Fire on Board - I know you know, but....

[iabmatos]

Hello all,

Here is an important warning about silly things that can literally burn you:

NTSB: Oily Rags Caused Total Loss of Luxury Yacht


Take care, Have fun.



Cheers

Ismael

[Chotu]

Along the same lines it’s good to remember that suspended dust can cause explosions. Sanding dust, flour that you cook with.

[wholybee]

Related, my father burned is house down from fiberglass resin. He made a small repair to his boat, and tossed the resin cup (which seemed to have set) into the trash can in the garage. An hour later, his house was engulfed in flames.

[fourlyons]

Many years ago I finished a large piece of furniture I had built with boiled linseed oil. I laid the rags out to dry for a while, then tossed them in the garbage can and took it to the curb. The next morning the neighbors told me that the fire department came in the middle of the night to put out my burning garbage can! I slept right through it.
Now I always throw them into a bucket of water, before they go in the garbage.

[catsketcher]

About 33 years ago I took my white composite trimaran around to a bay to look at another composite trimaran of about the same type and visit my then girlfriend. When I got there I saw a thin stream of smoke emanating from the forehatch of the tri. It was moored between two piles, stern to windward. By the time I went past and turned around the smoke was thick. I hooked my boat up to the leeward pile and pushed the dinghy in the water and went across with a single fire extinguisher (all I had on my own boat). By the time I was halfway to the other boat the smoke was acrid and then the flame licked through the deck. I backed away quickly and by the time I had removed my own boat from the pile the boat was totally aflame.

I knew the owner a little and he was devastated when he returned to his boat. He had some rags next to his battery compartment. But we don't really know what happened. It was quick, really quick and very sobering to watch. You really need a lot of extinguishers on board and to be very careful with thinners and fuel.

[CaptTom]

Thanks for posting! I know all about "oily rags" being a common cause of fires. I never leave them lying around, especially any place like an engine room.

But you got me thinking. If I'm using teak oil, I might try to economize by saving the rag for later. And I'm sure I've just tossed them in the trash. I had no idea they could self-ignite!

I'll look on the can next time, there's probably a warning. But there are so many silly warnings on products these days that I rarely read them all.

[team karst]

good thread. I just learned about iodine number. explains why linseed is so bad and motor oil is not...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine_value

[bdgWesternMass]

Originally Posted by fourlyons

I laid the rags out to dry for a while,

Since I have been doing this for years after almost burning down my uncle's building in Brooklyn(No FD involved, only than girlfiriend current wife knew).

Were they dry and hard?

I always lay them out to dry until hard. I'm now in my own place and I want to be extra careful.

PS. I'm using fireproof epoxy for my build.

[donradcliffe]

Its all about the surface area. If you spread each rag out and lay it on or over something, it will not ignite. If you wad them up in a heap, they can.

[nelly]

Originally Posted by fourlyons

Many years ago I finished a large piece of furniture I had built with boiled linseed oil. I laid the rags out to dry for a while, then tossed them in the garbage can and took it to the curb. The next morning the neighbors told me that the fire department came in the middle of the night to put out my burning garbage can! I slept right through it.
Now I always throw them into a bucket of water, before they go in the garbage.

One word of caution: they can and will still catch fire after putting in water. Once the water dries, they will catch fire.

It's best to let them sit out for a few days then toss them. Or just burn them yourself.

[hugosalt]

Years ago owned a printing plant on the 6th floor in downtown Manhattan.
Used a tremendous amount of Alcohol and "press wash" to clean rollers etc.
(had "blow out rooms" to store the many 55 gallon drums, cement block rooms
that were always on exterior walls with metal doors that would close if the light weight
rope holding them open burned).
Used rags with solvent went into metal containers with metal covers.
One night the night crew did not fully cover a container. "Spontanous combustion" was the cause of the ensuing fire damaging a very large expensive printing press before the sprinkler system kicked in.
Friends wonder why I am nuts about soiled paint/epoxy/mechanical etc. rags.

[bdgWesternMass]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

Its all about the surface area. If you spread each rag out and lay it on or over something, it will not ignite. If you wad them up in a heap, they can.

Right that is my current behavior. Thank you for backing up the procedure. I would think once they are hard they are fine. I prefer this method to air proof canister method. I feel the air proof canister encourages reckless behavior.

[hugosalt]

Such a worthwhile thread.
Thank you, Ismael, Iabmatos

[CaptTom]

I continue to learn. Good thread!

Funny story, I just got rid of about 10 gallons of ancient linseed oil from a deceased relative's house. We had so much hazardous waste to get rid of we just wanted it gone. Had I known it was used on teak, I would have kept some. One thing I read said it can go bad after a few years, so I figured it was probably gone anyway.

[nelly]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

I continue to learn. Good thread!

Funny story, I just got rid of about 10 gallons of ancient linseed oil from a deceased relative's house. We had so much hazardous waste to get rid of we just wanted it gone. Had I known it was used on teak, I would have kept some. One thing I read said it can go bad after a few years, so I figured it was probably gone anyway.

Yes it can go rancid and probably did.

Also, if you do use it on exterior wood, give it a long time (months) to properly cure before exposing it to the elements - otherwise you may end up with a surface that attracts dirt and turns black

The "real stuff" without additives is great. You can even eat it. Food safe. Works great for interior wood - my preferred interior finish is BLO + paste wax.