Dodged the bullett in the garage

[34ford]

Opened up the cabinet in the garage that has my radio/cd/tape player in it and got a real surprise. Couldn't believe what I saw and thank the Lord that that was all the damage there was compared as to what could have happened. Must have happened while we were gone over a long weekend cause there was never a strong smell of anything burning even after I opened up the cabinet.

What happened was a can of paint stripper had a hole in it and slowly leaked out and run down the front of the shelf to the lower shelf and dripped on top of the stereo and ate the plastic and then leaked inside and shorted out some electrical connection. Must have been a small fire due to the black burnt stripper gel. I couldn't figure what all the jelly like stuff till I cleaned off the top shelf and  found the hole in the can. I think since the doors on the cabinet fit pretty tight that the fire used up all the oxygen and smothered itself out.

There was a lot of flammable items in this cabinet so it probably could have burnt the garage and house too.

Note to self: do not store flammable items and electrical components in the same cabinet.

[enjenjo]

You were really lucky. That could have been bad.

[BFS57]

You were really lucky. That could have been bad.

Hello;
Yeah, you better go buy your lottery ticket cause you can't get any luckier!!
DANG CLOSE!

Bruce

[Boyd Who]

Wow!!! What an incredible lesson. I'm glad that it didn't turn out any worse than that for you. I'll be watching where I put things in my new shop after seeing that!

[petrolhead]

Lucky.... I purchased an old fridge well picked it up off the verge and I store all my flamable stuff in it, keeps it safe and insulated
Regards
Petrolhead

[unklian]

I had a metal paint stripper can spring a leak, it squirted goo
all over the place. My guess was the can corroded from the inside.
No idea how it got pressurized.

[Fat Cat]

No idea how it got pressurized.

My guess would be heat.

[Charlie Chops 1940]

Had a similar experience some years ago with a charcoal bag on a shelf for years; the bag deteriorated, moisture set in the charcoal and rusted the tin shelf, then rust particles and charcoal dribbled down on an electrical cord and plug-in that serviced the garage door opener. One day the opener didn't. I tracked it down to the plug and when I pulled it out the prongs were just short stubs.

Had a good laugh, fixed it all, said a prayer, and now store charcoal bags on the cement floor.

Charlie

[Digger]

It is best to store flammables on a open shelf or a well ventilated cabinet
where the fumes can dissapate. I have a paint room for mixing and storage that I have installed a exhaust fan and timer on just to be on the safe side.

[jaybee]

Wow, that really got your attention, didn't it?  Here http://www.labsafety.com/refinfo/ezfacts/ezf179.htm is some information regarding storage of flammable liquids.  Storage cabinets for flammables are covered about halfway down the page.

[unklian]

No idea how it got pressurized.

My guess would be heat.

It was sitting on a shelf in the basement, away from any heat source.
My guess was corrosion from the inside, set up some chemical reaction, which created a gas.