Spontanious Combustion

[foggy1111]

My wife was staining and varnishing the woodwork for my daughters new home in a warehouse building I own. So, she put a bunch of used rags in a 55 gallon plastic drum....basically a garbage barrel....and left for the night.

Came to the building today and opened the door. :confused2: A huge cloud of smoke billows out the door when I open it. We could not see the far end of the building wall. Got the overhead door open and then the far door to evacuate the smoke. The barrel had melted to the floor and all inside contents were ashes. The barrel was a few feet away from a boat and the gas tanks and another 20 feet from my 3320.

EVERYTHING is covered in a film of soot.....necessitating a good clean up. But...it coulda been worse. Soot happens.

That's the building in the pic behind my tractor.

 

[Transit]

That's all, a little soot. You used up your life time supply of luck. At the very least the rags should have been out doors in a metal container away from anything combustible.

 

[grnspot110]

I used to work for a farm machinery dealer, all used grease rags were to be put in a fireproof metal container (made for that purpose). One morning when the container was opened, nothing but ashes, made a believer out of all employees! ~~ grnspot110

 

[tommu56]

Oily rags should be in a metal can with a metal lid to eliminate O2 and outside if you can (no pun intended)

You were lucky
When you opened the door it could have let oxygen in and it flashed over (remember back draft movie) I saw it 3 times in my 25 years as a VFF

Same as hay lighting up a barn fire if it's wet it rots and creates heat and under the wrong conditions will start burning.

tom

 

[dave1949]

Some volatile stains and polyurethanes actually say on the can something like, 'Do Not put used rags in an enclosed container'. I guess this is the reason. Glad you were lucky to not have a fire break out.
Dave.

 

[LBrown59]

My wife was staining and varnishing the woodwork for my daughter and put a bunch of used rags in a 55 gallon plastic drum....basically a garbage barrel....and left for the night.

That wasn't a good idea was it?

 

[jinman]

Linseed oil is one of the worst for spontaneous combustion. I would not only put rags in a covered metal can, but also maybe dunk them in water.

 

[Willl]

Wow, very, very lucky.

Run, don't walk to your nearest handymart and grab one of them lotto tickets. :thumbsup:

 

[dcyrilc]

I have always hung my rags over my chainlink fence outside to air dry. Kind of like you would hang sheets on a clothes line. After they have dried, they are safe. Wet, I would never bunch them or leave them in an enclosed area due to the possibility of combustion.

Glad to hear that you didn't loose the building and everything in it. Many people don't realize or believe how dangerous that can be.

 

[Western]

Wow, very, very lucky.

Run, don't walk to your nearest handymart and grab one of them lotto tickets. :thumbsup:

I think he used all his luck up!! time to go to church and build up some more..