Fire Prevention In Your Garage

Garages are areas that are notorious for being the origin of many unplanned fires. Any unplanned fire is dangerous but garage fires usually take longer to detect, are more violent and spread quicker than most other fires in residential buildings. Depending on what materials are stored in the garage, it can take just one little spark to lead to a house explosion. Many people store fire lighters and other combustible materials in their garages. This stands to reason as it is safer to store these items in a garage than inside your house provided that you store them in an organized and safe manner.

Most garages contain substances like gasoline, oil, and paint which are highly flammable. These substances should only be stored in small quantities and kept in sealed, clearly labeled containers, away from appliances, heaters, pilot lights and other sources of flame or heat.

Gas cylinders should never be stored indoors as the risk of them catching fire is too great. Never store propane cylinders indoors. Gas is highly combustible, and a tank full of it would promptly cause a deadly explosion.

Never leave a spill in the garage. Make sure to remove the spill entirely and determine the source of the spill. If it is a leaking container take measures to prevent any further leaks from occurring.

Very few garages will be free of flammable items and therefore it is advisable not to smoke in your garage. Cigarette butts and matches start millions of fires each year.

Make sure that you adhere to the recommended safety precautions of all machinery that you use in your garage and never overload your electrical outlets. Exceeding the wattage of a light fitting can start an electrical fire and with flammable items stored in your garage this could quickly become an uncontrollable fire. Check on all light fittings to determine the correct wattage before replacing bulbs.

Garages quite easily become storage areas for almost any unused item of a household. Do not allow your garage to become a junk pile and dispose of any unwanted items as soon as possible. Keep only what you really want and throw the rest away. Install shelves so that whatever you plan to keep can be stores in an orderly fashion.

Clean your garage at least once a month to get rid of excess dust, cobwebs and trash as these could interfere with the electrical system.

These tips should help to minimize the risk of an unplanned fire but unfortunately these can still occur. To minimize your financial loss caused by a fire ensure that you have adequate household insurance, which should be reviewed on a regular basis.

Make sure that your garage is equipped for a fire by installing a fire detector and check that it is in working order on a monthly basis while performing your routine cleaning. It is absolutely essential that all homes have a fire extinguisher that is easily accessible for extinguishing fires in either your garage or your home.