# Fire risk eye opener



## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

Wow! I often keep a piece of steel wool propped up on my pegboard for cleaning my tool rest and bed ways. I just moved it to grab whatever it was sitting on and poof, it was on fire! Only then did I notice the DC charger for my respirator dangling innocently nearby I never would have considered that a fire hazard but it dang sure ignited that steel wool with nothing more that a passing touch. Of course I reacted according to official fire protocol by grabbing my iPhone to document it.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

Smooth move, but what we really wanted to see was the video of your shop burning down as you were documenting things. :laughing:


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## preacherman (Nov 29, 2011)

One of the absolute best fire starters ever is steel wool and a 9 volt battery. It doesn't take it but a second and you have fire.


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## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

preacherman said:


> One of the absolute best fire starters ever is steel wool and a 9 volt battery. It doesn't take it but a second and you have fire.


A little WD40 in the steel wool doesn't hurt either.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Bill Boehme said:


> Smooth move, but what we really wanted to see was the video of your shop burning down as you were documenting things. :laughing:


Really? That wasn't very nice. :thumbdown:


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Bonanza35 said:


> Wow! I often keep a piece of steel wool propped up on my pegboard for cleaning my tool rest and bed ways. I just moved it to grab whatever it was sitting on and poof, it was on fire! Only then did I notice the DC charger for my respirator dangling innocently nearby I never would have considered that a fire hazard but it dang sure ignited that steel wool with nothing more that a passing touch. Of course I reacted according to official fire protocol by grabbing my iPhone to document it.



Oh yeah, it only takes a tiny spark to ignite steel wool. The finer the wool the easier it ignites.

And wait, your respirator has a charger? What?


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Oh yeah, it only takes a tiny spark to ignite steel wool. The finer the wool the easier it ignites.
> 
> And wait, your respirator has a charger? What?


I'm assuming it's one of those fancy self-contained respirators that has the sending unit with a fan. Or built in headphones


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## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Oh yeah, it only takes a tiny spark to ignite steel wool. The finer the wool the easier it ignites. And wait, your respirator has a charger? What?


It's a Trend Air Shield which has a blower moving filtered air across your face. Kinda heavy on the head(battery is on top) but nice when sanding. 

My point is that it is common for me to see phone chargers, drill chargers, headphone chargers or the like just hanging around, plugged in and waiting to recharge something at the end of the day. I've just never labeled them as an ignition source. I guess steel wool is about the only thing they could ignite but it's worth noting.


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## bond3737 (Nov 13, 2009)

holy moly! looks like that was a close one!!! glad you are ok! ats gotta be scary... It's always good to be reminded :yes:


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Speaking about a 9v battery. I put one in my pocket one time and forgot about it. Later I went to the store and bought something and put the change in my pocket. Ouch, it got hot quick.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Steve Neul said:


> Speaking about a 9v battery. I put one in my pocket one time and forgot about it. Later I went to the store and bought something and put the change in my pocket. Ouch, it got hot quick.


You never run out of stories. This one doesn't beat the air tank that allegedly went through the roof.:no:


















.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Bonanza35 said:


> It's a Trend Air Shield which has a blower moving filtered air across your face. Kinda heavy on the head(battery is on top) but nice when sanding.
> 
> My point is that it is common for me to see phone chargers, drill chargers, headphone chargers or the like just hanging around, plugged in and waiting to recharge something at the end of the day. I've just never labeled them as an ignition source. I guess steel wool is about the only thing they could ignite but it's worth noting.


I agree; the danger is definitely something to be aware of. I appreciate that you shared your experience. Luckily, you caught it before it got out of hand.

The idea of moving air in a respirator sounds great. When I wear mine it doesn't take but a few minutes to start sweating.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> You never run out of stories. This one doesn't beat the air tank that allegedly went through the roof.:no:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Both events did happen. If you don't believe me I invite you to try the battery for yourself only it would be more fitting to put the battery in your back pocket.


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

Don't you all know it is not being energy conservative if you leave a charger plugged in when you are not charging a battery. Leaving the charger plugged in unattended is a fire hazard.


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## MGP Roofing (Jul 10, 2010)

This is not the only instance of a fire from this cause that I'm aware of--there's an article in a local ww mag in which someone's charger plug brushed against a bit of steel wool, and poof, there was fire. Apparently there's a lubricant in the wool that helps keep the strands from sticking together, that happens to be highly flammable...


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

Steve Neul said:


> Speaking about a 9v battery. I put one in my pocket one time and forgot about it. Later I went to the store and bought something and put the change in my pocket. Ouch, it got hot quick.


I used to operate the sound system at our church and carried a couple 9 volt batteries for the pastor's wireless mike in my pocket. They had protective plastic caps on them to prevent shorting. One Sunday when doing my usual routine of putting a fresh battery in the transmitter and sticking the "dead" battery in my pocket with plastic cap, the "dead" battery got blazing hot a short while later when I was sitting at the soundboard in the balcony. I forgot to dispose of the battery when I got to the soundboard and apparently the plastic cap came off the battery that just happened to be in the same pocket as my keys. Some of the folks in the balcony close to the sound board probably thought that I was having a "hallelujah moment" when I abruptly rose to my feet, hands waving around, and suddenly began dancing around while dumping the contents of my pocket all over the place. I never imagined that those little batteries had so much energy stored in them.


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## unclefester (Aug 23, 2013)

Bob Willing said:


> Don't you all know it is not being energy conservative if you leave a charger plugged in when you are not charging a battery. Leaving the charger plugged in unattended is a fire hazard.


My issue is leaving a battery on the charger and forgetting about for a few days.
I now have a 1-12 hour push burton wall timer that a power strip plugs into. Everything turns off at the end of the cycle. No more cooked batteries.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Bill Boehme said:


> I used to operate the sound system at our church and carried a couple 9 volt batteries for the pastor's wireless mike in my pocket. They had protective plastic caps on them to prevent shorting. One Sunday when doing my usual routine of putting a fresh battery in the transmitter and sticking the "dead" battery in my pocket with plastic cap, the "dead" battery got blazing hot a short while later when I was sitting at the soundboard in the balcony. I forgot to dispose of the battery when I got to the soundboard and apparently the plastic cap came off the battery that just happened to be in the same pocket as my keys. Some of the folks in the balcony close to the sound board probably thought that I was having a "hallelujah moment" when I abruptly rose to my feet, hands waving around, and suddenly began dancing around while dumping the contents of my pocket all over the place. I never imagined that those little batteries had so much energy stored in them.


It sure surprised me. I never gave it a thought. I was working at a jobsite and the stud finder I had quit and I knew the battery was good so I trashed the stud finder and put the battery in my pocket. Big mistake.


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## Smith Brother (Dec 9, 2012)

That's NOTHING, years ago BRIDE and I owned 3 Ryder truck agencies, our big box trucks had external square gas tanks, with a very short 2" pipe for filling. The gauges weren't very good, so we always removed the filler cap to show the customer that the gas was up to the top of the tank, such had to be returned filled to the top. One night a fellow returned a truck, I walked out to check in with small flashlight in hand, he didn't see my small light, and unscrewed the cap, and started to light his lighter to look in to show me it was full. Needless to say, I knocked it out of his hand, then he realized what he was about to do. 

Bad things can happen, FAST. 

Dale in Indy


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

smithbrother said:


> That's NOTHING, years ago BRIDE and I owned 3 Ryder truck agencies, our big box trucks had external square gas tanks, with a very short 2" pipe for filling. The gauges weren't very good, so we always removed the filler cap to show the customer that the gas was up to the top of the tank, such had to be returned filled to the top. One night a fellow returned a truck, I walked out to check in with small flashlight in hand, he didn't see my small light, and unscrewed the cap, and started to light his lighter to look in to show me it was full. Needless to say, I knocked it out of his hand, then he realized what he was about to do.
> 
> Bad things can happen, FAST.
> 
> Dale in Indy


I had a similar experience at a shop I worked at. A delivery truck got too close to the building and broke the natural gas meter off the building. We immediately started stuffing rags in the pipe trying to slow down the gas leak until the gas company could get there to turn it off. It stopped the majority of it but a customer stopped in and walked over to see what was going on and got right up next to us and proceeded to get a cigarette and pulled out his lighter when I grabbed it from him.


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## Bill Boehme (Feb 9, 2014)

smithbrother said:


> That's NOTHING, years ago BRIDE and I owned 3 Ryder truck agencies, our big box trucks had external square gas tanks, with a very short 2" pipe for filling. The gauges weren't very good, so we always removed the filler cap to show the customer that the gas was up to the top of the tank, such had to be returned filled to the top. One night a fellow returned a truck, I walked out to check in with small flashlight in hand, he didn't see my small light, and unscrewed the cap, and started to light his lighter to look in to show me it was full. Needless to say, I knocked it out of his hand, then he realized what he was about to do.
> 
> Bad things can happen, FAST.
> 
> Dale in Indy


There was a Burma Shave jingle about that guy. If you are old enough to remember the little road signs on fence posts:
He lit a match
To check gas tank
That's why
They call him
Skinless Frank
Burma Shave

That one was from 1959. There were always six signs with the last one being "Burma Shave". It was great fun for kids to spot the signs and read them out loud. Of course, all this obligated Dad to actually buy Burma Shave.


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