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Grow Room Fire Concerns

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theroadwarrior

Member
I just bought two of the Kiddie 460 Fire Extinguishers from Home Depot. They were on sale and I have been worried about Fire ever since I decided to grow.

I have nothing flammable in the grow room really except for some carpet in one room. All my cords are out of the way. Soil so no possibility of floods causing electrical fire. I have all ballasts set to go on dedicated circuits. No overloaded circuits. Heavy duty extension cords where needed.

I just can't get the idea of a fire out of my head and the Police and Fire Dept. It is worse when I leave for work. I am on call 24/7. I am waiting for a ballast to burn the house down,

Is this fear unjustified. I took the hazard seriously in design but can't seem to shake it. Are fires a concern for anyone.
 
guanito

guanito

Active member
smoke a bowl. no wurries.
if you're that worried then use a digital ballast, or cfl's.
If you ballast box , or bulb, don't burn up in the first 24 hrs of use then you got nothing to worry about. just change the bulb every year or two; make sure all your connections are solid; even if the plants touch the bulbs they will just wilt. relax. too much 'noids. toughen your gut... price you pay for be'in an outlaw! lol

been there...we all have.
 
pontiac

pontiac

Pass That S**t!
Veteran
Inspect your equipment every now and then. It usually takes a while for equipment to fail before combustion occurs. Look for damaged/discolored spots on your cords, wiring, etc. Feel free to open your ballast boxes every now and then, and see if anything looks like it's deteriorating. If you notice something wrong do not hesitate to replace it... a few bucks isn't worth risking your house or your life for.

1241418651_de24b310cb.jpg
 
T

theroadwarrior

Member
kaljukajakas said:
You could get a bunch of those automatic fire extinguishers and put them over ballasts etc... Line the ceiling with them if you're paranoid :D

http://www.safelincs.co.uk/Automatic-Fire-Extinguishers/

http://www.swiftfireprotection.com/...les/Fire_Extinguishers/stovetop/stovetop.html

There are also special cables out there that have a copper sleeve for extra rodent- and fireproofing.
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Thanks to everyone who replied. Indeed I will smoke a blunt. I know I do need to relax and I will definately keep an eye out on my equipment. I know I don't hear much about grow room fires so they can't be too common but I know the occasional ballast or fan is know to burn out and cause damage.

I will continue to keep an eye on everything.

Kal thanks for the info on automatic fire extinguishers. I had no clue they even made them, well for small applications I mean. My work office has a similar setup but it was over 100k. I am very interested and will get a few for sure. Awesome work.:bow:
 
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clide

Member
i have heard of a certain type of board, possibly a type of gyprock, that is heat resistant to very high temperatures. anyone have an idea what this stuff is and where to get it?

itd be nice to line a box or a room with this stuff if it goes on just like regular gyprock.

i figure in a sealed environment it would be better that the fire is contained long enough that the oxygen runs out before it spreads out of the room, at least then the a/c has a chance to cool the room and hopefully help prevent an inevitable back draft or re-ignition. thats not to say a temperature sensitive fire extinguisher isnt also necessary!
 
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fishheadbob

Member
clide said:
i have heard of a certain type of board, possibly a type of gyprock, that is heat resistant to very high temperatures. anyone have an idea what this stuff is and where to get it?

It's normally called fire code drywall,(or sheetrock , or gypsum board ) . Far as i I know, it's just 5/8ths drywall without any flammable paper on it . Home Depot , lowes, etc carry it .
Fire is a very serious concern of mine as well. The firemen have been here twice over the decades , but never when Mj was a concern. Now I look at all my stuff.... wires , lights, cabinets , and on and on , and say give a worst case scenario. What would happen if... From there I try to fireproof everything in all sorts of ways. I'm trying first to avoid fire . If I blew it, I also try to put any potential fire in a place where it will burn itself out.
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stink.whistler

stink.whistler

Member
I think the auto fire extinguishers are a great idea, I haven't been able to find a US supplier of the type similar to the ones in the UK link kaljukajakas provided (I don't really like the bicarbonate ones from the US site he provided, I'd rather the fire just got put out without the 150 dB alarm).

I had an old electrical socket burn up once, fortunately it didn't spread, but I think fire safety should be as big/bigger consideration than HPS/MH/CMH/CFL considerations, strain considerations, and all the other stuff we all obsess over.
 
guanito

guanito

Active member
come to think of it I do have my box lined w/1/2" sheetrock.
I also use sheetlead for soundproofing but I imagine it would stop flames or sparks.
I also place my ballast on a piece of wonderboard - cementboard.
They sell this HARDIBACKER board at HD. Comes in 1/4" sheets you could cut w/knife.
You could line your box w/any of that stuff and paint it white.

almost forgot to mention using GFCI outlets!
 
T

theroadwarrior

Member
stink.whistler said:
I think the auto fire extinguishers are a great idea, I haven't been able to find a US supplier of the type similar to the ones in the UK link kaljukajakas provided (I don't really like the bicarbonate ones from the US site he provided, I'd rather the fire just got put out without the 150 dB alarm).

I had an old electrical socket burn up once, fortunately it didn't spread, but I think fire safety should be as big/bigger consideration than HPS/MH/CMH/CFL considerations, strain considerations, and all the other stuff we all obsess over.
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Whistler,
Do a Google search on automatic fire extinguishers and then press the shopping link. It brings up several suppliers. Also check your local marine supply shop as many are made for engine room fires. Hope that helps
 
D

deathtosoapbar

theroadwarrior said:
I just bought two of the Kiddie 460 Fire Extinguishers from Home Depot. They were on sale and I have been worried about Fire ever since I decided to grow.

I have nothing flammable in the grow room really except for some carpet in one room. All my cords are out of the way. Soil so no possibility of floods causing electrical fire. I have all ballasts set to go on dedicated circuits. No overloaded circuits. Heavy duty extension cords where needed.

I just can't get the idea of a fire out of my head and the Police and Fire Dept. It is worse when I leave for work. I am on call 24/7. I am waiting for a ballast to burn the house down,

Is this fear unjustified. I took the hazard seriously in design but can't seem to shake it. Are fires a concern for anyone.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this...i too constantly think of fire in the growroom and its not like im running a big grow but its a constant thing in the back of the mind i know how you feel ..for me its a higher worry than being busted...also ive heard of cases were something other than a grow causing a fire but when the remains of the house are checked if they see hps bulbs ballasts etc they assume it was caused by that! That is a stress:yoinks:
 
SativaDreams

SativaDreams

Member
This is a pretty big concern of mine. I'm moving into a fully carpeted apartment and don't want my stealth dresser to go up!

I may buy some auto fire extinguishers... but where should they go? right above the ballast/reflector/light (housed together) at the top of the dresser space? hm.

I don't know if its smart to do this because of a small fear of fire.. grow in the place that is... i feel like fire is such a serious risk.

Maybe its because an HID will be IN a medium sized dresser!! I wonder if theres some sort of flame retardant cover i can put on the inner walls of the dresser between the dresser walls and mylar....

anyone know about flame resistant covering stuff that wont harm the plants?
 
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