I guess the last time I was in my garage was last night. I must have accidentally left my 4 1/2" angle grinder plugged in. So I just got home from work and I slide the garage door up to find this little mess. Looks like it shorted to something and lit a plastic stool I had on fire. All I have to say is thank god it wasn't worse.
Was it a harbor fright angle grinder? Looks like the garage was sealed enough that it burned itself out.
Wow! That could have been really bad homey. Glad it burned itself out instead of taking the garage with it. Wouldn't have been a good story for the next lunch. I keep seeing these fire threads and it makes me double check more and more when I leave the garage. I don't even like leaving the battery hooked up in the '39 when it's just sitting for a couple days. Call me paranoid.
Luck was definitely with you.I once left an old style soldering iron plugged in over night and it fell out of its cradle and burned a hole through the top of my wooden work bench but never burst into flames.Now I always double check that nothing is left plugged in. Lucky once twice stupid.
It was a Skil brand angle grinder. I don't think it was too well sealed up, the windows were open. I am just happy it didnt take out the engine I just had finished up much less anything else, tools, parts, the car, memorabilia, hell there was a half full gallon jug of 2 stroke mix not more than 3 feet away. I think this property might be jinxed when it comes to fire. I bought the house after it burned. I just hope this is the last occurrence. Might be time for bigger and better things. Well smaller house and a much larger shop with AC
I have a couple of skil angle grinders, never had any trouble out of them. Was you welding or grinding before you left the shop?
Looks like my Snap On MT2500 Along with the rest of my shop about 10 yr ago Total loss. I do a walk through every night now in the new shop. Mine was torched by someone they say but i still had alot of electricity going & Our local VFD would not put water on power, Until the electric Co. got here Too late 30 mi. away . Now the shop has a disconnection at the pole.
I haven't had any trouble with them either. Hell I will probably buy another one. Ill just make sure I unplug it this time. I hadnt been grinding or welding for more than an hour by the time I shut down for the night.
You're a very lucky guy. That could have turned out to be a really bad story. I don't even see the grinder in the pic. Your shop rag does seem somewhat usable though. Chair - not so much.
The chinese must be up to no good. Here's what my Harbor freight grinder did to my arm last weekend....cut and artery and bicep in my arm.....
I was cutting a u-joint out of an axle...the blade caught and pulled the grinder out of my hand into my arm....
Might need a ground in the electrical system ( if you don't have one already)so it doesnt short out, fires ****
There is a damn good grounding system, one 8' grounding rod outside of the shop and another by the main electrical meter
You could have had an ember in that card board from when you were welding/grinding earlier that eventually flared and ignited the chair and grinder.Glad that's all that happened like others have already said you were being watched over!
Wow. I've never seen that. Had them short while i'm grinding with them though. I have three 4 1/2" angle grinders plugged into the same extension cord with one of those dollar store three way outlets. I can't remember when they were last unplugged, maybe a few weeks ago. I never do. I guess i should. There isn't a foot of clear space anywhere in there so whatever is flammable would surely catch everything else.
X2. I do the same every single time I leave the garage.. turn anything electric off, unplug anything and everything, no matter if it's got a ground in between it and the wall plug as well as tighten all the gas tanks. No such thing as being too safe.
I rewired the breaker box in my garage and now have 4 seperate breakers that are linked together....the box happened to be right by the exit door to the shop (I did not plan it that way).....none-the-less....every night when I'm done working I kill the power to the entire garage (with the exception to the lights) Basically it's all my wall plugs (two circuits) my 220v circuit for my welder (hooked in to 4 receptacles so I can move the welder around) and my air compressor circuit....the breaker arms are linked together so I just gotta throw two bars to kill 4 circuits.
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