Your Garage – A Fire Risk?

How big a fire risk is your garage?

Well in my garage there are the following fuel sources

  • 50 Litres of Petrol. (in the car fuel tank)
  • A litre of white spirit.
  • A litre turps substitute.
  • 2 x 5kg gas bottles.
  • Several tins of half used gloss and enamel paint.
  • Large box of scrap wood.
  • Various cardboard boxes.

As far as ignition sources go there is

  • Electrical Sparks from 240 volt power tools
  • Sparks from angle grinder
  • Car electrical system

And I don’t even have a welder or brazing torch!

If a fire started, and was undiscovered, how long would it take to spread to the rest of the house?………………….Not very long if you have got a standard internal door and one layer of standard plasterboard on the walls and ceiling. (In the UK if there is a room above a garage the standard is two layers of plasterboard with off set joints between sheets)

It could well be worth upgrading the specification for your new house to improve the fire resistance of garage walls, ceilings and doors! Perhaps you might also consider fitting a sprinkler point.

At least I have a fire extinguisher …. do you?

For Similar posts look in the Design Category

 

Fire Risk

Understandably there is a lot of talk about Bush Fires at this time of the year…….. but did you know that in a typical year there are around 13,000 domestic fires in Australia.

There are also around 80 deaths a year which fire brigades describe as preventable!

Causes

The top causes according to the NSW Fire Brigade are:

  • Cooking Equipment – Why not invest in a fire extinguisher and fire blanket for your new house?
  • Appliances – There appears to be a rise in tumble dryers fires so make sure you keep that lint filter clean.
  • Heating Systems – If you are going for  a fire or wood heater a bigger hearth is safer. For things like fan heaters make sure you keep them free from dust. 
  • Faulty wiring – Hopefully this shouldnt be too big a risk for your new house with modern Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers (ELCB’s).
  • Air conditioning/ Refrigeration – Don’t forget to clean any filters and occasionally vacuum the back of the fridge and freezer. 

 

Also see Your Garage – A Fire Risk?

 

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