A Cautionary Tale

This is a really important point. Accidents can happen in the most unlikely ways. I use a florscent worklight around the car with a good shield. Don't skimp or use a light not designed for use around flammables!

My one accident happened also when I was under my car. I was changing the oil and using a pan. I was putting the bung back in and dropped it in the pan. The splash caught me right in the eyes. Luclily I was able to get right to the kitchen and stuck my head under the faucet for a good 10-15 minutes which was how long it took. Luckliy I had no permanent damage. Can you say "safety goggles"?

Ken

 

The new LED lights are much safer...

 

You’re right – the dangers seem obvious after the fact. Five or six years ago a guy I worked with put a battery charger on his car and went to sleep. The charger didn’t shut off, the battery overcharged and exploded, setting fire to an old sofa he had in his attached garage. He and his wife woke in the middle of the night to a burning garage. They got out but lost half their house.

 

Thanks for the reminder.

 

30 years ago I worked down the street from a dealership where a mechanic knocked his drop light on the floor in a fuel spill. He was badly burned.

Incandescent drop lights have special shatterproof bulbs made for them. If you are going to use an incadescent bulb use one of those.

 

Good post. I've been using a flourescent drop light for so long that your above wisdom was almost lost by default.

 

It is not just drop lights that are of concern. A co-worker in PA was replacing a fuel pump on his son's car when fuel started to leak onto the floor. He was heating the barn with a kerosene heater. The heater sucked the vapors in its draft and backflashed to the puddle of fuel. He got out but was only able to save his son's Pinto. He lost 7 collector cars (if I remember the number right) and his barn.

I have a natural gas heater in my garage but shut it down anytime I touch a fuel line as a result.

 

Two local fires in the last 2 months have been caused by piles of oily rags - spontaneous combustion. One of the piles was left by the laundry company, and caught on fire after being washed. There was enough residue to do the trick. The other was blatant ignorance.

 

Brian is right they are coated bulbs specifically for drop lights, they are called Tuff Kote I think or something like that..funny abou this thread just last weekend I decided to get rid of my ancient old school incandescent drop light with cage and bought a flourescent one incased in polycarbonate. NEVER use a halogen light ( some body shops do) thease get so damn hot so quickly just being near one can burn you

 

I use a fluorescent; is there a spark risk there too?

 

Only a slight one with PL tubes...Shatter Shield is a company that makes the coated food service lamps....seriously I think Trojan is involved!

Anyway, I use a 12V lamp and it's in a Woodhead fixture so heavily armored I could drop it from the roof! LOL!

Be safe!

 

I guess I am just old school. I had a few flourescent drop lights when they first came out, and the longer I had them the more I grew to hate them. They always seemed to shine in my eyes, and if I solved that problem, the light they put out just sucks. But because I threw away all my old school drop lights, I thought I was working with the latest and greatest. About 10 years ago I seen some hardware store deal for two drop lights for some rediculous cheap price and bought them. Oh' let there be light! I'm sorry, but there is nothing like a 75 watt incandescent rough service light bulb with a metal reflector for seeing in dark places. I'll have to look for some of those tough coat bulbs.

And really, to be fair, you shouldnt be laying on your back underneath a car working on the fuel system in a closed garage. BTDT and im glad I am still alive to have fun. When I was 19 I was trying to remove a drain plug from a fuel tank to empty it before removal. It was an allen plug that screwed into a soldered in fitting. Instead of unscrewing, the whole bung broke free and a giant stream of fuel gushed out and right into my face/eyes and all over the whole garage floor. About 5 gallons. I got totally soaked with gasoline, and my eyes were burning so bad I couldnt do a damn thing about it but run away and get my eyes washed out. I was amazed the whole garage didnt burn to the ground, or that I didnt go up with it. Get the car up higher and try to be outside, and put some floor dry down before you start. You could also take the fuel line off and run it to a container and run the fuel pump until the tanks are about empty before monkeying with anything. I also clamp off fuel lines before removing them sometimes if I think fuel might keep coming through. And I wouldnt want any kind of light to have fuel poured on it, they are all sources of ignition one way or another.

 

Roger that ...work outside!

I dropped a 1967 Pontiac Firebird Convertible once, off the jack...it wouldn't have been so bad, if the jackstand I was preparing to set under the rear axle hadn't been there, to puncture the bottom of the fuel tank.....

There went 16 gallons of paper route money, flowing off down the street....

No fire though...

Try a Light Bulb Depot or something similar for the Shatter Shields, should not be too hard to find..I just go with the twin 500W halogens on a stand! BRIGHT!