A Flame Arrester May Save Your Life

We love to burn trash in the South. It’s an easy way to get rid of it. In rural areas, trash service may be expensive or hard to come by. For whatever reason, it is a common occurrence down here.

The easiest way to start that fire is to give the stack a good dousing using the five gallon can you keep in the garage. And when the fire goes out, you give it a little more gas and … flame on.

Not so fast. Check your gas can – does it have a flame arrester? That is a small piece of wire mesh that fits in the spout and allows the liquid to flow out, while keeping the gas vapors in the can. What’s so good about a flame arrester? It may prevent an explosion and serious injuries to anyone near that explosion. And it may happen in circumstances where you might expect a fire. A gas can knocked over in a hot, closed up garage may do it. Remember, a fire only needs heat, fuel and air to occur. Look at the gas can in your garage. If it does not have a flame arrester, head to the hardware store and find one that does. It may prevent a serious injury. If you were the potential victim, that’s good. If the potential victim was your child, even better. And if anyone reading this works for a company which makes a gas can without an arrester, please tell us why.

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