Shop dust, safety, boiler explosion

[Gerry S. Wojtowicz]

I was wondering if there is anyone from the greater Enfield Connecticut area who took steps to prevent sawdust in their basement woodworking shop from infiltrating their cellar boiler.

I'm not too sure how much of an issue this is. I do maybe two projects a year and have a dust collection system that collects the woodchips, but for micron sized dust, is probably mostly ineffective.

My concern is that this finer dust might settle in and on my boiler and start a fire. I don't imagine there is any real danger of a pilot light being extinguished because of the dust, because it doesn't seem to me that there is enough of it to cause that to happen.

If there was anyone from the greater Enfield area who has approached this issue that would be great. All other comments are welcome as well.

Thank you in advance.

[Jebediah Eckert]

Is it an oil or gas fired boiler? It seems it would be a bigger issue with gas but that's just from what I read. In any event I'm no help but you may as well specify because somebody who knows will need it to answer.

[Jim Dwight]

My last shop was in a basement garage. The furnace, natural gas, was in an adjacent room. There was air movement between the two rooms. Dust was all over the shop and to a slightly lesser degree the furnace room. No fires. While it may be theoretically possible to get a flammable mixture of wood dust it is extremely unlikely. You might get dust into the pilot and burn it but you won't have enough dust to track to your woodpile or something. No real risk.

(I try to clean up better these days BTW)

[Gerry S. Wojtowicz]

Thanks Jim. I'm pretty much of the same opinion.
Jeb. Thanks to you too.
My boiler and hot water heater are both gas fired (natural).

[John Coloccia]

Aren't the combustion chambers sealed these days, with electronic ignition? Tell me we're not still using pilot lights! Anyhow, I've never worried about it. I would worry about shooting flammable finish, like lacquer, but what are you going to do about all the sparking from all the switches and motors in your shop? Honestly, I'm not sure you could even create an explosive dust atmosphere at home. The minimum concentration is so dense that you wouldn't even be able to function in the shop.

http://www.workplacesafetynorth.ca/s...-Wood-Dust.pdf

Anyhow, that's just my uninformed opinion, so if you blow up your house, don't sue me.

[Gerry S. Wojtowicz]

Thanks John,

No fear of litigation from me, especially since you seem to be confirming my opinion.
Still , I would like to consult an expert, but I have no idea who that would be.

[Roy Harding]

Thanks John,

No fear of litigation from me, especially since you seem to be confirming my opinion.
Still , I would like to consult an expert, but I have no idea who that would be.

Some fire departments are happy to do home inspections and make recommendations for you. I don't know if there may be a charge for this service in some areas - I live in a rural area, covered by a volunteer department - there was no charge, although I did show up at the station with coffee and doughnuts.

[John Coloccia]

When I built my home shop, the inspector knew I'd be using it for business, and he made me use all sealed outlets and fixtures. Essentially, the shop is wired up as though I built it outside...sealed in-use covers, outdoor lighting fixtures, covers over switches...things like that. He wanted to keep dust out of anything that could heat up. I thought that was an excellent idea, and after several years I can tell you that I have very little dust inside my lights and outlets. I would do it for the lights anyhow, just for the sake of not having to clean out dust and bugs every month.

[Randy Red Bemont]

When I had my shop in East Hartland (CT) I had an oil fired boiler (basement workshop). There was no concern for dust igniting on the boiler. But what I did was vent outside air directly to the boiler so it was not sucking up the dusty air from inside and causing issues. I had Kasden Oil hook it up. It worked great.

Red

[Gerry S. Wojtowicz]

Roy,

I sent an e-mail to my local (also volunteer) fire department. No response yet.

[Roy Harding]

Roy,

I sent an e-mail to my local (also volunteer) fire department. No response yet.

They're volunteers - give them some time.

[Gerry S. Wojtowicz]

Roger that, Roy