Barn Fire Prevention!!!!!!!!

[SJ]

Just read about a guys barn that went up in flames not far from me(hay barn).Just got me thinking.I have a 5 year old barn,well just a building I guess,no loft.I keep 3 horses and about 150 bales of hay stacked in one corner on pallets.I assume that alot of barn fires are electric,wet hay,or human carelessness.Im kinda new to this stuff,so was just wondering if theres some other tips that I dont know about that I could learn to prevent fires.
Thanks
Stan

 

[Bus Driver]

After "mechanicing" on a tractor, roll it outside before trying to crank it.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Yeah, you pretty much hit the top three, although I'd put human carelessness at the top of the list.

My favorite is when people put their burning barrel 10 feet away from the barn and burn on a windy day, then wonder why their barn goes up in smoke.

Some other tips: Use extreme caution when working with fuel (and batteries for that matter). Keep a fire extinguisher near the exit door of the barn - if you have to fight a fire, you're that much nearer the exit.

Depending on what your water situation is, I'd recommend having enough hose to reach the edges of your property. Some people even go as far as having a faucet with some pre-attached hose near their pump / pressure tank - good idea in my book. A backup water supply tank and pump on a trailer is also a good idea.

Keeping the grass near your buildings under control is also wise. Many state DNR websites have good tips on how to protect your yard from grass / brush fires.

 

[mnbob]

Good suggestions here, I might add that if you even suspect hay then get some rock salt and sprikle on each layer of bales. wont hurt the stock and has been used to prevent heat/fires for many years. Bob

 

[Ken Macfarlane]

The rock salt thing is a myth. It may make you feel better but it doesn't stop hay from heating and burning. Don't put wet hay up!

 

[Anonymous-0]

Don't forget oily rags. Either put them in a tightly sealed metal container, spead them out on a concrete floor or otherwise not let them sit piled up or balled up. Spontaneous combustion is something we seem to forget about til someone says "Do you smell smoke?"

 

[RodinNS]

Buy and maintain good insurance. That will require you to keep the building in good shape, electrial up to modern codes, and all other ignition sources maintained properly. Seldom a well insured barn burns for some reason...

Rod

 

[brad siegmund]

Ken, I wouldn't be so sure of that. I doubt that anyone has conducted an experiment to proove this one way or the other. I can tell you that in organic chemistry in college I learned that adding a halide (such as sodium chloride) to a chemical during synthesis confers a relative degree of inflammability. These old timers may have been on to something.

 

[RobMD]

NO bench grinder next to a parts washer tank. NO torching/welding near gas cans, oil cans, cardboard. NO oily rags left around- buy a metal waste can and set it in the middle of the room. Put gas cans in a separate open shed near the outside. FIRE EXTIGUISHER AT ENTRANCE. no batteries allowed to set in the barn. Junk piled up to the ceiling creates heat in the ceiling = spontaneous combustion. definitely no paint thinners except in a metal heavy cabinet.

Keep your hay and your workshop materials separate. Don't stack the hay so danged close to the ceiling of the barn. Open vents on the ridge.

I can't think of anything else.

 

[Wardner]

If I am not mistaken, I think the oily rag thing only applies to rags exposed to linseed oil. Google or Wikipedia should be able to confirm that.

I have never seen petroleum contaminated rags heat up. My pot-bellied stove is loaded with them since spring. I am waiting for a cool day to light them off. I am guessing that won't happen for another month.

 

[RodinNS]

No, that applies to petroleoum soaked rags as well. I should know the exact explaination of that since I'm on the fire department.... but I do know that they can heat and burn. Be careful with that stuff.

Rod

 

[Anonymous-0]

No gasoline inside ever. Gas has a positive pressure of vaporization and gas fumes are heavier than air and will pool and any spark say from an electric motor or switch can ignite them. The Japanese lost an aircraft carrier in WWll that way after a torpedo hit from a US sub caused avgas to leak inside her. They tried to vent it out of the ship but only succeeding in spreading the fumes throughout the ship. When inevitably a motor switched on the carrier blew up. The bang blew the flight deck off then incinerated most of the crew.

 

[Walt Davies]

I read a very good article on the storage and care of hay and it said that if you add salt to the hay to have enough to stop the hay from burning it would spoil it for any use other than compost.
You read so much on both sides of something you really wonder what to do. I don't salt my hay but I do test it for moisture and I Have well ventilated barn. I think that ventilation is number one if you look at old barns they are all well ventilated.
Walt

 

[SJ]

Thanks for all the tips guys.I think Im pretty well covered,as I dont have any fuels,do any shop work in my barn.I have good insurance also.I do need to get the fire extinguisher though.
Thanks

Stan

 

[alg]

I installed a smoke detector w/outside audible alarm and also have a sprinkler system over my hay storage.(only use sprinkler in warm weather.)