Cliff on another forum posted this...
some very good what ifs/FYI...
While it is invariably true that the quantum of flammable material , particle size, and oxygen content are all important when one wants to calculate the possibility of a fire hazard in a DC or exhaust system. And while those factors are almost entirely impossible to achieve in a one man shop
WHILE ALL THAT
There are other issues we would be extremely foolish to ignore. The Insurance Agreement. The terms of the policy.
If there is a fire, AND if the insurance adjuster can find a way to say it originated or was made worse by the presence of any of these circumstances we are discussing in this thread; The insurance company can easily issue a DENIAL OF CLAIM result against the policy because as per the written agreement the home owner created a prohibited ( by contract) excessive rick of a fire.
This is really a problem that so very many people fail to consider. It doesn't matter what the math says, what the engineering says it REALLY matters what the CONTRACT says.
The home owner's insurance has exclusions on it and unless you have spent some time discussing it with your agent, you may not know. The things we do may (or not) violate the terms of the insurance and void the insurance and all the while we might be unaware of these things.
For example:
A plastic DC will violate every single homeowner's insurance policy that I know of. Maybe not yours. Maybe you have it in black and white. Maybe not. But if you don't know - - well then you just don't know.
Can you cure it with a metal ground strap pr a wire in the Ducts? Probably not because the insurance company won't have contemplated those things as creating an exception.
You know that clause in your homeowner's policy that prohibits us from storing fuel cans in the structure? Yah that. If they can say that the fuel cans started the fire or caused it to become worse, they can deny the claim.
And then there issues at law. Did you know that if you are breaking the law and the insurance company determines that the law violation was why the fore started that they will DENY THE CLAIM? Is it unlawful in your state to discharge certain fumes or dust from a structure? It may be. Some states have filtration requirements.
So while it is tempting to get lost in the weeds of how much fuel in a fan housing may nor not yadda yadda yadda there are other considerations that may be going unnoticed that hold catastrophic potential.
I have made these statements in other forums and usually it angers people quite a lot and they focus that anger at me.
HEY I'm just the piano player. I didn't write the music.