Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

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Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby jimbo69ny » Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:34 am

How fire safe is a fiberglass teardrop? I have been googling flammability of fiberglass but all I can find is boat fires and that resin (prior to curing) is very flammable.

Has anyone seen a teardrop fire? Is fiberglass or resin flammable?

I found this stuff which is a fiberglass product that is highly flame retardant. But it would be way too expensive, and heavy, to make a teardrop out of it.
https://www.electro-wind.com/rochling-glastic-gpo3-utr-1494-red-1-16x48x96.html
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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby MikeG2 » Thu Oct 18, 2018 9:00 am

When analysing the risk in any situation, you have to look both at the degree of danger in the potential problem, and the difficulty of escaping or avoiding it. In this case, whilst fibreglass produces some nasty toxins in its heavy black smoke when it burns, you only have to open a door and roll out of bed to escape to safety. Frankly, with the risk being so low I'd just fit a simple smoke detector, and relax.
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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby tony.latham » Thu Oct 18, 2018 9:48 am

Has anyone seen a teardrop fire? Is fiberglass or resin flammable?


No, no, and yes. (Fiberglass without epoxy is just glass.)

Wooden teardrops are combustible of course and so are foamies. But I have never heard of one catching fire. :frightened:

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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby jimbo69ny » Thu Oct 18, 2018 9:58 am

I didn’t think cured fiberglass would be extremely flammable. Finding a clear answer on line has been surprisingly tough though.
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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby tony.latham » Thu Oct 18, 2018 10:01 am

jimbo69ny wrote:I didn’t think cured fiberglass would be extremely flammable. Finding a clear answer on line has been surprisingly tough though.


You'd have to hold a torch on it for a while to get it to go and then it would probably be the wood under it that kept it burning.

It's a non-issue.

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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby Ottsville » Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:11 pm

jimbo69ny wrote:I didn’t think cured fiberglass would be extremely flammable. Finding a clear answer on line has been surprisingly tough though.


As said before, fiberglass(mat and chop) is not flammable but the resin is.

Many years ago I got to see a fiberglass slalom kayak tossed on a bonfire. It was pretty cool watching everything around the mat burn.
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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby KennethW » Thu Oct 18, 2018 8:51 pm

I would think, You would have a far greater chance of getting crusher by a tree then dying in a teardrop fire(A wood teardrop is a lot more flammable then glass)
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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby saywhatthat » Tue Oct 23, 2018 4:21 pm

Don't smoke. I worked at a glass shop had a fire and mat dose burn . The old real glass dose not burn. The new mat will. There're fire extinguisher that have a rain head . Like you see in race cars https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fire-Extinguisher-Automatic-HALON-1301-Engine-Compartment-for-a-BOAT/192678173477?hash=item2cdc839b25:g:bKEAAOSwdPBbtPZk:rk:9:pf:0
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-Fire-Extinguisher-Stovetop-Automatic-Suppressor-Cooktop-Firestop-Aluminum/283224701789?epid=1136948230&hash=item41f181fb5d:g:rnYAAOSwU~Fbzz0W:rk:8:pf:0 Fire Extinguisher Automatic HALON
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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby GTS225 » Tue Oct 23, 2018 4:58 pm

While I'll agree that Halon is the cat's meow when it comes to putting out a fire, DO NOT USE IT INSIDE A ROOM OF ANY SIZE! The stuff displaces air, is heavier than air, and quite likely will suffocate you in short order.

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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby saywhatthat » Tue Oct 23, 2018 6:03 pm

Yes your right there make in dry just could not find picture
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fast, cheap, fiberglass/ foam stressed skin panels
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=73945

Build 4.5 by 8' using Trailtop fiberglass Components
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=70729
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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby jimbo69ny » Tue Oct 23, 2018 9:18 pm

Thanks for the input. Full disclosure, I am building a range extending trailer for my EV then a foamy on top of it. For more info about what I have done you can go to my youtube channel. Youtube.com/jimbo69ny

I will be using a 85,90 or 100kwh Tesla battery pack on the next build. 18650 cells hold a lot of power. They have the potential of fire. I just want to make sure a fiberglass teardrop wont light up like a Christmas tree on a bon fire.

Ill have fire extinguishers and fire alarm systems just in case.
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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby Johnm » Sun Oct 28, 2018 7:47 am

When you purchase your smoke detector you might need to get one that detects fire and carbon monoxide. They make some that say out loud: "Fire" or "Carbon monoxide" as well as beeping. This would be good to have just in case there is an internal combustion engine running or a campfire, a lantern, grill, or any other source of carbon monoxide nearby that could enter your teardrop while you are sleeping. Whenever I do start my build, I plan on installing a fire/carbon monoxide detector.

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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby noseoil » Sun Oct 28, 2018 9:02 am

What is the source of ignition for the fire & where will it happen; cooking fire, electrical malfunction, candle or a propane leak?
Why is this an issue, if properly built & used, it shouldn't be a problem...
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Re: Fire safety in fiberglass teardrop?

Postby jimbo69ny » Sun Oct 28, 2018 9:20 am

Are you talking to me?

The source would be an 85kwh battery pack. It’s huge and stores tons of power. It will be underneath the teardrop. They have failed in the past so I am building accordingly. Google “Tesla Fire”. Each cell stores roughly 3.4 amp hours of power. Each cell has a fuse on it but sh** happens and if one goes bad it is a chain reaction that will set off adjacent cells. It ends up being a pretty enormous fire.

The plan is to get as much notice as possible. So I will have alarms and sensors in multiple locations.
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