Fire safety

i was just wondering what are the top reasons that grow rooms catch fire and ways to prevent fires from happening.

Heres a question: If an electrical fire ignites in my cabinet would I be able to smell it outside of the cab or would the internal carbon scrubber filter the smell & colour of the smoke?

Yes I will install a smoke alarm soon.

Good question, i doubt if any statistics have been done on that one even though it would be helpful if someone would actually do a study on that one... for safety reason for all us enthusiasts. Anyhow i'd be willing to bet wiring, wrong gauge of wiring producing resistance and heat, shorts in the wiring etc. There is allot of electrical macgyverness that goes into a grow room, allot of potential for overlooking something or a small mistake.

iloveit said:

Heres a question: If an electrical fire ignites in my cabinet would I be able to smell it outside of the cab or would the internal carbon scrubber filter the smell & colour of the smoke?

Yes I will install a smoke alarm soon.

Click to expand...

oh you would notice for certain.

I once had a 1000w ballast box go up in flames in my old room,it was a pretty new box too, only done 2 crops before it happened,
now after every crop i open up the boxes and check for melted wiring or any signs of heat damage before using again.
IMO a smoke detector is something every grower should have.
peace

invest in detection and extinguishers,The lost of ur plant is nothing compared to the fire dept showin up and reportin a grow-op

if you don't over load a breaker by running a 100ft ext. cord with a shit load pluged into it you will be fine. but yes always install a fire alarm. make sure you can hear it. good luck

The first thing I purchased was a 2kg CO2 fire extinguisher for electrical fire in case my transformer or extension sockets light up, I just hope the volume in 2kg is enough.

hey trichome addict, what type of ballast did you have?

Exactly how do you overload a breaker and what type of extension cords exactly should i get?
i have a 600 watter, and a vortex fan

12 gauge would be fine and 15ft max.

alright. thanks mygirls, anyone have any other fire saftey tips?

if it doesnt look right, it probably isnt, good solid connections/detection/prevention , if that fireman does turn you in, you will void your homeowners insurance FOR SURE, our newer home loan i got, CLEARLY had a section stating i would not grow weed or make a meth lab in the basement...LOL

just think about it this way.if your thinking its a fire hazard then chances are in the and in time it will be. good luck

@ddot773
Im going back a bit here 3/4 years but i seem to remember it being called "power plant" control gear,
the shop i got it from didnt sell it as buget gear either,infact they even said it used mercedes benz components....hahaha never seen a merc spontainiously combust before.
I put it down to bad luck though,could have been a dodgy capacitor or somthing,the box was in a nice cool spot too.

Smoke alarms are a VERY good idea for your home, whether you grow or not!

Battery alarms definitely work but the hard-wired units (110V) have the advantage of a third interconnect wire which allows multiple alarms to be networked together. If any one detects something, all will sound. Put one in that stealthy basement or attic grow room and another where you can hear it.

There are two types of alarms, ionization which detect flaming fires best and photoelectric which detects smoldering fires quicker.. 20-30 minutes quicker! Combination alarms are also available.

Install ceiling-mounted alarms so that they're at least 4 inches from the nearest wall, and wall-mounted units so that the top of the alarm is 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling. Keep alarms away from air vents and at at least 1 ft from fluorescent lights. Hard-wired systems should not be connected to the lighting circuit as electrical "noise" generated by lighting can create nuisance alarms.

Oh and remember to change those batteries twice a year and replace all alarms every ten years.