Texfire Posted March 29, 2011 Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 Been designing my shop and was weighing options for a storage solution for my stains, paints and various lubricants. Wrestling back and forth with either getting standard metal shelves or an actual flammables cabinet like this. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027CT39S/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_10?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER Obviously the flammables cabinet will cost a whole bunch more with the advantage of protecting the contents from a fire, but the 300% premium has me hesitating. I'm also not sure that the inverse would be true, which would be a better selling point, if it would contain a fire inside so it didn't involve the rest of the shop. Can't find that rating on any of the cabinets I've researched. What do you do for your shop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petersb Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 That cabinet would be a great choice! I don't do anything special, I just put my flammable things on a shelf with the rest of 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewoodwhisperer Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 I have always balked at the prices of true flammables cabinets. I always hope to find one used somewhere. Until then, I use a metal cabinet from CostCo for my finishing supplies. Obviously its not as good as the real deal, but I figure the metal cabinet is one step better than wood, and might contain a fire to some extent. Well, at least I hope so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 I'm planning on building a small cabinet. I'll install two layer of 5/8" sheetrock on the inside..caulk or tape the seams. That's about as good as you can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 I use a standard metal cabinet. I've actually insulated it with rigid foam, and put an electric oil radiator inside that is set at 55 degrees. I keep my finishes, glues and anything else that I don't want to freeze in the cabinet, because my shop isn't always heated. Jonathan ==================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 I use a standard metal cabinet. I've actually insulated it with rigid foam, and put an electric oil radiator inside that is set at 55 degrees. I keep my finishes, glues and anything else that I don't want to freeze in the cabinet, because my shop isn't always heated. Jonathan ==================================== Better yet, Jonathon's idea and I'll just use the sheetrock glued inside instead of the foam insulation. Thanks Jonathon. I plan to make the hand tool side of the shop more...relaxed atmosphere. But, the other side is as utilitarian as you can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texfire Posted March 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 I didn't even consider lining the interior with 1 hour rated sheetrock. After all, that's what they line fire safes with. I suspect the key to containing a flammable liquid fire to the area of origin is a two-prong approach. Keep the quantities on hand small and in non-combustible containers. The storage device needs to contain the initial heat without failing, and provide a seal to keep outside oxygen from sustaining the combustion after the oxygen inside the container is consumed. Without that, the free-burning phase with the hottest temperatures is quickly past and the long smoldering phase is entered sooner. By that logic, a metal shelf lined with sheetrock and a non-combustible weather stripping for the doors should be adequate for a small fire. I'll have to check into this further. Thanks for giving me a kick in the pants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted March 30, 2011 Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 I didn't even consider lining the interior with 1 hour rated sheetrock. After all, that's what they line fire safes with. I suspect the key to containing a flammable liquid fire to the area of origin is a two-prong approach. Keep the quantities on hand small and in non-combustible containers. The storage device needs to contain the initial heat without failing, and provide a seal to keep outside oxygen from sustaining the combustion after the oxygen inside the container is consumed. Without that, the free-burning phase with the hottest temperatures is quickly past and the long smoldering phase is entered sooner. By that logic, a metal shelf lined with sheetrock and a non-combustible weather stripping for the doors should be adequate for a small fire. I'll have to check into this further. Thanks for giving me a kick in the pants. I think I saw an article a year or more ago in FWW on this. It's where I got the idea to build it myself. As you point out, it's fairly straight forward. Just contain the initial heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texfire Posted March 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 Interestingly enough, according to OSHA you can make a flammables cabinet out of wood. Would be easier to attach sheetrock to a wooden carcase. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.106(d)(3)(i&ii): Design, construction, and capacity of storage cabinets -(i) Maximum capacity. Not more than 60 gallons of Class l or Class ll liquids, nor more than 120 gallons of Class lll liquids may be stored in a storage cabinet. (ii) Fire resistance. Storage cabinets shall be designed and constructed to limit the internal temperature to not more than 325ºF. when subjected to a 10-minute fire test using the standard time-temperature curve as set forth in Standard Methods of Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials, NFPA 251-1969. All joints and seams shall remain tight and the door shall remain securely closed during the fire test. Cabinets shall be labeled in conspicuous lettering, “Flammable–Keep Fire Away.”(a) Metal cabinets constructed in the following manner shall be deemed to be in compliance. The bottom, top, door, and sides of cabinet shall be at least No. 18 gauge sheet iron and double walled with 1 1/2" air space. Joints shall be riveted, welded or made tight by some equally effective means. The door shall be provided with a three-point lock, and the door sill shall be raised at least 2" above the bottom of the cabinet. (ii)B Wooden cabinets constructed in the following manner shall be deemed in compliance. The bottom, sides, and top shall be constructed of an approved grade of plywood at least 1 inch in thickness, which shall not break down or delaminate under fire conditions. All joints shall be rabbetted and shall be fastened in two directions with flathead woodscrews. When more than one door is used, there shall be a rabbetted overlap of not less than 1 inch. Hinges shall be mounted in such a manner as not to lose their holding capacity due to loosening or burning out of the screws when subjected to the fire test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davionics Posted April 1, 2011 Report Share Posted April 1, 2011 Interestingly enough, according to OSHA you can make a flammables cabinet out of wood. Would be easier to attach sheetrock to a wooden carcase. I definitely like the idea of the sheet rock. I didn't want to fork out the money for a full fire proof cabinet so this would be a great option. I thinking more of just buying a regular locker and use contractor's glue to secure the sheet rock to the insides of the cabinet. Hmm, maybe small amounts of glue... or some sort of metal fastener... I'm not sure I will go with OSHA's wood cabinet; 1 inch of plywood and sheet rock on top... I'd have to build it in place... . Great ideas once again... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim0625 Posted April 2, 2011 Report Share Posted April 2, 2011 Interestingly enough, according to OSHA you can make a flammables cabinet out of wood. Would be easier to attach sheetrock to a wooden carcase. Interesting, I didn't know OSHA had an approved wooden case. I use a simple,60" tall, two door metal case that I picked up at a yard sale. The purpose of the 5/8, fire rated sheetrock is not to be fire proof but just to protect the contents from too much heat until the guys arrive who run TOWARD the flames. If you wanted to build it, you could use OSHA's standards and just put two layers of 3/4 if you wanted extra protection/time and don't worry about the rabbits or sheetrock. Just overlap the joints,glue and screw. Now guys....I'm an insurance agent and with all this talk about fire, I shall (like Newman from Seinfeld) wind up and run away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texfire Posted April 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 I should have known more about these, since the fire service is my day job. I knew that flammables cabinets were required in some occupancies, but not necessarily why. The purpose of flammable cabinets, 1-hour rated sheet rock and such is life safety, not property conservation. Most of the information in the fire codes is aimed towards making buildings safer for the human occupants, and giving those occupants time to escape if there is a fire. Hence the flammable cabinet not being designed to contain a fire that happens within it, but to keep the contents (which burn hotter and give off toxic smoke) from becoming involved in a fire that starts elsewhere and enhancing fire spread. That said, the flammables cabinet is a good thing for the shop owner, as properly storing your flammable liquids helps keep you from needing our services by isolating them from sources of ignition, which makes a fire less likely. So does cleaning up other readily ignitable fuels such as fine sawdust. And installing a heat detector that is linked to an alarmed system (not a smoke detector please, the photoelectric sensors in them confuse dust for smoke) will alert the fire department when you're not there. Also an ABC rated extinguisher located next to an egress point will hopefully assist you in keep small fires that happen while you're in the shop from becoming big ones. A sprinkler system is another option for when you're not home that will keep fires from growing larger quickly, and may extinguish smaller ones completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted April 3, 2011 Report Share Posted April 3, 2011 You've gotta save that and post something for Safety Week this year. Most things are usually there only for those very rare instances, but when you need them, they need to be in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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