TV fire hazard....

[jeneje]

Well, we had an adventure awhile ago. Setting eating dinner i happenend to look out the window down toward our stock pile of computers and tvs. To my suprise, behold a plum of black smoke caught my eye and i gave a closer look and there was a fire starting in the big screen tvs, before i could get the hose down to them, there was a hugh fire and it was spreading throught the pile, as I watered, my wife called 911. As I continued to spray water the fire got bigger and began to move. It took the fire department about 5min to arrive and put it out. Thank god there was no injury or lost of personal property.

The fire was started by the heat and sun shinning through the linese's of the tvs and heated up the plastic to a point of combustion.

From now on we will lay the tv's on there face to ensure no fire hazard.

Ken

 

[element47]

Some older big screen TVs used a fresnel lens. It's more common on older style overhead projectors. At the proper angle and focal length, those lenses can create ungodly high temperatures = rapidly melt steel, thick steel. There are some YouTube videos to this effect. I tried to melt some silver with one such lens but it quickly became clear that it would cost a retina or two trying to melt silver in any kind of solar furnace. Without welding-grade goggles, one good specular reflection in your eye(s) and you could definitely do some serious damage.

 

[jeneje]

Some older big screen TVs used a fresnel lens. It's more common on older style overhead projectors. At the proper angle and focal length, those lenses can create ungodly high temperatures = rapidly melt steel, thick steel. There are some YouTube videos to this effect. I tried to melt some silver with one such lens but it quickly became clear that it would cost a retina or two trying to melt silver in any kind of solar furnace. Without welding-grade goggles, one good specular reflection in your eye(s) and you could definitely do some serious damage.

Thanks for the infor element, they were the older big screens i got from one of my landfill customer. I will also let them know about this, they keep them outside in a field. They may want to store them somewhere else till i pick them up.

Thanks
Ken

 

[darshevo]

Keep overhead projectors in the back of your mind as well. I get a ton of extras dealing with schools (take one, take all policy) Among them are overheads. My girlfriends son was able to get a piece of 2x4 burning in seconds with the flat piece that the transparency sits on.

Thanks for the heads up on the TVs. I've had a few of those around myself in the past and never considered the fire possibility