10
votes
Accepted
Can I burn away a rotten fence post in the ground?
Drill it out.
If your drill (or drill bits, or drill bits + extensions) won't do the job, rent or purchase one that will.
Even if the gas line WASN'T right there, the heat from burning it out would ...
8
votes
lighting fire safety
No, that is not safe. The 23W CFL limit means that you should not use a bulb that uses more than 23W of power. A 30/50/150W 3-way will use more than that on its lowest setting.
If you don't want to ...
- 23k
7
votes
Accepted
Carpet badly burned, do I need to replace the whole thing?
It is possible to replace a section of carpet if you have a piece that is large enough. To tell the truth you will be able to see the section in most cases, to see other splices look at the doorways ...
- 102k
7
votes
Accepted
Why are houses not going up in flames over ovens and irons being left on?
A clothes iron left on, in the normal upright position they sit when not actually actively ironing has nothing in contact with the heated surface to set on fire. It just wastes electricity and heats ...
- 191k
6
votes
How do I connect these two pieces of dryer duct in my attic?
Long story short, you're going to want to figure out a way of connecting the ducting from the dryer to the ducting through the roof.
If you don't, you're going to end up with warm, moist air feeding ...
- 40.5k
6
votes
Does this message from the Fire Department suggest the fire suppression and/or alarm system may be sufficiently faulty to endanger life and property?
That message is most likely NOT from the Fire Department.
You should ask this question of the building management.
While I cannot guarantee the intent, it appears that the message is there in regard ...
- 21.9k
5
votes
How can I direct heat from a fire pit table?
Reflection of radiant heat is what you would be after. If you could magically hang it, one of the best would be a metal surface above the fire reflecting heat back down to everyone. Using an upside ...
- 5,689
5
votes
Accepted
Fire door modification beyond trim allowance
How likely is it that this would be signed off by Building Control?
Highly likely. The way you describe the carpenter's modification proposal it would likely not be easily detected.
If it was signed ...
- 34.2k
5
votes
What exactly is tested when a fire extinguisher is tagged?
Hydrostatic test is typically only on a 5 year cycle, and involves emptying/recharging due to the nature of that test.
Otherwise it's pretty much pressure gauge or weight, and overall visual ...
- 191k
5
votes
Accepted
If I have a firepit on my screen porch, how high does the ceiling need to be?
Every place I've lived has city or state laws that prohibit this. In Virginia, the law says no open fires (exludes bonfire which is 50') within 25' of a structure.. So, don't do this.
If you are ...
- 6,860
5
votes
Accepted
Reduce fireplace vent soot on house siding
Have the fireplace serviced to adjust the fuel/air ratio. If you're burning gas and making soot, it's too rich (excess fuel, not enough air.)
- 191k
4
votes
What happens when you accidently connect a neutral wire with a hot wire with a screw?
Normally if the proper breaker or fuse was used it would trip the breaker or blow the fuse. Normally the conduit would contain all the damage. Less commonly the fast arc in the pipe will vaporize ...
- 15.7k
4
votes
lighting fire safety
First, this is dangerous as discussed by everyone else. "convenience" is not an exception to
Second, a 50/100/150 incandescent will NOT give you 150W in that fixture. It will only give 100W,...
4
votes
Fireplace bi-fold doors, should they be opened or closed when you have a fire?
Is there a safety reason for one or the other? A performance reason?
Be sure to read any documents (instructions or user manual) that came with the doors (if they are a separate product) or stove (if ...
- 241
4
votes
Why are houses not going up in flames over ovens and irons being left on?
A few additional points to add to Ecnerwal's excellent answer:
Ovens
Many modern ovens have an automatic 12-hour shutoff. This is actually a problem for Orthodox Jews on certain holidays. As a ...
3
votes
Is it safe to run servers in a room that contains a boiler? [fire safety]
The regulations say for domestic premises you must maintain 150mm separation between any low pressure gas pipework and any electrical equipment. The specific room location is irrelevant.
So it would ...
- 1,598
3
votes
Do USB and Ethernet extension cords violate typical fire codes?
Except fiber optic, all computer cables carry power. Electrical codes generally don't apply to low voltage (typically less they 50V), so telephone, network, USB, serial (RS232), parallel etc. have ...
3
votes
Accepted
How can I remove smoke odor after a fire?
As commented, this is usually part of the mitigation company's deal, as the tools are a bit specialized (serious ozone generators, for one thing) and they may have access to ones a bit more serious ...
3
votes
Accepted
How to put out a polystyrene fire?
An ABC extinguisher would be my choice I carry one on my truck and 2 in my boat. They will put out everything but electrical & magnesium, kill the electrical first then the fire will not be ...
- 102k
3
votes
Electrical box caught on fire
Allow enough space.
A cable is 2-5 wires inside a plastic sheath.
A #14 wire needs 2.0 cubic inches.
A #12 wire needs 2.25 cubic inches.
A #10 wire needs 2.5 cubic inches.
A #8 wire needs 3.0 ...
3
votes
Concerned about 240v outlet in my garage. Says 20 amp 250 volt, but inside the box only two wires are connected to the breakers?
You need to look at the nameplate data on the compressor to determine the size of breaker it requires.
There is generally a "minimum breaker", either stated or found by multiplying FLA (...
2
votes
Accepted
Can you run an individual wire to link smoke detector together?
Even if the wire ends up only having a low voltage on it, it will be terminated and spliced in the same electrical boxes as the white and black high voltage wires, so it's going to come down to the ...
- 27.6k
2
votes
Electrical box caught on fire
Never reuse a panel that has had a fire , the insulators may have been damaged and smoke , soot can leave conductive traces causing problems.
Sub panels are easy because you can turn them off in ...
- 102k
2
votes
Fire Extinguisher 6 year maintenance
This seems to be a well documented maintenance procedure. I don't know much about fire extinguishers, but a quick internet search presented the following information:
Six-Year Maintenance
Every six ...
- 4,927
2
votes
Does varnishing floors create a fire hazard?
Depends a lot on the specifics of the finish, but the most common finish, water-based polyurethane, does not create a fire hazard. Neither do other finishes, but some of them are mixed with solvents ...
- 173
2
votes
Accepted
Who (what trade/discipline) to contact for fire code remediation approval?
Reviewing Texas and Austin websites it appears any work you do that modifies the electrical or modifies a rated wall requires a permit. Owner occupants of homes don't need to be licensed as an ...
- 15.7k
2
votes
Accepted
Fire Sealing Holes to Crawl Space?
Idaho residential building code is based on the International Residential Code (along with all other states except Wisconsin, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U. S. Virgin Islands; Mexico ...
- 2,635
1
vote
zinsco breaker box in garage
It looks like #10 awg feeding the panel, if so and you leave the existing wire in place you will need to reduce the breaker feeding the wire to 30A. If you replace the cable to 50A capacity of your ...
- 15.7k
1
vote
zinsco breaker box in garage
Well, I'd suggest selecting a new subpanel with a lot more than 8 spaces. For expansion room, mainly; if you get busy you can fill it. (you can run a LOT of stuff on 50A feeder).
You probably weren'...
1
vote
Accepted
Removing fire detection panel
Open the panel and check if it has a telecom output. Many small systems are not connected to a dialer. (There are wireless models I did not look this up but you would be getting a bill as a company ...
- 102k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible