# Cause of fires in workshops



## VTR (Jan 24, 2014)

Am I missing something, I just need to clarify. The cause's of workshop fires range from??? 
I understand faulty outlets, grounding issues, oily stain pile of rags, etc. etc.. But is there something I am missing. Like; an almost full dust separator full of fine sawdust being combustible on its own! any bizarre type of starters like this I should be aware of. I know there are no stupid questions, but this is getting pretty close. Since I am knew to this and my workshop I thought I would step out with a bang of a question. 
Thanks in advance.:furious:


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

I turn the breakers off on my compressors when I shut down at night. If one was to spring a leak it may run continuously, possibly overheating, and becoming a potential fire hazard.

I also shut down my furnace when spraying solvent based products and I am exhausting air. :smile:


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

Metal pieces should never go through your dust collector. The heat or sparks from going through the impeller can cause a fire.


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## Carvel Loafer (Dec 31, 2011)

I often wonder if there is a risk of a static discharge within a dust collector because of the moving air and result in a fire. If so, what could be done to mitigate the risk?


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## ryan50hrl (Jun 30, 2012)

That conversation had been brought up numerous times. There's a researcher somewhere on the internet that posted scientific data showing it was not able to occur under normal operations. That said....using metal pipe and grounding it eliminates the question.


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## Carvel Loafer (Dec 31, 2011)

I think in my shop my biggest concern is.....


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## VTR (Jan 24, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. I took over my son's room downstairs (all grown up and out) it is small and carpeted. The heat ducts are in the ceiling so I have a space heater in the room. It just needs a small space heater and it was a ceramic one put know the one I use has the heated coils in it with a fan. I wonder about dust build up in these and on the specifically on the coil?
Also I finely put up a shop lamp but still have a couple lamps and I wonder about these getting a lot of dust build up. Just trying to think of anything that might result in a fire.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

ryan50hrl said:


> That conversation had been brought up numerous times. There's a researcher somewhere on the internet that posted scientific data showing it was not able to occur under normal operations. That said....using metal pipe and grounding it eliminates the question.



This might shed some light on static electricity.


















.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

VTR said:


> Am I missing something, I just need to clarify. The cause's of workshop fires range from???
> I understand faulty outlets, grounding issues, oily stain pile of rags, etc. etc.. But is there something I am missing. Like; an almost full dust separator full of fine sawdust being combustible on its own! any bizarre type of starters like this I should be aware of. I know there are no stupid questions, but this is getting pretty close. Since I am knew to this and my workshop I thought I would step out with a bang of a question.
> Thanks in advance.:furious:


I have only seen three fires in a shop. The first was in a paint spray booth where the motor caught fire igniting the wet lacquer in the booth. The second was in a pile of sawdust where someone had thrown a cigarette butt. The third was in my shop where I was using a pail heater to heat paint and varnish remover the heater ignited the remover. 

One time I would call it an event rather than a fire. I was about 17 and I threw a shovel of sawdust into a woodstove and it got to smoldering. I opened the door to check on it and it ignited explosively almost burning my eyebrows off when I looked into the stove. It was such a shock I had to try it again and stand off to the side to see what had happened. It blew fire out to the opposite side of the one car garage with the appearance of a flame thrower.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Carvel Loafer said:


> I think in my shop my biggest concern is.....


 I worried the danger too so I got rid of the weights. :laughing:


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

In the article that cabinetman linked, please read the first sentence of the first paragraph at least ten times. Then read the article it is good stuff in an industrial environment and in grain elevators.


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## tewitt1949 (Nov 26, 2013)

I am no expert nor an electician. I used pvc pipe for my dust collector system. After getting it hooked up and tried plaining a board, I noticed 1 inch sparks junping from a short piece of flexable pipe with wire in it to my planer frame. 1 inch...I'm not exaggerating!! After seeing how saw dust explodes from throwing a shovel of it in the burning furnace, it scared the heebee jeebees out of me. I'm thinking if it does start a fire inside the pipe or collection box, the blower would be like a blast furnace feeding plenty of air to it inside and how do you get it out being inclosed.

So I run a bare wire inside the pipe and grounded it at each end. No sparks that I have found. Don't know if there are any hidden dangers or not but I feel better.

I've had a fire from a wood stove (my fault carelessness) in my shop many years ago and lost everything. It sucks big time and I'm too old to start over again.

Better safe than sorry.


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