My apartment's bath fan caught on fire

[Stray Electron]

Glad you are OK.  Fires are scary.  I am glad we only have a passive vent in the bathroom. 

In the UK it has been suggested that the severity of the Grenfell Tower fire (which killed 72 and left 600 homeless) was significantly increased by the recent installation of uPVC window frames and plastic kitchen and bathroom extractor fans.  Prior to the renovation, these were aluminium framed windows, and there were no extractor fans. As the fire spread up the building, the plastic frames and extractors failed, which allowed the fire to more quickly spread into living spaces with the plastic acting as a fuel to spread the fire within the apartment.  While the cladding was likely responsible for the spread of the fire across the face of the building, the retrofit used large quantities of expanding foam and flammable insulation around parts, and had large void cavities where windows had been retrofitted into the new cladding system.

   I built a steel outbuilding a few years ago and I thought about using that expanding foam to help seal the joints but I decided to test it first, so I took a cured sample of it and set it on fire to see what it burned like.  That stuff burns GOOD!  I would NEVER use that in a building again.  I used the standard fiberglass mats instead and don't even use the foam to plug holes. I just stuff in pieces of fiberglass mats.

[tom66]

If I recall correctly expanding foam is usually "expanded" using butane inside the cylinder.  I don't know if that remains after the foam is set, but if it does, it almost certainly helps accelerate the process!

[tkamiya]

As far as I know, there is no law in US prohibiting importing, selling, buying or using non certified electrical equipment.  UL certification is voluntary.  It shouldn't be!

[tom66]

Would importers not bump up against FCC regulations, for instance?

[tkamiya]

I don't think so, in this case.

I read the FCC regs and they classify incidental and intentional radiators.  Fan will be incidental but there are exceptions.  At least I've never seen a fan with FCC certifications.  Besides.... who's checking?  I insist on UL but no one checks and huge amount is coming through various methods and channels.  It's a mess.

[amyk]

If I recall correctly expanding foam is usually "expanded" using butane inside the cylinder.  I don't know if that remains after the foam is set, but if it does, it almost certainly helps accelerate the process!

Closed-cell foam will contain trapped blowing agent (which may slowly seep out over time), whereas it will dissipate quickly in open-cell foam.

I'm not sure that they'd use something as flammable as a hydrocabon; they are usually something nonflammable like a HFC (used to be a CFC --- and in China, maybe they are still using CFCs). Foam is really a form of plastic but what makes it so flammable is its huge surface area.

[Mr. Scram]

Make sure you have smoke detectors properly installed and that the batteries are changed as needed.  You can't smell smoke while you sleep. Without  a functioning smoke detector, you will not wake up as the place fills with smoke. Without  a functioning smoke detector, you will not wake up as the place fills with smoke. Yes, it is worth repeating as many times as needed.

I mean everyone, every house, not just pigrew.

I know people who got lucky and were woken up by the sound of the raging fire breaking glass. That's cutting it close. But yeah, smoke detectors are cheap and improve your chances hugely. Even if you're awake it may buy you those 30 seconds between a bad day and the last day of your life, or a loved one's. People have no idea how quickly a fire can escalate.

[Jeroen3]

PU foam should contain flame retardants like TCPP. But yes, they still use isobutane, dimethylether and propane as propellant.

I mounted a few of these AFFF foam units around the house. Fire is really scary.