Red Ring Tupperware Party, Autumnal Equinoctal Edition (24)

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #18620152
Today's plans got changed. I was going to meet a friend for lunch and then go to see the Old Country Gospel show at a local theatre, but I got a fire call. I am not a firefighter, but am on the support team that goes on big calls. Our department wasn't called, but another department requested us. House fire, with three departments responding. Main part of the house was a century brick structure, but had a few additions put on over the years. Odd roof construction that had been cover with a metal roof. After 6 hours of not being able to extinguish the fire in the roof, an excavator was called in to pull the house down. That was the only way to get under the metal roof panels. The guys were inside the house pulling down ceilings, but the fire was between the old roof and the new one. Plus there were false ceilings everywhere. Lots of weird construction. They pulled down an outside wooden wall, only to find brick behind it.

The owner called it in as 'smoke in an electrical panel'. He called after spending 30 minutes trying to put it out with a garden hose. By the time the fire department got there, the roof was on fire on the far side of the house. And this place is just around the corner from the fire hall, the first volunteers on scene live nearby too, so it was a quick response.

Don't put a metal roof on your house, unless you want it to be a complete loss.
Don't delay calling 911, the house could have been saved.

Wow I am sorry to hear all this. Too bad for the home owner... what a loss to have to deal with.

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #18620152
Today's plans got changed. I was going to meet a friend for lunch and then go to see the Old Country Gospel show at a local theatre, but I got a fire call. I am not a firefighter, but am on the support team that goes on big calls. Our department wasn't called, but another department requested us. House fire, with three departments responding. Main part of the house was a century brick structure, but had a few additions put on over the years. Odd roof construction that had been cover with a metal roof. After 6 hours of not being able to extinguish the fire in the roof, an excavator was called in to pull the house down. That was the only way to get under the metal roof panels. The guys were inside the house pulling down ceilings, but the fire was between the old roof and the new one. Plus there were false ceilings everywhere. Lots of weird construction. They pulled down an outside wooden wall, only to find brick behind it.

The owner called it in as 'smoke in an electrical panel'. He called after spending 30 minutes trying to put it out with a garden hose. By the time the fire department got there, the roof was on fire on the far side of the house. And this place is just around the corner from the fire hall, the first volunteers on scene live nearby too, so it was a quick response.

Don't put a metal roof on your house, unless you want it to be a complete loss.
Don't delay calling 911, the house could have been saved.

I looked at metal roofs for my home. I was surprised to learn they leave the old existing roof in place. There is about an inch between the old roof and the metal roof for sound dampening, like rain hitting it. I never thought about a fire, but it would be a perfect opportunity for fire to have a place to be fed and burn with no access on the outside. I have a couple friends who have the metal, and they love it, low/no maintenance sort of thing. They need to somehow integrate fire suppression in the space between the two.

jay125 wrote in post #18620484
I looked at metal roofs for my home. I was surprised to learn they leave the old existing roof in place. There is about an inch between the old roof and the metal roof for sound dampening, like rain hitting it. I never thought about a fire, but it would be a perfect opportunity for fire to have a place to be fed and burn with no access on the outside. I have a couple friends who have the metal, and they love it, low/no maintenance sort of thing. They need to somehow integrate fire suppression in the space between the two.

The marketing for metal roofs makes them sound amazing. But when it comes to a fire, your house will be a complete loss.

When installing the metal roof, wooden strapping is attached to the existing roof, the metal sheeting is then attached on top of that.

So you now have a metal, rather fire-proof, top layer. Under that is an airspace, that is rather convenient for fire to travel along. Under that, tar shingles. Under that, the wooden roof sheeting.
The only way to put out those burning tar shingles is to tear the roof apart from the inside. The firefighters were going inside and pulling down ceilings (no attic space in this house), but they couldn't get through the original roof. Cutting holes in the metal roof would not allow for enough access.

I have previously questioned the fire chief and other members on their opinion of metal roofs. They all say the same thing - in a fire situation, they are the worst idea. The roof cannot ventilate. A fire at one end of the house, at a chimney for example, will not simply burn up through the roof in that spot. It will travel along the whole length of the roof, burning everything as it goes. Cutting ventilation holes becomes a much harder project. Or they have to cut through the gables. Watching this house burn, it's not just stories, I watched it happen. When the house is still standing, the roof is fully intact, and the fire chief calls in an excavator to tear the house down simply to put out the shingles, it's a problem.

This is the house after burning for 6 hours. Really shows how the roof keeps everything in. The fire started in the far end of the house, in an addition. In reality, this part shouldn’t have burned.

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Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #18620866
This is the house after burning for 6 hours. Really shows how the roof keeps everything in. The fire started in the far end of the house, in an addition. In reality, this part shouldn’t have burned.

Hosted photo: posted by Jill-of-all-Trades in
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This photo is from 2 1/2 hours earlier, from the other side of the house. Follow the fence, where it rises up to the left, behind that post you can see the V burn on the wood wall. That’s where the fire started in the electrical panel.

Hosted photo: posted by Jill-of-all-Trades in
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Thank you for the lesson on metal roofs. I never really wanted a metal roof because of the noise factor, even though they put a gap between the old roof and new metal roof which sounds convincing, but the fire damage caused by metals roofs is quite an education.

Inspeqtor wrote in post #18620905
Thank you for the lesson on metal roofs. I never really wanted a metal roof because of the noise factor, even though they put a gap between the old roof and new metal roof which sounds convincing, but the fire damage caused by metals roofs is quite an education.

The noise factor is how I found out about them. I asked a friend about rain, thinking it would be amplified by the metal, and he explained what Mel said, there are wooden strips that the metal roof is attached to, so there is an air pocket between. I would think that even with new construction, a metal roof would make it difficult if not impossible to access the attic space in the event of fire. It sounds rather ridiculous but somehow having an access built into the metal roof would at least give fire fighters a chance to save your home.

I would assume that the problem is the same with clay tile roofs. They too are installed on a wooden structure built on top of the existing roof.

Second point, I lost a summer house to arson. I was burnt to the ground. My ex-boss house caught fire and the fire department was able to get there quickly and put it out before too much damage and some friends of ours, who live across the lake, their house caught fire as well. They too had the fire department get there quickly and put it out with minimal damage. If my house catches fire, I think I will be slow calling the FD. I would rather have it burn to the ground. In both houses that were saved, the smokey smell never goes away. Every time it rains or gets really humid, the smell is really strong. They don't notice it as much except on the really wet days, but I notice it every time we go over there.

Tiled roofs work similarly, but they don’t have the air space. And once the underside of the roof gets hot enough, the fasteners melt and all the tiles slide off. I watched that happen to a century home that had slate tiles. A lot of the old houses around here have slate tile roofs.

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #18621189
Tiled roofs work similarly, but they don’t have the air space. And once the underside of the roof gets hot enough, the fasteners melt and all the tiles slide off. I watched that happen to a century home that had slate tiles. A lot of the old houses around here have slate tile roofs.

I'm talking clay/cement/aluminium tile roofs, not the slate tiles.

Kinda quiet in here.

Must be...

AIRPLANE TIME! (both taken today)

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/26Wz​rPx

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/24bU​J3A

Oh, and here's a little sump'n for Jay-Dawg:

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/26SF​5rL

Is it spider day? I have lots of spiders to post.

BTW.. Though wolfies rarely bite, they can and it really hurts.

gjl711 wrote in post #18621834
Though wolfies rarely bite, they can and it really hurts.

Moose no scare.

And FYI... not a wolfie; Nusery Web Spider. About the same size, but these guys are aquatic. I get several living in my pool every Spring & Summer.

LV Moose wrote in post #18621852
Moose no scare.

And FYI... not a wolfie; Nusery Web Spider. About the same size, but these guys are aquatic. I get several living in my pool every Spring & Summer.

Time for an eviction notice.

LV Moose wrote in post #18621669
Kinda quiet in here.

Must be...

AIRPLANE TIME! (both taken today)

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/26Wz​rPx DW0A8344_1024Xa.jpg by Moose, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/24bU​J3A DW0A8317_1024Xa.jpg by Moose, on Flickr

Nice, me likey lots.