It was your pressure switch that was on fire,not the well. Switch looks like it's outdoors, they're not rated for a wet location, I don't believe. It might help to get it out of the weather.

 

[TractorGuy]

It was your pressure switch that was on fire,not the well. Switch looks like it's outdoors, they're not rated for a wet location, I don't believe. It might help to get it out of the weather.

Duh! You're kidding right? How many un housed wells do you think in this world?

This is the third pressure switch in 45 years. The second was just changed because I put a higher rate pump in.

 

[Oaktree]

Duh! You're kidding right? How many un housed wells do you think in this world?

No need to be snarky. Seemed like a legit comment to me.

 

[coldsteelva]

It is a WATER well pump - how can it NOT be rated for wet locations? How about pool pumps?

 

[Diggin It]

Well pumps aren't generally left exposed to the weather. They're usually in some kind of housing to keep the rain and Sun off, even if no bigger than a dog house that can be lifted off.

 

[jaxs]

Ants seem to find a way into everything even though it is sealed, antenna baluns are a favourite for them as you discover when you lose TV reception.[/QUOTE

Great minds think alike. When I noticed OP's location,Fire ants were my first thought. Us Yanks wouldn't know what antenna baluns are but most that live near the gulf know fire ants mess with any thing electrical. Net net result is bad connection although root cause might be ants. Now that we have them stirred up,I have questions about down under ants that invade antenna baluns. Do they build larger mounds than most ants? If you lightly touch the mound,does the mound instantly explode with hundreds of mad ants. Although it's rare avoiding a swarm stinging before you can escape,if a single ant is on your skin,does it repeatedly sting rather than sting and run as most ants do? Those behaviors describe what we know along the Gulf as "Imported Fire Ants".

 

[CobyRupert]

So what burns?
You would think if it was loose terminations, insulation would melt and eventually the copper (or aluminum?) conductors, circuit would open and that would be that. No?

Would "drippings" be hot enough to ignite plastic cover?

Or did some critter get in there and slow roast until it combusted and ignited?