One of the worst things that can happen to the owner of a country house is a fire. Damage or loss of property, home, and even injury and loss of life — it’s scary. It seems that we are all adults and understand the danger of fire, we know the precautions. However, the inexorable statistics the dialect otherwise…
The same statistics report that 80% of fires occur in residential buildings. To never face this trouble, you should eliminate the possible causes of the fire.
The main factor of ignition of a country house, and not only it — human carelessness. It is she who is behind the abandoned cigarette butt, incorrectly arranged chimney, faulty wiring. Let us examine in more detail the four main causes of fires.
The first reason: careless handling of fire
Although, of course, for the owners of country houses the first danger seems to be the furnace: often either heating in the country stove, or in the living room fireplace or stove is in the bath. However, according to statistics, careless handling of fire accounts for the largest number of fires — 35%.
Fires, divorced in the “wrong” places and left unattended, spring grass fires, burning garbage, pranks of children with matches can cause fire not only a separate country house, but also entire settlements.
Smoking is another root cause of the fire. Unfortunately, for many it is not obvious. However, according to the Ministry of emergency situations, it is very common.
An abandoned smoldering cigarette butt in the hot season is dangerous not only in the forest. Especially strongly contributes to fires Smoking in bed, as well as in a drunken state — a modern cigarette continues to smolder, even if a person does not smoke it.
If you have a gas stove, make sure that curtains, towels and other easily illuminated objects are removed from the open fire. It is better not to leave them on the stove, even off.
The source of fire can be lighting with kerosene lamps, torches or candles. Do not forget about it, starting a romantic dinner in a country house for the New year.
In General, fireworks and fire shows at a party with alcohol can turn fun into trouble. During the holidays, up to 95% of those killed and injured in the fire were intoxicated. However, on weekdays alcohol also collects a good “catch” of fire victims: about 60% of all victims.
The second reason: stove heating and fireplaces
The main factors of fires associated with stoves and fireplaces are as follows:
- faulty furnace-with cracks in the masonry and broken doors;
- errors in the installation of the furnace, fireplace and chimney. This may be non-compliance with fire safety margins or the use of unsuitable insulation;
- the use of homemade metal furnaces that do not meet the requirements of fire safety standards.
Furnaces and fireplaces should be equipped with a sheet of non-combustible materials: metal, stone, ceramic tiles. If you have a fireplace with an open firebox, do not leave it unattended and do not entrust the supervision of the furnace or fireplace to young children.
With the installation of stoves and fireplaces must comply with the fire cut (fire prescribed norms of distance between the source of high temperature and structures made of combustible materials), or use insulation materials. Thermal insulation prevents heat transfer, acting as thermal resistance.
In the case of the device of fire-prevention cutting a thermal insulator, impeding the transfer of heat is air. In other cases, the insulation is made of materials with high thermal resistance, and, as a consequence, low thermal conductivity.
Oven, fireplace insert and chimney elements during operation are heated strongly enough. Therefore, the insulation must not only prevent the transfer of heat, but also to be made of noncombustible materials, not decaying from the action of high temperatures. One of them is mineral (basalt) wool.
When installing a fireplace or building a bath, use only high-quality insulation materials made of stone wool.
Chimneys of furnaces and fireplaces should be cleaned regularly. Soot accumulations in the chimney not only worsen combustion, reducing traction, but also self-ignite. May occur the so-called blast furnace. In this case a brick chimney cracks through which the next such explosion can escape the flames that has a very high temperature.
In addition, the creosote formed in the pipe corrodes the inner surface of the chimney, reducing its service life. This, as a consequence, too, sooner or later will lead to a fire. Therefore, it is especially important to clean metal pipes in time.
It is necessary to clear a flue at least once a year if the fire chamber occurs irregularly (for example, a fireplace). And if the furnace is used constantly, then it is necessary to clean smoke channels at least once in three months.
Do not kindle solid fuel in the oven or fireplace with gasoline and other flammable liquids and do not drown coal appliances, it is not designed. From too high a temperature metal furnace can be deformed and become flammable.
The third reason: faulty electrical appliances and improper handling
Electricity is dangerous in itself. Improper operation of electrical appliances, their emergency condition, faulty wiring-all this leads to fires. And the percentage of fires due to a fault in the power supply system at home is also quite high: 18%.
The very first thing that should be excluded-the accident of electrical wiring. Old aluminum conductors eventually become brittle and cease to withstand the load of heating during the passage of electric current.
If your country house is such aluminum wiring, and you simultaneously use at least two powerful electrical appliances (eg, electric kettle and electric water heater), you should as soon as possible to conduct a preventive inspection, and it is better to replace it completely.
When selecting wires and cables, consider the power ratio of the installed devices and the conductor cross-section in the wire. If it is less than the calculated power, the released heat will not have time to dissipate. As a result, the wire may overheat and ignite combustible trim parts.
Look at the photo below: a familiar picture? The inclusion of a power outlet to a variety of appliances via extension cords or adapters leads to an overload and, again, to increased heating.
The most frequent manifestation of malfunctions in the electric system short-circuited. When the wires are shorted, the current rises sharply, instantaneous heating of the conductors occurs, metal cores melt and a large amount of heat is emitted.
A short circuit may occur, for example, when a breakdown (violation of the insulation) of the cable with a nail or a self-tapping screw. If the electrical system of the house is equipped with automatic switches, protection is triggered, and burns out (fails) only the device itself or the device that caused the short circuit.
If there are no circuit breakers, electric current continues to flow at the short circuit location. As a result, the high temperature ignites the structural elements and finishes, that is, a fire.
Overheating occurs when a loose contact of the plug of the device into the terminals of the electric socket, between the bulb base and the foot-contact of the cartridge, if they are faulty, and incorrect twisted wires in the distribution boxes. In this case, the resistance increases, which leads to overheating, but an abrupt increase in the current does not occur, so the automatic protection does not work.
Do not leave electrical appliances unattended. Forgotten on an Ironing Board included iron, boiled the kettle without tripping the thermal relay idling electric stove, makeshift heaters can all cause fires.
The fourth reason: non-compliance with fire safety rules during construction
One way to protect yourself from fire — do not forget to please the design or economy of the requirements of fire safety regulations. These requirements are to comply with fire breaks in the construction of the site, the device firewalls used in the construction of non-flammable or slightly combustible materials, as well as the use of high-quality non-combustible insulation to protect structures.
Do not add another event of a fire in the statistics! Take care of your life and your loved ones.