Shed Fire.

[mike667]

DAmn i would of had to clean my pants out after that Brian - not from fear of the fire but losing my bikes!

[A10Boy]

Thanks for the warning. Glad you are OK.

[Goldseeker]

Bloody 'ell  , glad all is well.

Fire extinguisher going to the top of the 'to buy' list .

[terryk]

Im real glad you saw it Brian and didnt leave home for a while it would have been a very sad time for you now thats for sure.
Very good advice about the fire extinguisher.

[JohnH]

That must have been a real heart stopper Brian. Well done for spotting it and sorting it so quickly .... and for taking and passing on the lessons. Take a pat on the back for turning off the power first too ... always a good approach!

John OR's strategy is very sound in having a separate area for bike storage away from that used for working on a bike and a further separate area for hot work. The only issue I would take up would be fire extinguisher size. The bigger the better basically. A 9kg dry powder extinguisher is used up in 20 seconds or so - therefore a 2 extinguisher strategy is very sound. Dry Powder (BC type preferably)are the right type (although they do make a mess) and as I think you mentioned, they need to go at the door - or on your escape route.

John OR's approach of also having a fire blanket is also really sound as that can be used to smother a fire very quickly without all the mess. Two issues though Learn to use the extinguisher to best effect (loads of info on the net) and get extinguishers with an indicator gauge so that you can see when/if pressure starts to drop ... and do check it regularly!

Glad your bikes are OK - it would have been an absolute tragedy if you'd damaged any of them beyond the dry powder mess (which incidentally is mildly corrosive (sodium or potassium bicarbonate)) - so just as well you cleaned it off quickly.

Salutory lesson for all of us!

John

[melvyn]

Glad You & the bikes are ok

[Brian]

I hope that by telling my story that you have all had a think about fire safety in your own sheds/garages. etc.

There are four of us that have had fires, me in my shed, LJ with his campervan, Orabanda with his bike and Olev with the heat gun so that shows fires are not as uncommon as everyone would think.

So if you dont have a fire extinguisher go and get one, if you do check it to see that it is in good working order. Make sure it is the correct type for fuel and electrical fires and put it where you can get to it in a hurry, on the door frame as you enter your shed is best. Definitely bigger is better but a small extinguisher is better than no extinguisher. I had one extinguisher and a fire blanket, I now have two extinguishers and a fire blanket.

Fortunately my story had a happy ending, it could have been a lot worse.

So be good little boy scouts, be prepared !

[A10Boy]

Brian, thanks for the advice. After reading it, I did a bit of a review in my garage, it scared me a bit cos our bedroom is above the garage.


In the garage were;
Three bikes all with fuel in the tanks.
A half full gerry can
three big tins of WD40
A litre of thinners
Half a dozen tins of engine oil
A bottle of Meths- [to keep the cold out]
Gas blow lamp + spare fuel
A bin bag full of old oily rags
Ditto Overalls
Ditto Belstaffs
Two spare tyres
Carpet on the floor near the bench [oily]
No Smoke Detector!!!

All except the bikes are now in the shed away from the house. I fitted a Fire Alarm with a wireless connection to a bedroom sounder. Tested and Working.

I have Fire Extinguishers, a 5 litre water, a CO2, a Small Powder, and an Argon jobbie. I will get a bigger Foam one ASAP. Also, I wont weld, braze or use a grinder in there, I will go outside.

A good reminder, cheers.

[taroha10]

Just wanted to add myself as someone who needs to get an extinguisher.These stories are a must for keeping us on our toes.As many of us know, one of the most common times to have a bike in flames is first time you fire up after a rebuild.Those  petrol taps may  have not quite been tightened up enough and are leaking, or the backfire when you have got the timing 180 degrees out!
Thanks Brian for the warning and i'm so glad all bikes ok.
Thanks to you all for your amazing knowledge.I have owned  A10s on and off for the last 30 years and thought I knew alot about them but now I feel I know very little. I really enjoy reading the forum and will sometime add some pics of my own.
Cheers to you all.
TarohA10

[NickSR]

Hi Everyone

A warning to us all, can I also continue with this thread, Gas Mobile Heater (Propane) are cheap to buy throw out a lot of Heat it also can cause problems.

Two incidents that I know of pin hole in petrol tank, the heater caused vapor jet to light about 2 feet long, quickley put out and spraying with a can (small job) doors closed and well sealed aganist our British winters, resulted in a very short hair cut and no eye brows.

Keep safe
Nick
P.S
Just going to pop out to the garage and move the 2 fire exinguishers from the top shelf (steps needed) to be near the door.

 

[terryk]

I went and bought a big fire extingisher Brian I'm a convert thanks

[LJ.]

Lets just bring this topic back up to the top again for the benefit of our many newcomers to the forum... Its a topic that should never be allowed to rest... Did you guys that have no extinguisher go out and get one?? Those of you that do have one, is it up to date?? (Its a year and a half since the last post here!)

And lets not just concern ourselves with shed fires, remember that even when out on your bike an over enthusiastic carb tickle could put your bike at risk. Watch out if you have a pre monobloc with external float chamber they are more prone to overspilling fuel than other types of carburettors.

[Brian]

Good idea to bring the topic back to give everyone a reminder.

At the time it happened I got stuck into repairing my shed, replacing wiring etc, gave me plenty to do for a few days to get it all sorted.

The worst part was a few days later when I had time to think and realise just what I could have lost. My whole collection of bikes, all my tools,lathe,milling machine etc etc are in my shed, many thousands of dollars worth of bikes and tools. I have had some of my BSA's for over 30 years, My Guzzi for 18 years (I bought it new).

I could have lost it all.

Make sure you have a up to date fire extinguisher of the correct type, make sure it is located by the door so you can get it easily without going into the shed. Never put the fire between you and your exit.

Fire extinguishers are not expensive and they can save so much......................

[olev]

As well as an extinguisher, a fire blanket is a good thing to keep handy for smallish fires.
They kill a fire instantly.
Sometimes the extinguisher can cause more damage than a fire.
cheers