Cruz Pedregon Shop damaged. (1 Viewer)

Thank goodness for sprinklers. Not clear from the story as to whether there was a fire/heat source but - given the fact that Cruz smelled "a burning smell" - I have to think this was more than an errant compressor hose.
I'm glad to see that even a "little guy" racer takes prudent measures to mitigate loss - even a "small fire" could wipe out the team (forget about insurance responding on a timely basis or in amount to make the team whole).
 
Back in 1982, my friend's restoration shop burned to the ground. Best guess from the investigation was that the old military surplus air compressor was still powered on and came on during the night.
It probably had an issue like getting jammed or stuck because witnesses saw sparks coming from the power lines (440 volt) going into the building. A whole bunch of classic Packards, Cadillacs and Rolls were lost. Glad to see Cruz had fire protection and that it worked.
 
John Lawson lost all his racing equipment in a fire back in Feb? Luckily his house didn't suffer.
 
Sorry to hear this for Cruz (and John Lawson several months ago)

Every time I leave my shop/garage after using air, the routine is the same..... Close the main supply air valve at the compressor, and kill the main power switch.

I've heard of people who have experienced shop fires caused by air compressors that tried to run 24/7 after a simple hose blew while nobody was there. The compressor will just run and run trying to fill the tank but with a broken hose the pump and motor will never catch up..... but it will burn you house down right quick in a hurry! Scary.
 
Sorry to hear this for Cruz (and John Lawson several months ago)

Every time I leave my shop/garage after using air, the routine is the same..... Close the main supply air valve at the compressor, and kill the main power switch.

I've heard of people who have experienced shop fires caused by air compressors that tried to run 24/7 after a simple hose blew while nobody was there. The compressor will just run and run trying to fill the tank but with a broken hose the pump and motor will never catch up..... but it will burn you house down right quick in a hurry! Scary.

It won't be too much longer before these instances will largely go away. There are more and more smart circuit panels that can sense issues like this (and there are water cut-offs that are similarly smart but you'd never put one in front of a fire suppression line! The systems sit there and watch all of your "normal" energy flows and let you know when something goes out of whack .... its really pretty cool.

Jeff
 
Sorry to hear this for Cruz (and John Lawson several months ago)

Every time I leave my shop/garage after using air, the routine is the same..... Close the main supply air valve at the compressor, and kill the main power switch.

I've heard of people who have experienced shop fires caused by air compressors that tried to run 24/7 after a simple hose blew while nobody was there. The compressor will just run and run trying to fill the tank but with a broken hose the pump and motor will never catch up..... but it will burn you house down right quick in a hurry! Scary.
To make sure I wouldn't forget to shut the compressor breaker off before going home (my old shop in NJ, house was in PA) I installed a light bulb above it and painted it red so you knew the compressor was on.
One day I was at the sewing machine stitching something for a Packard and the compressor scared the living daylights out of me by coming on.😱
Turns out the bulb had burnt out 🤬🤬🤬
 
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