close call today

Nick Z._2

Had a close call today. Had to solder around some old insulation. didn't think much of it, got my alum. foil made a good sheild got my cup a water next tome just in case i needed it.Just got done soldering a 1/2 x3/4 coupling when the paper on the insul. started to burn, I didn't panic, just took my cup of water and threw on it. When I did the fire spread like a grease fire. I yelled for help which resulted in more water being thrown which made it spread even more! With that I took my Carhart coat in my hands a ripped out the burning insulation.Stopping the fire. Now you might be thinking I'm an idiot, which I might be. But trust me I have never seen fiberglass insul. burn like this. No direct flame hit it, just enough heat. I have been doing this a long time nothing like this ever.
Reason I'm sharing this is , if you ever see old fiberglass insulation with black paper on it BEWARE.My self and the carpenters could only guess it was some kind of petroleum based something or another in the fiberglass.Again it was made by johns- manville and is extremly flamable. I was very lucky.

Mark Eatherton1

Tar paper...

once upon a time, about a hundred years or so ago, when I was just a pup plumber, I was unsoldering a sillcock in an outside wall that had that very same insulation in it. It flashed, I knew it, I reached up into the cavity to pull it out, and it was on the run up the wall. I reared back onto my butt and KICKED the wall about 2 feet above the hole I'd carefully cut into the wall.

Naturally, the HO was sitting on a couch watching my every move. She jumped up and yelled "WHAT THE **** ARE YOU DOING TO MY WALL!!" I reached in and grabbed a chunk of the burning insulation and went running outside with it, threw it on the ground and stomped it out.

She later appologized for the trucker type language and thanked me for having the courage to save her house.

Ya gotta watch that stuff. Now, If I come across it, I take it out and stuff it back in after I'm done with the torch!

Careful out there now...

ME

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RELY

Tar paper insulation

Taht stuff goes up like wild fire thank God you were under control and took care of business.Good mechanics work well under pressure

Jamie Hall

tar paper

very old wood (well seasoned, dry) is almost as flammable... but that tar paper covered insulation is the worst.

Steve_35

spray

Back in another lifetime I worked for a commercial roofing contractor. One of the products we used was a torch down modified bitumen roofing. The torch threw out a flame about 6' long and in the summer sun it was, for the most part, invisible.

One of the things we ALWAYS kept on the job was a small plastic sprayer like you'd use to spray pesticide except we'd fill it with water. The wand works great in small holes. We used it more than once. It's a great thing to have around when you're soldering in old houses. Much better than a dry chemical fire extinguisher.

kevin_5

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kevin_5

Thanks Nick

I don't consider you an idiot. I consider you a man of humility for sharing something embarrassing that could save me or someone else a lot of trouble. And I appreciate it. I am also thankful I never heard my trucker father talk like the HO in ME's story! :-) Kevin

Joel_3

two words

Pro press

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Weezbo

Ever since then....

I carry one of two units,the "dont Burn down the mans house,in a box, containment unit" and the delux model the new and improved model, as it were ,the one where you add Soap AND water...a febreeze or windex bottel ...:) This is my answer to The HEAT BEGONE at 9.99:) Welcome to the club:)))

jackchips_2

Your not alone, Nick.

This site continues to bring back memories.

Many (to many) years ago, I left my apprentice to finish the last couple of solder joints. He returned to my house, left the truck and went home.

Two minutes later, the home owner, a very nice, elderly lady called to tell me her house was on fire. After telling her to leave and calling the fire department, I rushed up to the site.

I didn't see her and went into the house to find her still in the rocking chair watching the afternoon soaps.

The fire was in the wall and although very smokey, had been put out by the carpenters and there was minimum damage. John and I both learned a very valuable lesson that day.

Wayne_12

torch use in customers home

My practice was to plan any solderering or silfos joints early in the job sequence. That way if there ever was a smoldering ember we would notice it before leaving. I even would recheck the work before leaving if the whole job did not take long to complete. I encouraged the employees to take the same precautions. You just never know.

Now I realize I was not smart enough to figure this out on my own, so some one once upon a time drilled it into me to recheck any work done with a torch or heater around any combustable products. As I think about, it was probably my grandfather or his sons, (my uncles).

The old timers took great precautions to avoid any building fires. Their insurance company was themselves. (family and friends) If it burnt down, they rebuilt or moved on.

Take care with open flames and combustables. WD

Dave Yates (PAH)

been there......

that brings back memories! Very scary moment & I'm glad you're ok.

If you're an old fart like me, you can remember setting up a lead pot for melting lead. 20Lb propane cylinder with a crucible perched over a burner that screwed onto the tank's outlet. A rather large rubber gasket sealed the surfaces.

We were finishing up a re-rough and had packed the oakum into all of the new cast iron joints. Paul headed out to the truck and for a puff on his corn cob pipe. Me - the apprentice - remained behind to melt a pot of lead. The burners on those lead melting rigs made about as much noise as a jet engine. I kept thinking I was smelling propane, but thought that might have been due to the first attempt at ignition & that it was just left over raw gas that had escaped. It WAS a leak & it ERUPTED into a towering inferno of flame that reached the ceiling! Fortunately for me, the T-handle was still stuck over the tank's valve stem & I only lost the hair on my arm.

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ScottMP

Tar paper backed insulation

I am supprised none of you old timers mentioned grabbing the insulation and having the Hot Melted tar paper backing Stick to your fingers. What Am I The Only One !

Talk about a burn.

I got a call about two years back from my tech. You better come over here we set the house on fire. Let me tell you, as a Boss, There is NO other feeling like waiting in traffic ( because the fire Dept. has the road closed ) and looking over the roof tops to see there is any smoke !! iTs about a ten on the spinctor call.

Luckly it was'nt to bad.

Hey Dave, how about throwing cold wet lead into the pot. Uh , I saw it once, yea thats my story.

Scott

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Mad Dog

Scary!!!!!!!!!!!!! That could happen to anyone

we all get too casual and really should ALWAYS have a real fire extinguisher next to us. One time I was worried about some embers that fell down a wall. The HO wasn't too happy when I dumped 2, 5 gal. buckets of water after it, but understood later. Mad Dog

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Dave Yates (PAH)

plunging

a wet ladel into a full molten pot of lead ranked a 10 on the sphincter scale! T'was a rainy afternoon & shop time for the apprentice. Melting lead from re-roughs to pour pigs. I was in a hurry and didn't give the rain-soaked ladel (retrieved from the back of the pick-up) a moment's notice. BOOM! Sounded like a shotgun blast & fortunately for me, the cup of the ladel where the violent reaction took place, was facing away from me. Take one full pot of molten lead and splatter it all over the shop & you get the picture(G)

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Mark Eatherton1

House on fire story...

About 10 years ago, when I was still in the service biz, I get an alpha numeric page telling me that the doctors house who I'd worked on the day before had caught on fire in the mechanical room, and they wanted me there pronto...

Only problem was I was an hour up in the mountains, and it was snowing HARD.

I high tailed it down, had to fight my way past numerous fire trucks with their hoses spread out all over the place, walked into the home, met the fire chief who escorted me to the mechanical room, all the while asking me if I'd used a torch in the mech rm. I told him I had, but I had stay for almost an hour after snuffing the flame and that nothing was wrong when I left. We get to the mechanical room and the F.D. had cut a large hole in the floor, and a fireman popped his head out of the hole and said "The fire started under neath the tan thing (Raypak boiler), "Whew!" I sez, "I installed the BLUE thingy (Amtrol BoilerMate)

Seems the HO doctor decided to give his new water heater the acid test, and had left the shower running wide open for three hours BEFORE he decided to jump in and take his shower. The boiler was installed on a sheet of tin for a catch basin, but was not rated for use on combustible floors. The downward radiation from the burner got so hot that it conducted heat through the floor and caused the plywood in the crawl space to catch on fire. Pyrolization I think he called it...

When I pointed out the fact that the city boiler inspector had recently (2 years back) inspected and approved the installation, the fire chief got real red faced and left the scene without saying another word.

Fortunately, it was mostly just smoke damage. The only thing that saved them was the fact that they had insulated the floors joist bays with unfaced fiberglass insulation. I starved the fire for oxygen.

The lady of the house had called my boss from within the house and stated that she was confused. Her alarm system was telling her that there was a burglary in process, but she could smell smoke... He told her to call 911 immediately and to leave the house. Some peoples kids...

And plumbers wonder why their liability insurance is so high. Could it be that we're notorious for walking around the job sites with torches in our hands?

We've notified our insurance carrier that we have substantially lessened their fire exposure via the use of the ProPress. They have yet to respond.

Careful out there. It's a jungle!

ME

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[Deleted User]

I was a firefighter for almost 25 years (volunteer) and have seen the damage a torch can cause, be it a roofers torch or a torch to thaw pipes or make a repair in a wall. In a balloon constructed building, a fire can start in the basement and travel right to the attic, past the first and second floors un-noticed due to the lack of "fire cats" or fire stops.The fire may not show until the occupants are asleep and that may be too late. I like to have a 5 pound ABC fire extinguisher (the type with an attached hose) and a 2-1/2 gallon pressurized water extinguisher on hand just in case. (The small hose can be inserted into a hole above the possible fire and prevent a small problem from becoming a VERY large one). Always call the fire department if in doubt. Most departments have thermal imaging cameras that can see possible hot spots and will make a decision whether the entire wall has to be opened up. Also, as simple as it may sound, know how to use the extinguisher. (Don't forget to pull the pin first and make sure it is charged). Never TRY a dry chemical extinguisher to see if it works...it may, but will leak pressure and will not work when you really need it.