I get the impression that many comments here were made without even reading the article that I linked to.
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Garage Stoves
- Thread starter SlyFerret
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Even a spark from a light switch , or static electricity can cause gas fumes to explode. Its the gas fumes not the wood stove thats dangerous
I don't know about anybody else, but I read every word of it. There wasn't much to read, it was pretty short.SlyFerret said:
I'm not sure all the facts are in this article. Look, my bet is there was quite a gasoline spill with this event and the vapors ignited and exploded.
Interesting note, there was an old timer near here, a buddy of my dad, who was a dirt track stock car guy ya see. And he had a big shop, was in the auto body business, thinners, lacquer, paint, PAINT BOOTH, spraying, sanding, priming, bondo, welding, the whole works. You know the kind of place, parts shoved under counters, steel, iron, 5 gallon cans of this and that, little aisles to walk around, enough room for 2 or 3 cars to get in there to work on.
He ran that business out of that garage for 50 years.
He had a BIG OLE COAL STOVE. The thing sat right in the back room off the main 2 bay garage, and burned STOVE COAL. That bad boy put out the heat, and he'd open up that door and it'd be glowin' orange in there, and he'd throw a couple big fat hunks of coal in there and shove that door shut.....
NOW, you tell me, why did that place never go up in flames????
Luck???
I don't know, but for some reason something fishy is going on in this story.
Look, I have some chainsaw mix in my garage, a can of gas for the snowblower, some paint thinner in cans, spray paint, wd40, weed wackers, and who knows what else.
I fired up the kerosene stove (which happens to have kerosene in it almost in direct contact with the flame, haha) and never even gave it a thought.
This dude spilled a crapload of gasoline that created a big ole fume cloud that crept across the floor and was ignited by the flame of the stove.....that's my guess.
Interesting note, there was an old timer near here, a buddy of my dad, who was a dirt track stock car guy ya see. And he had a big shop, was in the auto body business, thinners, lacquer, paint, PAINT BOOTH, spraying, sanding, priming, bondo, welding, the whole works. You know the kind of place, parts shoved under counters, steel, iron, 5 gallon cans of this and that, little aisles to walk around, enough room for 2 or 3 cars to get in there to work on.
He ran that business out of that garage for 50 years.
He had a BIG OLE COAL STOVE. The thing sat right in the back room off the main 2 bay garage, and burned STOVE COAL. That bad boy put out the heat, and he'd open up that door and it'd be glowin' orange in there, and he'd throw a couple big fat hunks of coal in there and shove that door shut.....
NOW, you tell me, why did that place never go up in flames????
Luck???
I don't know, but for some reason something fishy is going on in this story.
Look, I have some chainsaw mix in my garage, a can of gas for the snowblower, some paint thinner in cans, spray paint, wd40, weed wackers, and who knows what else.
I fired up the kerosene stove (which happens to have kerosene in it almost in direct contact with the flame, haha) and never even gave it a thought.
This dude spilled a crapload of gasoline that created a big ole fume cloud that crept across the floor and was ignited by the flame of the stove.....that's my guess.
Gas vapors stay close too the ground/floor where most garage wood stoves get there combustion air.I am sorry for there loss but a little better jugdement should of been used before working on a gas tank and fuel system.Like doing it when the fire is out.
SlyFerret, perhaps it is your initial statement that is bringing on the responses that you didn't expect.
As far as insurance coverage goes, before I installed my garage stove I asked my insurance guy when he was out to the house inspecting my house hearth, if there would be any extra charge for a second stove in the garage, he said no, but explained to me the one extra clearance requirement you must meet before they will cover your garage hearth installation, and that is the hearth base must be elevated 18" up off the floor. Apart form that all other stove and chimney clearances requirements are the same as a house installation. BTW, my insurance guy informed me he also has a wood stove installed in his garage.
Now if you had started the thread by saying "And this ladies and gentlemen is exactly why we should be extra careful with wood burners in garages where they are allowed", likely you would have had a different set of responses.
The fact is wood burners ARE allowed in garages in different areas. There are no such building codes in the area where I live that prohibit them, or in other areas where many people have them and have been obviously using them safely for years.SlyFerret said:
As far as insurance coverage goes, before I installed my garage stove I asked my insurance guy when he was out to the house inspecting my house hearth, if there would be any extra charge for a second stove in the garage, he said no, but explained to me the one extra clearance requirement you must meet before they will cover your garage hearth installation, and that is the hearth base must be elevated 18" up off the floor. Apart form that all other stove and chimney clearances requirements are the same as a house installation. BTW, my insurance guy informed me he also has a wood stove installed in his garage.
Now if you had started the thread by saying "And this ladies and gentlemen is exactly why we should be extra careful with wood burners in garages where they are allowed", likely you would have had a different set of responses.
My garage is 24x72. Vehicles and gas containers in the front 24x24. The back section is my shop with my wood boiler that heats my house and the shop. There are 2 steel doors between them. My insurance company never had a problem with this. They only asked about the chimney, which is a class A. Flash fires from vapors can occur with a wood stove, propane stove, or any spark or open flame. Caution should be taken whenever a flammable substance is being used.
Doug
Doug
I agree with all the comments making eye rolls at the woodstove + garage "problem". I built several cars for SCCA events in a house which had a drive in basement and on the other side of the basement was a wood stove.
We had gasoline, ether, welding equipment, cutting torches, etc and never had a problem.
I think the take away from the article is that they probably had a serious gas spill, and incidentally a wood stove kicked it off. However this is no different from anyone else who blows up their garage because they're smoking or welding or whatever. Frankly it's not a wood stove problem, it's just that they didn't bother to drain the gas.
I personally think it's grossly negligent. Aside of safety concerns, the first thing we end up doing when working on the MR2s is drain the gas. It stinks and it's impossible to wash off when it gets on you. The guys were being negligent.
We had gasoline, ether, welding equipment, cutting torches, etc and never had a problem.
I think the take away from the article is that they probably had a serious gas spill, and incidentally a wood stove kicked it off. However this is no different from anyone else who blows up their garage because they're smoking or welding or whatever. Frankly it's not a wood stove problem, it's just that they didn't bother to drain the gas.
I personally think it's grossly negligent. Aside of safety concerns, the first thing we end up doing when working on the MR2s is drain the gas. It stinks and it's impossible to wash off when it gets on you. The guys were being negligent.
Carbon_Liberator said:
I'll bet that extra 18" comes in handy if there are fumes rolling along the floor.
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