Fire extinguisher Clean-Up After Fire

[Ed Maloney]

Hopefully only a few of you may have some suggestions.

Had a fire in the laser and had to use the fire extinguisher. FebFire4.jpgFebFire3.jpg
Any tips and advice on how to clean-up this mess?

[Bill George]

Never had to do a fire clean up, but a shop vac and lots of time, if you could move it outside low pressure compressed air. It needs to come off as soon as you can. I would use soap and water as a last step. A online search would be the first step.

[Scott Shepherd]

What kind of extinguisher was it? Some damage electronics, some don't.

What happened Ed? How'd the fire start and get out of control? It might help show others how to make sure it doesn't happen to them.

[Dan Hintz]

If the machine was on when you sprayed, you can guarantee there is a lot of buildup in the electronics portion of the laser cartridge... those fans suck it right in.

[Randy Allen]

Ed,

I've seen our tech, Michael Evans at Engraving Concepts, bring lasers back from the dead caused by fire & smoke damage.

• I would roll that thing outside with high pressure air compressor and blow out as much dust/residue as possible.
• Remove all covers, side panels, I would even take out the laser tube and power supply (all modular) and aggressively clean inside & out.
• Then, go to work with damp t-shirt and wipe off all parts, belts, bearings, electronics, connecting etc...

Once cleaned up, plug it up, turn ON the unit and stand back.
If it boots up with the display as JOB, you are good to go.
Otherwise, electronic part modules can be replaced pretty painlessly.

Don't forget to remove the lens assembly and inspect/clean/replace as necessary.

Good luck!
Randy Allen

[Chris Corwin]

Please make sure everything is bone-dry inside of all the components before you plug anything together or especially into a wall outlet. I wouldn't want anybody hurt or components burned out.

That epilog stuff ain't cheap!

[Ed Maloney]

Thanks all for the replies so far. To answer some of the questions:

- I did an online search and found some tips that I already figured out that I would need. But, of course, nothing to do with the complexities of a laser.

- My desk is about an arms length away from the laser. The time between my last check and the discovery was maybe about 30-60 seconds. I was doing some small name type of pendants so I knew to keep a close eye on things. The only thing that I could think of (after putting out the fire and having a drink) was that the acrylic was maybe about 3 years old and the paper may have been great fuel given the age. It was stunning how fast it spread. Grids were recently cleaned and the sheet was also vented.

- With flames shooting up about 4 or so inches after I opened the lid I grabbed the extinguisher (which was right next to the laser) and the machine was still on.

- The extinguisher was the typical dry chemical one that I got at Lowes (and replaced today!)

- I would love to move the laser outside but we have a bit of snow going on.

[Glen Monaghan]

I don't see much in the way of visible fire damage so presumably you caught it fairly soon. Assuming you sprayed the extinguisher before shutting down the laser and extractor, you have that powder throughout the machine and extractor so you're going to have to completely strip away all the panels and do a thorough cleaning.

That mess is why I keep a spray bottle of water on the laser stand and have a 30# CO2 extinguisher next to it. I had acrylic catch fire once (flames on clear acrylic can be hard to see in a bright room!) and was able to extinguish it within a second or so using only the squirt bottle. Remove the melted acrylic, wipe away little smoke on the back of the machine, pat dry with paper towel and done. If the fire extinguisher is used, the CO2 sublimates on its own and, again, the only cleanup would be removing any charred/melted material and wiping away smoke residue (assuming no structural damage occurred).

[Dan Hintz]

Ed,

I've seen our tech, Michael Evans at Engraving Concepts, bring lasers back from the dead caused by fire & smoke damage.

• I would roll that thing outside with high pressure air compressor and blow out as much dust/residue as possible.
• Remove all covers, side panels, I would even take out the laser tube and power supply (all modular) and aggressively clean inside & out.
• Then, go to work with damp t-shirt and wipe off all parts, belts, bearings, electronics, connecting etc...

Once cleaned up, plug it up, turn ON the unit and stand back.
If it boots up with the display as JOB, you are good to go.
Otherwise, electronic part modules can be replaced pretty painlessly.

Don't forget to remove the lens assembly and inspect/clean/replace as necessary.

Good luck!
Randy Allen

I would suggest alcohol, rather than water, particularly if you have hard water...

[Mike Dempsey]

I think I would try to hoover as much out as possible first before then blowing out with an airline and then wiping it down.

[Bert Kemp]

I Agree vacuum first to avoid blowing more stuff into all the electronics then wipe and blow last

I think I would try to hoover as much out as possible first before then blowing out with an airline and then wiping it down.

[Rich Harman]

I've only had to clean up an accidental dry chem discharge in a vehicle. What a PIA that was. My condolences, I hope it turns out to be not too much trouble for you.

I recommend a really good shop vac. If the one you have is mediocre, now is a good time to upgrade.

[John Noell]

That mess is why I keep a spray bottle of water on the laser stand and have a 30# CO2 extinguisher next to it.

Epilog specifically recommends having a CO2 extinguisher. I have a good sized one next to my laser. Never had a fire in the laser (knock on my wooden head), but did have to clean up a car engine fire where powder was used. That's another reason I have a CO2 unit.

[Keith Colson]

When ever I cut acrylic with brown paper, I always peel the top side off before cutting as it pretty much eliminates the flames. It is also not so bright to look at which must be good.

As far as servicing the machine I would remove any parts that need cleaning and clean them. I would keep removing parts until I got down to clean parts. How deep you dig will vary. Make sure all the high voltage stuff is really clean as high voltage likes to track across dirt Good luck.

[Mike Lassiter]

I recalled I had several pictures of what happens when a dry chemical fire extinguisher discharged inside the cab of a garbage truck and thought worth sharing. Turbo went out on this truck and it had to be towed to the shop - and into the shop. For whatever reason the driver had the 20lb ext. laying in the passenger seat with no safety pin in the handle. Mack MR truck that you have to jack the cab over to access the engine.

Mechanic jacked the cab up, the extinguisher slide out of the seat as the cab is tilted over and fell handle first down on the floor - emptying the 20 lbs of dry chemical inside the cab. EVERYTHING was coated in a yellowish powder - EVERYTHING.
100_0206.jpg 100_0207.jpg
The windows were covered completely. Hit them from the outside and the powder fell down the glass like there was some type of static cling holding it to the glass. We used shop air pressure to blow most of this out, but the surfaces inside remained coated and had to be actually cleaned by hand - blowing with 175 psi air pressure wouldn't remove the film covering everything. I realize you don't have 20 lbs to clean up, but I feel for you having to get everything cleaned again.