| Author | Message | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 357 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.198.219  Rating: |
Caution, this is long, but it's not a diatribe, or a 'woe is me' Yesterday afternoon as I was readying myself for my daily siesta, (just to let the beer age a it, ya know!), the wife came tearing in, all in a dither, or it might have been a non-fit Tizzy, hollering that she kept hearing some kind of alarm from one of our long term campers trailers. The owner had just left for work, and for the past few days has been having a frozen/broken water line problem. He had gotten the water line fixed, but the floor and carpet were still wet. His method for drying out the trailer, on the advice of an unknown or unnamed co-worker, was o use a dehumidifier and a 250 watt infrared heat lamp. He bought one of each and installed the lamp pointed at the carpet, about 6" off the floor. Unfortunately, the spring clip on the lamp let loose as the metal warmed up and let the lamp sit squarely on the carpet. The sound the wife heard was the smoke detector screaming at the top of it's lungs. When I entered, the trailer was filled with smoke, with much pouring out of the bedroom area. That scared the peewaddin' out of me.... I didn't know if there was anyone in there or not, so I raced in, coughing and choking and looked around the bestest I could, but no living soul could be found, (Although there were a couple of damp shoe soles in the area). I tried to look for the cause of the smoke and couldn't see far enough to tell which was what, except, except, I noticed that a lot of smoke was coming from the area of the bunks, but there was no top bunk! Just happening to look down in there, I saw the heat lamp against the floor and minor flames from around it's sides. Our hero, (Me), grabbed the cord, which was as hot as if it had 3 space heaters on it, and ripped it from it's anchor in the wall. From there it was a piece of cake to get the wife to get me a flashlight and a bucket of water to put out the remaining flames. Now... This may sound humorous, the way I put it in words, but.... IF.. the wife hadn't heard the alarm... I hadn't worried about occupants... the smoke detector was non-functional... What could have happened? I have been lax in installing a smoke detector. Our bus is in the middle of a remodel, and the smoke detector didn't seem that important to me... we aren't living in it right now.... BUT... I was down at the bus today, looking for some stuf, and started looking at all the openly inflammable items that abound inside the coach. Starting fluid: 2ea. Spray paint: 23ea. Oil based enamel, gallons: 2ea. Gear oil, 85w140, quarts: 6ea. 14 oz butane tanks for torch: 6ea. 14 oz Mapp gas tanks for torch: 4ea. pure oxygen, about 200 cubic ft in tank: 1ea. pure oxygen, 14 oz tanks for small torch: 3ea. Butane fuel for cigarette /stove lighter: 4ea. In the bays: 24 gallons, 40Wt motor oil, two gallon jugs: 12ea 5 gallons mineral spirits, single can: 1ea. 285 gallons +/- diesel fuel: 2 tanks Portable propane tanks, 20ls: 5ea. Plus, much, much much more.... Now the final`e... Smoke detectors: 2ea. (Both NONFUNCTIONAL!) Sorry if this was too long winded, I don't want to be seen as bullying anyone, especially on the internet. Should I install maybe a cheap smoke detector? | ||
| Steven Foster (57_gmc)
Registered Member Username: 57_gmc Post Number: 31 Registered: 12-2010 Posted From: 72.156.216.251  Rating: N/A |
Dallas what a story !!! I know I have been working on my engine and that is all I keep thinking about how not to break down on the road you can BET I will check my 2 detectors before I sleep overnite in the Bus. Thanks for the information as a lot of us might not have them on top of list !! Steve | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1226 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 71.55.4.4  Rating: N/A |
Excellent post to all who overlook things of simplicity. ME INCLUDED!!! Thanks Dallas gomer | ||
| Jack Conrad (Jackconrad)
Registered Member Username: Jackconrad Post Number: 1382 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 71.3.72.124  Rating: N/A |
I guess because I spent 28 years as a Firefighter/Paramedic, we always install new batteries in our smoke detectors when we change our clocks for daylight savings time. A couple other things I do is always have a charged hose handy when using torch, welder, grinder, etc. and hang around for at least 1 hour after I finish using the above tools to make sure no embers kindle. Jack | ||
| George Martinez (Foohorse)
Registered Member Username: Foohorse Post Number: 366 Registered: 1-2010 Posted From: 72.144.61.124  Rating: N/A |
Im getting two tomorrow. good post Dallas. | ||
| Bill Gerrie (Bill_gerrie)
Registered Member Username: Bill_gerrie Post Number: 424 Registered: 3-2006 Posted From: 216.198.139.38  Rating: N/A |
Dallas I hope all of the bus nuts read and learn from this. It always happens to the other guy. Ya right. Just shows how important it is to not over look such a simple thing as a smoke or a carbon monoxide detector. Bill | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 467 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 72.211.128.245  Rating: N/A |
The wonderful value of this forum is demonstrated once again. In my case it was a clamp-on 10-in. reflector w/ a 100 watt bulb (a Brooder Light, for all of you Chicken eaters) It... WAS clamped to a beam as a back porch light. At 2 AM nature called & I smelled smoke which got stronger as I reached the back of the house. I opened the back door to find the light on the porch carpet runner and a hole 10 inches around, burned THRU all of the wood floor UNDER the carpet, The ONLY thing that prevented a house fire in the middle of the night was the lack of oxygen to the heat under the alum. reflector. When I lifted the light our of the hole thru the floor I got flames. Sharing experience keeps us all on our toes..... It would be of even more value if MORE shared theirs instead of imposing expectations of everyone else. | ||
| ED Hackenbruch (Shadowman)
Registered Member Username: Shadowman Post Number: 353 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 75.211.182.120 Rating: N/A |
Our smoke alarm gets tested almost every day.....that is how i know dinner is ready :>) | ||
| Nellie Wilson (Vivianellie)
Registered Member Username: Vivianellie Post Number: 522 Registered: 11-2008 Posted From: 66.87.0.246  Rating: |
Nice going, Dal. After that story, I'll be a bit more punctual replacing batteries and such. Wich reminds me, gotta test my fire extinguishers! The gauges say 'good' but who knows? (Maybe Jack could give us some guidance on that?) Nellie | ||
| Dal Farnworth (Dallas)
Registered Member Username: Dallas Post Number: 358 Registered: 7-2004 Posted From: 75.91.198.219 Rating: N/A |
Nellie, If you have the cheapo box store extinguishers, there should be a date code on them somewhere. They must be replaced within that time period. If you have the better quality A-B-C 5 or 10 pound extinguisher from a commercial vehicle parts place, they should be checked and recharged/recertified every year. I get mine done when I happen to see the fire extinguisher guy come in to recertify the existing units at whatever campground I may be in. I've even watched for the truck as I drive around town and will stop and ask if he/she/they will do mine while they are doing whatever store or shop they are at. I would say that 8 times out of 10 I haven't been charged a dime for the recert., but it may be different in your area. Good luck! | ||
| John & Barb Tesser (Bigrigger)
Registered Member Username: Bigrigger Post Number: 485 Registered: 9-2007 Posted From: 96.42.5.35  Rating: N/A |
I won't tell you what my 67 Ford Pick up looked like after I left a million candlepower handheld spotlight burning face down in the middle of the bench seat. That always was one "hot" pick up! | ||
| Jack Fids (Jack_fids)
Registered Member Username: Jack_fids Post Number: 475 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 72.211.128.245 Rating: |
Did it "work" any better? Too bad you don't chew a perfect spitcan holder! | ||
| Patrick levenson (Zubzub)
Registered Member Username: Zubzub Post Number: 272 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 174.91.230.146  Rating: N/A |
I have been around too many fires in the last 4 years. The damage and fall out from them has been impressive and no one has been physically hurt. I have and insurance co going after me for $250 K trying to stick me with a bill for damages that occurred on a site I was associated with. Fire was after hours, started by welders hired and supervised by the mall/owner operators. I was a construction consultant for a business owner, had been checking the site against the plans etc...the welders were unlicensed stoners who were welding near a foam ceiling. Guess what happened? When the owner/operators realized what had happened they must have told the insurance co that I had hired the welders. There was no paper trail for the welders showing they had been hired by the mall owners.....fall out. And that was only one of the fires. My favorite was the handbrake fire on my '04......put it out with a packing blanket/sound blanket. Still have the burnt blanket to remind me, use it for a little of this and that. BTW the handbrake fire would have been easier to deal with using a fire extinguisher, but I was test driving the bus and had left the F E. behind. 2 other fires in the same 18 month period and I was done.....I have always carried FE in my vehicles, after a friend lost a cherry VW van to a carb fire, now I like to carry 2, and am contemplating some kind of high volume pump for my bus so I can empty my water tank if needed on a tire fire. |
