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- Jan 2, 2019
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Borax
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Fire suppression
- Thread starter DavidR8
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2016
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- 2,022
Other than the two fire extinguishers , I have 4 fire retardant blankets hanging from the ceiling like 4 walls, around my welding table so when I weld or grind/cut, no sparks get out of the area, I never liked those orange welding screens and do not think they are as functional as the full length blankets.
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2016
- Messages
- 3,004
5/8" sheet rock, hardie board?
3/4" plywood in good condition takes some effort to get burning, the biggest issue is that unlike sheet rock, hardieboard etc in a fire the plywood will contribute to the fire load where the "rock" boards won't.
There are some paint on fire retardants but I don't have any experience with them.
Intumescent paint
Yes there is unfortunately I don’t have a recommendation but I do know you can get at the big box stores. I had just seen some at menards but can’t remember the name sorry
It comes to mind that the cement board that is used for under layment for tiles would be great. They can be cut with utility knives, 4 1/2" diamond blade mounted on a battery saw or a right angel grinder. Mount with screws and paint if you want. It will not burn.
- Joined
- May 10, 2012
- Messages
- 995
One of the recurring themes above is housekeeping, which I wholeheartedly agree with. My neighbor years ago nearly burned his shop down because he had done a bunch of woodworking and then decided to weld near the shavings pile. I tend to like to do grinding, oxyfuel and plasma cutting outside if I can, the dust bothers me. I general wet down any vegetation (it's always dry here) before I start to prevent setting the yard on fire.
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2014
- Messages
- 444
I like a combination of tidiness and CO2 extinguishers. At least 10 pounders.
I put the extinguishers on the wall by the door outside the shop. In a pinch I can get out safely, close the door and evaluate the situation - then re-enter if it seems prudent or call 911 if not. Hasn't come to that yet. No shop fires at all, yet. Operative word: 'yet'.
Also, if welding or cutting I do it early and wait at least 30 minutes before leaving in case some ember decides to cause trouble.
Stu
I put the extinguishers on the wall by the door outside the shop. In a pinch I can get out safely, close the door and evaluate the situation - then re-enter if it seems prudent or call 911 if not. Hasn't come to that yet. No shop fires at all, yet. Operative word: 'yet'.
Also, if welding or cutting I do it early and wait at least 30 minutes before leaving in case some ember decides to cause trouble.
Stu
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2019
- Messages
- 708
Dry chemical is very abrasive so if you have to use one in the shop you will need to tear everything down to clean it out. It gets everywhere and inside everything. CO2 extinguishers are good and leave no residue.
I have a friend who has a shop who has 2 big CO2 tanks plumbed to a system of pipes that go throughout the ceiling of the shop much like sprinklers. He has had a fire and when he got outside the door he popped the tanks open and called 911. We are out in the sticks so it takes the fire dept a little while to get there. I was one of the guys on the fire truck. Usually a fire call where he is would be a fully involved fire by the time we got there. When we arrived there was fire but it was in the smoldering stage and we were able to knock it down with a 5 gallon water extinguisher. We had to tear out some walls to make sure the fire wasn't in there waiting for us to leave but it did very little damage compared to what we would expect to see.
Be careful with chips from the bandsaw. You cut steel and aluminum and when the steel rusts you have thermite. If it gets burning it causes serious problems. The band saw makes chips fine enough to allow the thermite reaction to happen.
I have a friend who has a shop who has 2 big CO2 tanks plumbed to a system of pipes that go throughout the ceiling of the shop much like sprinklers. He has had a fire and when he got outside the door he popped the tanks open and called 911. We are out in the sticks so it takes the fire dept a little while to get there. I was one of the guys on the fire truck. Usually a fire call where he is would be a fully involved fire by the time we got there. When we arrived there was fire but it was in the smoldering stage and we were able to knock it down with a 5 gallon water extinguisher. We had to tear out some walls to make sure the fire wasn't in there waiting for us to leave but it did very little damage compared to what we would expect to see.
Be careful with chips from the bandsaw. You cut steel and aluminum and when the steel rusts you have thermite. If it gets burning it causes serious problems. The band saw makes chips fine enough to allow the thermite reaction to happen.
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2015
- Messages
- 36
I use 4x8x1/2" concrete backer board for the first 4' on the walls. 1/2" drywall above that. I have covered the floor with the same material (20x24 shop), and put a skim coat of thin-set mortar on it. Levels the floor, and fills in the joints. Wooden framed, with steel siding. 6" insulation in walls. If I damage the floor, a little bit of thin-set repairs the damage. zuhnc