I've been cleaning out the cellar for the past few weeks and can't believe how many flammables we work with. The gas water heater cycling on and off along with my wife using the dryer reminded me how much open flame is down there.

Several years ago a guy workin on his motorcycle in the basement leaked some gas, which ran under the water heater. Needles to say, as Tagger would say, "you'll blow yourself up," as he did along with his house.:(

Just for what it's worth.

I got three open flames here..gas water heater,,dryer ,, furnace,, crossed my mind a couple of times when i thought I was pushing it with the fumes .. just waiting for the flash .. not worth it ... broke down and bought a spray booth .. all goes outside now ..

gotta have the big fire ext. handy.

Hope your reflexes are real quick, FF. They don't call them flash fires for nuttin'!:laugha: Being a bodyman, I bet ya seen a couple. I sure have.

ask me how to prime start an old jeep comanche carb with a cup of laquer thinner :hs: :smokin:

Tried to lube a running eletric motor belt with silicone spray one time.
:smash:

Back draft :shocked: :usd:

I worked with a guy who was cleaning his mower in a basement with gas. The hot water heater kicked on and the flash exploded the gas. the mower, every aerolsol can in his basement. He told me the entire basement floor had 3ft of flame. He got out the cellar door and put himself out by rolling in dirt. He survived but had to have multiple skin graphs to both legs. His house almost burned to the ground.

Years ago there was a guy at Modern Continental Co that used to prime his wood stove with ether/starting fluid. Stupid did it one day while I was putting an antenna on the roof of a pickup.. Friggin wood stove was on the other side of the truck and he blew me off the roof. I will never forget the flames coming straight at me. What a idiot.

I know it ain't funny, Scott, but I can't stop laughing at the little movie in my head...sorry

Gasoline fumes rise to approx. 17.5 "high. That's why when you see a water heater in garage it's usually raised up off the floor to a minimum of 18" to the base.
If you are using gasoline in the house you have a bomb at the first 17.5 inches of the entire floor space. It's not a matter of if it's a matter of when you are going to blow yourself up!

I saw a demo once where some guy was cleaning something on the 3rd floor with gasoline. That very same gas (fumes) settled down the stairways into the the cellar and was ignited by the oil burner! That was pretty much it for his house!!

Becareful guys!

Fred I still laugh and shake my head to this day....at how stooopid that guy was. And I watched him do it....he also had this habit of leaving the front open and stuffing 8' long pallets into it whiloe they burned down...and out :eyes:

I know it ain't funny, Scott, but I can't stop laughing at the little movie in my head...sorry

Back in 1992 I was working at Ellsworth AFB in S.D. as a crane operator. We were putting in a pipeline for JP-4 jetfuel (all stainless). I was working with the fitters swinging pipe. Well it was boring except for this one day. I picked a 40' stick of 18" pipe and put it in the rack for the fitter. I would then sit there and wait until he finished making his cut and then pick it off the rack and repeat the process. The pipe had a yellow plastic coating held to the pipe with some sort of tar material. The fitter would heat the tar with a weed burner then clean it off with gasoline.:doh: So I am sitting 50' away watching him work. mark his cut, peel the plastic them heat the tar. After it cooled slightly he would pour gasoline over the pipe and scrape the tar off. Well he puts the weedburner aside and pours the gas. (weedburner had a built in pilot) Well you can guess what happened next. I heard a "poof" then watched a blanket of fire 10' by 10' engulf the fitter and the pipe. I jumped out of the crane and grabbed the fire extinguisher off the side putting the fire out. The only thing that saved the fitter from serious injury was that he was wearing full leathers and the gas can was a safety can. After putting the fire oput there was a little flame still coming out of the gas can spout like an oil lamp. So it got the last shot from the extinguisher. If that had been a Jerry Jug things would have probably turned out differently.

There was this kid when i was growin up kinda a freak.We usta make him light his farts.Til he burnded his gonads pretty good.Then we couldn't get him to do it anymore.

There was this kid when i was growin up kinda a freak.We usta make him light his farts.Til he burnded his gonads pretty good.Then we couldn't get him to do it anymore.

jezze nib where do you get this stuff. i'm howlin':jump:

Anyone know what gets coffee out of a keyboard?:laughs:

Anyone know what gets coffee out of a keyboard?:laughs:

Gasoline!

Before:cputin: after:bl2: It works! Thanks Bill!