Hey folks, I have noticed that sometimes a big piece will get caught in the disc and start smoking, and have thought that it might have potential for flaring and having sparks expelled into my chip box. Mostly thinking of chipping very dry, dead material like dead pine. I have also thought of the potential for a rock to go through and cause a spark. Since I am a greenhorn with a chipper, I am just wondering if anybody here has ever experienced this, and what your ideas are for prevention. I have though about mounting a big fire extinguisher to my chipper, but that would only prevent a fire that flashes, and I could only see it smoldering in the chip box if it were to happen, so a lot of water would be needed to quell it. I was thinking of asking my clients to lay out a garden hose and have it ready in case this were ever to happen, but I also do not want to worry them...Kind of like asking them to exit a house when I am doing a removal...it does not seem to instill confidence in my abilities by doing so. Maybe I am thinking too much, maybe not...what say you? Thanks,
Fires stared from chipping brush, and ideas for prevention.
- Thread starter Tarzan
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SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
I would preface as request for vacating with asking them if they wear their seatbelt? Further, explain that you've never had any problem, but looking out for their safety with an unknown organic mass above their heads is part of your professional duty.
I've never heard of a chip fire in a box, but that doesn't mean anything. Large municipal dumpsites from huge storms have turned into infernos, but it take a huge piled volume of chips.
You live in a fire prone area, right, running hot engines, with hot exhaust, and large machines. Taking precautions like having a garden hose hooked up and turned on is being a professional.
I've never heard of a chip fire in a box, but that doesn't mean anything. Large municipal dumpsites from huge storms have turned into infernos, but it take a huge piled volume of chips.
You live in a fire prone area, right, running hot engines, with hot exhaust, and large machines. Taking precautions like having a garden hose hooked up and turned on is being a professional.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Never a problem here, but it wouldn't hurt to have a fire extinguisher nearby - maybe even two.
Mick!
TreeHouser
Ditto on the fire extinguisher, though never heard of that scenario.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
A fire extinguisher should always be at hand, along with a first-aid kit, IMO.
lumberjack
Young man on the go
While it could happen, it seems as though it's an exceedingly rare set of circumstances.
Mick!
TreeHouser
Absolutely Sean, (I have neither! Will buy tomorrow)
Ps ever tried to burn a chip pile? Dead wood or not.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Making me paranoid, I might have to stop burning incense at my jobs. You know a little Buddhist alter. 
Incense causes a lot of fires, people meaning well turns into a disaster.
Incense causes a lot of fires, people meaning well turns into a disaster.
rangerdanger
TreeHouser
Never had it happen. Ive had a piece get caught and smoke before, but no embers or anything hot was flung out of the chute.
Honestly, I'd be more worried of your chips catching fire in the chip box as they decompose and heat up in a small area. I know of at least one guy locally, he dumped a load of chips at someones property that had been in the truck a day or two maybe, during the summer with hot days, and they got a call a few minutes later saying the chip pile was on fire.
Honestly, I'd be more worried of your chips catching fire in the chip box as they decompose and heat up in a small area. I know of at least one guy locally, he dumped a load of chips at someones property that had been in the truck a day or two maybe, during the summer with hot days, and they got a call a few minutes later saying the chip pile was on fire.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
Once we had a stump catch fire on a forestry job. The stump hadn't been cut on, just old and dead. Oh, the supervisor chain smoked cigarettes.
I've never heard of small piles catching on fire, but it could happen. A butt flicked into the box, then given wind from driving??? Still sounds implausible.
I've heard that huge chip piles will have a lot of heat inside, then when they start to move them, they get oxygen rich air mixed in, and spontaneous combustion. What do you think the combustion temp of wood to be? Book paper is supposedly Farenheit 451.
I've never heard of small piles catching on fire, but it could happen. A butt flicked into the box, then given wind from driving??? Still sounds implausible.
I've heard that huge chip piles will have a lot of heat inside, then when they start to move them, they get oxygen rich air mixed in, and spontaneous combustion. What do you think the combustion temp of wood to be? Book paper is supposedly Farenheit 451.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
I've seen a lotta chip piles - none of them ever spontaneously combusted before.
PCTREE
Treehouser
If you pile chips over 12 ' they can catch fire due to the pressure of the chips on top, usually happens after a rain in the summer as this hastens decomposition. I had a POS Vermeer 1400 which actually routed its exhaust through the discharge shoot, exhaust gasses are pretty damn hot so I would imagine your concern of the chips catching fire is pretty paranoid.
Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not trying to get you though.
Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not trying to get you though.
Limbrat
TreeHouser
We had an outfit come into town a few years back that was mixing scallop guts with pine bark to make some sort of fertilizer and they had to keep a dozer stirring it up 24/7 or it would catch fire. It was the most foul smelling mess you can imagine and the dozer had an open cab, can't imagine how the operator stood it or what he smelled like at the end of the day.
Altissimus
TreeHouser
...unlikely... I had a Ford dump trk motor catch fire...put it out with snow
I'll take a thousand yards of that mess! Seriously.
My buddy had a fire get started in his truck. We were chipping dead pine and some Black Locust. On of the trees had some bailing wire of sorts just under the bark, about twenty feet of it. The wire wrapped around the shaft and sent a shower of sparks into the box. Walla, fire. It took two minutes to disconnect and dump enough chips to stop the fire. I wouldn't worry much about it, it takes a special set of conditions to happen. Watch your load and be prepared. A decent extinguisher should be on the truck anyway and why not the chipper too.
My buddy had a fire get started in his truck. We were chipping dead pine and some Black Locust. On of the trees had some bailing wire of sorts just under the bark, about twenty feet of it. The wire wrapped around the shaft and sent a shower of sparks into the box. Walla, fire. It took two minutes to disconnect and dump enough chips to stop the fire. I wouldn't worry much about it, it takes a special set of conditions to happen. Watch your load and be prepared. A decent extinguisher should be on the truck anyway and why not the chipper too.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Off topic, but i remember this contractor scandal in the states, or it could have more likely been here. He built a factory somewhere, and to save costs after putting the required sprinkler system in the ceiling, didn't connect to the water system beyond that. It's pretty easy to guess what happened that landed him in jail.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Just gonna say this.. In wild land areas during dry and hot season, extinguishers, fire fighting tools (like a McLeod), and water are required to work any where off road.
My experience... two chipper fires... from the the exhaust and debris landing on the heat shield... It can happen...
I had a fire get down from the exhaust in some chips and take out the gas line once which caused a really fun fire... Thank the tree gods we were on asphalt!
Anyway.. be prepared.
My experience... two chipper fires... from the the exhaust and debris landing on the heat shield... It can happen...
I had a fire get down from the exhaust in some chips and take out the gas line once which caused a really fun fire... Thank the tree gods we were on asphalt!
Anyway.. be prepared.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
I read that in the old days if you started a fire in a village in these parts, causing damage to someone else's residence, you were forced to relocate out of the village, even if you and your past generations had been born and living there for hundreds of years. No amount of tears and resulting hardships mattered, basically you became a non entity. People were very frightened of fires with all the tinderbox houses.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Here, if you start a fire, it's your ass, house and poverty for ever more if the powers that be decide to roast you for it.. Sooooooo might as well move out.
FireFighterZero
Captain Zero!
I read about some of those stories from time to time Stephen. If they want blood, they will get it. Would make me nervous.
When dad was a kid, you used to have to keep a shovel in the trunk of your car when traveling through an National Park. Still a good idea.
In the summer time I always keep my fire truck ready to go in the field with me, along with a couple of water fire extinguishers. Rechargeable water extinguishers are handy for all sorts of jobs when you are in the field.
When dad was a kid, you used to have to keep a shovel in the trunk of your car when traveling through an National Park. Still a good idea.
In the summer time I always keep my fire truck ready to go in the field with me, along with a couple of water fire extinguishers. Rechargeable water extinguishers are handy for all sorts of jobs when you are in the field.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
I always say, "It will profit me none to have a wild land fire with my sir name".
I have a very much NOT POS Lindana TP chipper that has the exhaust routed that way.
Never had a problem with that, but then I might have mentioned before that the only way to start a forest fire here is to call in a napalm strike.
Merle Nelson
TreeHouser
If you ever do deal with a chip fire just because they are flooded wet on top don’t take it for granted that it is safe to leave. I have heard of them smoldering underneath for days and then burning a house down.
biggun
Monkey for Hire
One site we used to tip at regularly on a farm, had their chip pile catch alight.
I turned up on Monday morning to tip fridays load off before work. There were 6 appliances and fire hoses everywhere. I drove into the farm and was directed to another area but as I left I started chatting to one of the firefighters. They had had reports of smouldering in the chip pile on the friday evening. They had been there all weekend and the fire still hadn't gone out. They even used the foam to try and cut off all o2 to the pile but all it did was make a mess.
Apparently it was caused through the decomposition of the chip and break down. If the farmer doesn't push the chip up and turn it on a regular basis the internal temps get so hot they can catch.
That particular chip pile has gone up 3 times now. Twice when the firm I grafted for used it.
I turned up on Monday morning to tip fridays load off before work. There were 6 appliances and fire hoses everywhere. I drove into the farm and was directed to another area but as I left I started chatting to one of the firefighters. They had had reports of smouldering in the chip pile on the friday evening. They had been there all weekend and the fire still hadn't gone out. They even used the foam to try and cut off all o2 to the pile but all it did was make a mess.
Apparently it was caused through the decomposition of the chip and break down. If the farmer doesn't push the chip up and turn it on a regular basis the internal temps get so hot they can catch.
That particular chip pile has gone up 3 times now. Twice when the firm I grafted for used it.
Mick!
TreeHouser
Like Butch said, I've been around chip piles for many years, never seen one catch fire, not doubting your story though.
I've a chip pile back of my house been there over a year, 100 cubic meters and counting.
I've a chip pile back of my house been there over a year, 100 cubic meters and counting.
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