Cold WX Warning: Working in the Hangars
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:34 pm
With cold weather we all tend to do our maintenance in enclosed hangars. I'd like to remind everyone how dangerous it can be to work alone on any type of vehicle/boat/tractor/airplane within a closed bldg/barn/hangar. The amount of fuel that these things store is considerable and only a very small amount of fumes/vapor/liquid can burn the place down and kill you.
NEVER NEVER WORK ON FUEL SYSTEMS INSIDE CLOSED BUILDINGS. Keep all sources of electricity (including battery-powered tools) away from the work and ABOVE the floor! Gasoline vapors settle onto the floor, and rapidly spread out across the floor creating an invisible hazard to explosion/fire.
Get rid of incandescent shop-lites and beware that even flourescent lighting can shatter and provide ignition to fuel vapors.
Here's the story from another friend that prompted me to post this msg:
"One of my best friends got burned pretty bad on his arms, hands and face etc yesterday evening. His (tractor) was starving for gas so he got it into his shop and took the fuel line off the carburetor and then blew into the gas line with compressed air. The gas blew back with pressure from the tank and when it hit his drop light the bulb burst and everything went up in flames. A neighbor just happened to be walking up to visit when it happened or he might have burned to death but the neighbor got him on the ground and got the fire out on him. He had a really nice shop. He is a master machinest and retired. 79 years old and very active. The shop is almost a total loss and he is in the hospital running a fever and nauseated etc. We are all hoping he gets over this soon. I'm afraid he may have gotten too much smoke or flames down his throat too.
Tomorrow I'm buying more fire extinguishers and placing them where they will be close at hand. It's not a good idea to ever work around gasoline in a shop in tight quarters. Never use a drop light where gasoline might hit it either. I've seen another shop burned down with a drop light the same way years ago.
Zane"
NEVER NEVER WORK ON FUEL SYSTEMS INSIDE CLOSED BUILDINGS. Keep all sources of electricity (including battery-powered tools) away from the work and ABOVE the floor! Gasoline vapors settle onto the floor, and rapidly spread out across the floor creating an invisible hazard to explosion/fire.
Get rid of incandescent shop-lites and beware that even flourescent lighting can shatter and provide ignition to fuel vapors.
Here's the story from another friend that prompted me to post this msg:
"One of my best friends got burned pretty bad on his arms, hands and face etc yesterday evening. His (tractor) was starving for gas so he got it into his shop and took the fuel line off the carburetor and then blew into the gas line with compressed air. The gas blew back with pressure from the tank and when it hit his drop light the bulb burst and everything went up in flames. A neighbor just happened to be walking up to visit when it happened or he might have burned to death but the neighbor got him on the ground and got the fire out on him. He had a really nice shop. He is a master machinest and retired. 79 years old and very active. The shop is almost a total loss and he is in the hospital running a fever and nauseated etc. We are all hoping he gets over this soon. I'm afraid he may have gotten too much smoke or flames down his throat too.
Tomorrow I'm buying more fire extinguishers and placing them where they will be close at hand. It's not a good idea to ever work around gasoline in a shop in tight quarters. Never use a drop light where gasoline might hit it either. I've seen another shop burned down with a drop light the same way years ago.
Zane"
.....Brad