I just had some unwelcome excitement...

Phillip Patton

Phillip Patton

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Messages
5,384
A fire in my air handling system. I was happily grinding away, and heard some clinking noises coming from the blower, then noticed a glow coming from the intake, then black smoke started coming from everywhere. I quick killed the blower, then took a look at the piping (PVC) and noticed that most of it was starting to wilt. :eek:

I took it apart and took all the burning components outside. Thankfully, I was wearing my respirator and didn't inhale any of the fumes, although my eyes were stinging.

I'll post some pictures of the aftermath later. Needless to say, my grinder is offline for awhile. :mad:
 
Same thing(sort of) happened to me, I then started to use sheet metal(standerd airconditioning duct) for my vents...
 
Sorry to hear this, Phillip. Hopefully, damage to your equipment was minimal.
Glad to hear that you're ok.
 
Geez dude!!! Glad to hear you're okay and your new shop didn't suffer any major damage!!! :eek:
 
I'm glad it happened while you were in the shop, and not a "smolderer" that caught after you were gone, Phillip.
Fear of fire has left my dust collector sitting unused for years.
Perhaps an additional "wet" cyclone trap closer to the grinder would help?
 
Fortunately, you were there while it happened and were able to control it. If it would have flared after you had left the shop the consequences could have been disastrous.
 
phillip, you can make a firetrap from a bucket. run a line into the bucket which is filled with water and set below the waterline. then have a line above the waterline going out. any fire going into the bucket is put out. thats one thing i'm going to fix up soon for mine.
 
Richard J., could you post a picture or another explanation of your water bucket system? I don't get it, but it sounds intriguing.

Phil Millam
Winthrop WA
 
Here are some threads that have info about and links to spark traps. That must have been a major freak-out. Thanks for sharing about it. It helps us all to remember to stay on our toes!

Dust Collectors & Spark Arresters
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=598913

A few questions about dust collection/shop venting...
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=331672

Review - suckin wind
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=574168

Dust Collector in the house!!!
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=396288
.
 
Thanks for all the commiseration, fellas. The culprit in this case was the blast gate that was between the blower and the grinder. It started catching steel grindings, and eventually caught fire, and with all the air blowing past it, really got going good. The hot fumes from the fire turned the pipe downstream into wet noodles. Here's the pics I promised:


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Be safe. :)
 
phillip, do you have any smoke detectors in your shop? i added another down in the basement just to be safe. if you have a bucket or even a small metal drum you can make one of these. use smooth dryer vent line going in. you can use plastic going out. simply make 2 holes in the lid, install the pipe and add some water after hooking it up and no more worries about fire. experiment first to make sure the pipe isnt under too much water which could strain the vacuum. an external tube can be set up to keep an eye on the water level on a metal bucket without having to remove the lid. just run a small clear tube above and below the water line on the outside of the bucket.
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Hi there Rich. How does the dust get into the water and then out? The vacuum on the out line won't draw it down through the water and the out will it ? i sure would like to get something as simple as this that will do the job right ! frank
 
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