robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
Product name?
Shunt snapped and caused a fire🔥
- Thread starter nezjnr
- Start date
SilverbackMP
Solar Addict
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2022
- Messages
- 928
FX lumber guard from Fire Guard Coatings of Texas. They have other formulations too. And you can get it with red dye or no red dye.
hwy17
Anti-Solar Enthusiast
Thank you OP for posting and having to endure every comment you will receive about how someone else would do it differently. These cases for us try to learn from are incredibly valuable to all of us and it is a huge contribution of you to share it. All of our builds have something criticizeable about them.
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
I agree 110% - reading this sub forum I have learned so so much from other people willing to post their mishaps and sharing.
One other comment - or rebutal, the bus bars don't look like they are hanging in air from pictures posted, I can see the red rubber standoff below the busbar to the shelf.
The important thing is to learn the right lesson. Sometimes folks jump to conclusions based on biases rather than an objective review of the facts. In failure analysis such as what caused the bolted door on a Boeing 737 to fail mid air could easily devolve into an argument about other things. It is important not to get distracted by peripheral issues.
A barn might be poorly built and about to fall down at any minute but the reason the horse got out was someone left the door open. Arguments about the barns color or the need for individual horse stalls does not really address the main problem.
Yes these fire retardants do work. Just don’t use it on a surface that you plan to apply glue on. Most fire or mold retardants make it impossible to get good adhesion. Use it after assembly.
SilverbackMP
Solar Addict
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2022
- Messages
- 928
Hmmm this product claims to be compatible with water based finishes and paints. Imma going to try to prime and paint (using Benjamin Moore Command) some and see what happens.
But yeah, I don't think it would work with wood glue.
I like crinkle finish
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
and that makes no sense at all or was to high brow for me.
I think you mean we need to stick to what actually caused the fire, and without more data and pictures we won't know. Critiquing the other asspects of the build are extra and may actually be the cause but may be side issues to not repeat.
Sorry if it made no sense. But you did get the gist of it.
42OhmsPA
What's in a title?
Seems like we need to ask the 5 why's, maybe even start a fishbone diagram...
hwy17
Anti-Solar Enthusiast
It was Dave Calhoun sneaking into the shop at midnight and hiding those pricey bolts to get short term revenue up!
I am trying to figure out how a shunt mounted in a holder and attached to a solid mounting surface actually snaps.
Properly mounted... the shunt may open like a fuse but 'snap' would seem to indicate improper mounting.
I visualise this like a MEGA fuse attached direct to a battery terminal without a holder.
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
The shunt was bolted to the busbar at one end and what looked like a 4/0 cable at the other, no holder
JWLV
-.-. --.-
- Joined
- May 27, 2020
- Messages
- 551
One important thing to note about shelving units, their weight capacity is always measured as "evenly distributed." No one could possibly evenly distribute anything that they store on a shelf, unless the item was a single rectangular block of uniform weight and the exact size as the shelf.
Whether a shelving unit uses wood or metal shelves, a 1600 lbs capacity shelf would probably be able to hold 800 lbs of batteries safely. And that's being generous.
Whether a shelving unit uses wood or metal shelves, a 1600 lbs capacity shelf would probably be able to hold 800 lbs of batteries safely. And that's being generous.
Quattrohead
Solar Wizard
The op is very brave telling us about this and showing us the pictures, frankly it looked like a fire waiting to happen. Don't flame me......
Blasphemy. I’ve been thru enough RCAs this week
42OhmsPA
What's in a title?
I've had a week full of opportunities as well
.A diy battery pre FMEA would be an interesting thread....
robbob2112
Doing more research, mosty harmless
So, starting at the beginning again, did the other half of the broken shunt survive? If so are there any signs of arcing or maybe that it fragmented more?
It doesn't look like the fire was excessively 'hot' as things go dispite what it looks like. Might be interesting to see pictures once you vacuum off all the dust and gunk from the fire dept? Any idea what they used? Foam? Powder? Haylon? Something else? Generally they avoid water on a pure electrical fire is why I am asking. My earlier assumption of thermal shock could have been in error depending on the agent used.
