Charcoal briquettes a fire hazard?

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Last week there was a house fire nearby with serious damages that was apparently caused by a chemical reaction in the "stored for winter" briquettes when they got wet. Has anyone ever heard of this?

-- kben (ikben@canada.com), February 27, 2002

Answers

yes , and it says right on the bag, do not get wet

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), February 27, 2002.

Nope, never heard of this happening. That's scary! I don't like to use charcoal briquets, so didn't even know of any warning on the bag. I like to use up all the newspapers, limbs that fall in the yard and small/odd-shaped pieces of wood left over when DH sells a cord of mesquite.

Stan, does it ay anything else in the way of warning on the bag? Seems just "Do not get wet" would be a no-brainer. *grin*

-- Wingnut (wingnut@moment.net), February 28, 2002.


This is one that I do know something about. Charcoal would not spontaniously combust if it gets wet. I make charcoal for a living. Kingsford to be exact so I'm around this stuff everyday. There is nothing in it that water will react with. It's made mostly of lime, borax, a little coal and very little charred wood, and a little sawdust. The reason they say don't get it wet is because it doesn't burn well after it's been wet. It is however very easy to catch on fire when it's been stored in an environment that will reduce it's moisture content. We have to and so do the stores store in an environment where the moisture content won't be affected too greatly.

-- Joel Combs (jwcinpk@yahoo.com), February 28, 2002.

I was just going to say that I've had wet charcoal many times, I just lay it out to dry again and it works like new, the briquettes fall apart really easy when wet though.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), February 28, 2002.

Had a big bag get totally wet in my storage room adjoining my home and stayed that way until I opened the bag about a month later--- guess what, it did not burn and I dried it out and it still worked.

Do not get wet is for reasons of performance...dry charcoal burns easier on the pit...

Wet some and see if it burns in a controlled test! I don't believe it will.

-- milam (milamgerick@juno.com), February 28, 2002.



I bought a bag today and there is no such warning on it.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), March 01, 2002.

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