Wood stains - spontaneous combustion

[RPetry 564]

Greg, the founder of the Deckguide board, recently posted here and it reminded me of his van fire years ago.

New wood contractors may not be aware, but wood stained tarps, waste rags, paper towels, etc. pose a real and dangerous threat to your customers and your business. This is no joke, it happens. A small contractor in my area nearly lost his work vehicle last year due to spontaneous combustion.

Now that the weather is getting warmer, the potential for fire rises. Some wood stains, especially those that contain linseed oil, can be volatile. This includes many Cabot products and a large number of consumer grade wood stains. Those warning labels on the top of Cabot cans are there for a reason.

Go to http://gkdist.com/deckcareforums/showthread.php?t=475&highlight=van+fire and read the whole thread. The horror story, including an eye opening picture, starts near the bottom of the first page.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Great info! Thank you!!!!

Beth

[PressurePros 248]

Cabot's is the worst for this.

[Barry M 73]

So how do you prevent this from happening? Where do you dispose of or store stain cans, tarps, and saturated rags?

[Russell Cissell 65]

One of the safest ways to deal with this issue is to use a container to store your used rags and tarps. Use a 5 gallon pail or similar container. Add a small amount of HD-80 or EFC-38 solution (any stripper will work). Use enough solution to insure that all of your used rags/tarps are soaked when you place them in the bucket.

Later, at your convenience, you can remove the used rags or tarp and rinse them with your pressure washer. After allowing them to dry they are ready for the next job. This will help keep your tarps supple and easy to work with. This will also cut down on the amount of rags that you have to purchase or find.

Remember to rinse your rags well if you intend to use them again as part of your application method. Once you have rinsed them with your pressure washer, you can also throw them in the washing machine for an additional rinse.

Best of Luck

Russell Cissell

Extreme Solutions, Inc

www.esproducts.net

1-866-536-7393

imrcc1@aol.com

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

All our tarps are folded as flat as possible and then kept out of direct sunlight. This helps limit air in between where the heat can build up to ignition temps.

We use 12X15 8lb tarps, longways they are folded in half then half again.

then we fold from the long end in half then half it again and a third time then fold that remainder in half sideways. This ends up with a 3X3 square folded neatly and flat which can be doused with water if they get too hot. This helps control the innermost temp rise and prevents ignition.

The basis is simple in preventing a fire. It needs 3 things in order to exist. Oxygen, heat and fuel. Take any one of them away and a fire cannot start.

Folding them tightly takes away oxygen from in between the folds. Keeping them in a cool place takes away heat.

I hope this helps others using tarps for sealing.

For our rags, they are kept in a degreaser solution bucket at all times. We never use dry rags for sealer wiping or cleaning. The degreaser solution helps to remove any sealer that gets onto an unintended surface and helps with tool clean up at the end of the day and in between jobs as well.

Rod!~

[Russell Cissell 65]

Rod

I don't think we are on the same page.

Many contractors will apply stain with a rag or use a rag rather than back brush. This will result in a near furniture quality finish. The down side is it obviously takes a long time and it results in a lot of used rags. If you let them dry they are much harder to clean. If you put them in a stripper solution you only have to rinse them.

Obviously if you are using a rag to apply your sealer you would not want any stripper residue left in the rag so it is a good idea to rinse thoroughly.

Rags used to wipe overspray generally do not become that saturated with stain unless you've got an awful lot of overspray.

Russell Cissell

Extreme Solutions, Inc

www.esproducts.net

1-866-536-7393

imrcc1@aol.com

[RPetry 564]

Russell and Rod,

If you are going to reuse tarps, Russell's directions are correct.

If you have to reuse rags and clean up material, you may want to consider another line of work. Soak 'em in water in the gallon or 5'er of completely used stain, and dispose of any way that is legal and proper.

Just do not let them sit unattended and forgotten.

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

Russ,

My reply was not directed to you in any way but just sharing what I do for others to consider. Sorry, not trying to get on the same page, just being the individual I am, nothing more.

The rags kept in a degreaser solution are for those times when sealer gets into areas that masking is not quite able to cover. (ie: places between deck and siding, hardware installed on the structure like hinges, latches, handles and locks). We don't use rags to apply to exterior wood...too much lint and splinters to contend with. I have tried the lambs wool applicators too and had the same problems. Got 2 left anyone want them?

I have tried to wash the tarps but they become so heavy that they are literally more trouble to deal with. Tried to use a Laundromat large volume machine and got nowhere. There is just too much sealer in them for the carpet washing machines to handle and pumping HD-80 into the unit is not something I would want to do to someone else's equipment. Just my thoughts here.

Rick, there is probably other ways to deal with tarps that have become coated with sealer too but for me, trying to put a 12X15 tarp into a 5gal bucket just won't fit. And having no way to rinse it out without creating a hazmat issue is in my opinion unrealistic. If I were to try and rinse them off in my driveway with my pressure washer, I would be destroying my asphalt and the residue would go down a storm drain that leads directly to the Chesapeake Bay. Besides, once they reach a certain point, they get sealed into plastic and are picked up by the local garbage company.

We launder the rags in regular intervals and reuse them. The new ones are used for personal cleanup and the older more abused ones become dedicated to the degreaser solution circulation. I wish there was a better way to deal with tarps but reiterating the previous reason as I mentioned above and alternately I am not going to be running to the Laundromat every seal day just to use a carpet washer. I take precautions that have been effective for 7 years so far and without incident. I hope this helps bring my individual perspective to light. People will take it or leave it for what it is...my .02

Rod!~