How safe is your garage? You might be surprised to learn that the garage can pose a bigger risk than you think.
Did you know that more than 6,000 residential garage fires take place annually, resulting in millions of dollars in property damage and hundreds of injuries? What makes garage fires even more hazardous is that they aren’t detected as quickly and they have the tendency to spread to other areas of the house.
How Dangerous Is Your Garage?
It’s no secret, that the garage is often the burial grounds for unwanted items. A report from the U.S Fire Administration revealed that in garage fires, lingering trash is one of the first things to catch fire after cable and electrical wires. Structural framing, boxes and bags are often ignited next. Fires in cluttered garages spread quickly making it much more difficult for firefighters to put out the blaze.
Storing flammable liquids and materials in the garage is a hazard. Flammable items can include paint, gasoline and cleaning solutions. Fire requires heat, oxygen, and fuel to grow. While products aren’t problematic in itself when combined with these three factors they become dangerous.
In addition, appliances and electrical fixtures are common sources of fires since it can lead to overheating circuit overloading. Clothes dryer and water heaters can be potentially hazardous especially in instances when there isn’t proper heat ventilation.
Preventing Garage Fires
The first step in making your garage less hazardous is taking the necessary steps to ensure that it is well ventilated with a garage exhaust fan. An exhaust fan, like the QuietCool GA ES-1500 garage exhaust fan, can help to remove toxic fumes from the garage. In addition, ventilating with an exhaust fan will reduce heat build-up.
As previously mentioned, heat builds up and when mixed with flammable items can generate a fire. A garage exhaust fan can help ensure sure there is enough air circulating through the small space.
The next step in making your garage safer is to clear out clutter. Consider donating old clothes and disposing of junk items. Organize the space using plastic containers for storage as opposed to cardboard boxes. Install shelving units to store electrical appliances that can catch on fire.
Experts recommend storing flammable liquids, like propane and oil in a detached shed or an area away from the garage. Also, the fire extinguisher should be easy to access.
If you take the necessary precautions to protect your garage and home you can reduce the likelihood of a fire occurring.