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Re: [ProgSoc] Computer at home a fire risk



dust buildup _can_ be a risk - not only in the fan, but on the circuit
boards. This usually takes some years to build up to a 'dangerous'
level, but a friend of mine had this problem happen - dust built up on
an old server, eventually an arc occured somewhere in the computer,
and the dust caught fire - being very small particles, it burnt very
quickly, and royalled screwed the computer. As I understand it, it was
a short, sharp fire that killed the computer, and nothing else - I'm
guessing the amount of fuel wasn't enough to heat up anything else
that might be flammable, so it burnt out very quickly. There shouldn't
be anything else in a computer box that would burn well - I'm guessing
all of the plastics would be flame-retardants?

vik

On 8/29/05, Andrew Halliday <andrew.halliday@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On 8/29/05, Bryn Davies <curious@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > On Mon, Aug 29, 2005 at 03:17:06PM +1000, Chris Laughton wrote:
> > > i.e, just the computer. Is there anything that is likely to catch on fire?
> >
> >  Well, provided it's plugged in, dust accumulation in the PSU fan.  The
> > fire brigade, iirc, have a whole wing of people sitting around to answer
> > questions like this.  Operators are standing by!
> >
> >  B.
> >
> 
> As Bryn said, as long as the electrical wiring is up to code, there is
> no build up of extreme amounts of dust or fuel on, in or surrounding
> the equipment, and there is sufficient cooling in the area to prevent
> excessive heat, there shouldn't be a problem.
> 
> Fires are preventable by common sense. Don't use dodgy power cables or
> powerboards, don't let equipment overheat, and don't let combustible
> materials accumulate where they could ignite. A major cause of
> domestic fires are electrical faults such as power arcing in a
> powerboard which is overloaded or doesn't have the plugs properly
> inserted.
> 
> Fire takes 3 things: Heat, Fuel and Oxygen. Take care of the first two
> and you won't have a problem.
> 
> -Andi.
> Village Firefighter, NSW Rural Fire Service
> <insert disclaimer about suggestions here and stupid people being
> stupid people and doing stupid things>
> 
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