Garaging your older car---fire hazards!?!?!?

[antiqueshell]

I was just posting on the thread about keeping a fire extinguisher in cars.

I have wondered about the simple fact that as cars age things can fail randomly at any time. I was primarily thinking about
fuel leaks or electrical failures that could cause a fire,
when you are asleep. Many homes do NOT have smoke alarms in their garages either....

I have decided that I will no longer keep my nearly 20 year old vehicles garaged now because of this potential risk. Even if we maintain the vehicles properly, them I still think the risk is pretty significant.

 

[ram_man]

Sounds borderline crazy to me. Working at a shop there's 20 yr old cars I would park in my living room with out fear then there's 5 yr old cars that scare me bad enough i don't want them even near my street.

 

[GreeCguy]

This very thing happened to an elderly lady at our Church. She parked her 22 year old Lincoln in her garage and one night, it caught on fire. She woke to heavy smoke and the sound of "crackling." She knew something was on fire in her house but had no idea where it was. Usually, when she left the house, she would walk through the garage but this time, left the house via her kitchen door. Once outside, she saw that the entire front end of the house was ablaze with flames coming through the garage roof. House and contents were a total loss.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: ram_man
Sounds borderline crazy to me. Working at a shop there's 20 yr old cars I would park in my living room with out fear then there's 5 yr old cars that scare me bad enough i don't want them even near my street.


Yeah, sure , but even those poorly maintained cars have
fuel lines that are still only 5 years old and in perfect shape, same for the wiring.

Even the best kept vehicles can't escape the march of time, insulation gets brittle and cracks and causes shorts..even if at first glance it looks perfectly good, rubber lines that are difficult to replace get old and crack from dry rot.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell

I have decided that I will no longer keep my nearly 20 year old vehicles garaged now because of this potential risk.


Well then, did you ever consider unhooking the battery while it is in the garage?
Do you live in an apartment or house that is 20 years or older?

 

[Lead Shoes]

I wouldn't be too upset if my 20+ year old car caught fire.. It would just be a hassle to find another in the right condition.. took me over a year this time.

If you worry about things like this you will go bald early

lol.

 

[Garak]

If I'm afraid to store my car in the garage, there isn't much point in me having the garage in the first place, is there? Yes, I use it as a shop, but it is for vehicles, and that's what insurance is for, if something were to go that wrong.

 

[Nick1994]

Better unplug the fridge when I'm asleep too- OMG THE WIRE MIGHT SHORT OUT AND CATCH THE DRYWALL BEHIND IT ON FIRE!

So, let's say magically your fuel lines start leaking, what's going to spark it?

Either get some better anxiety meds from the doctor or go to Walmart and spend $10-15 on a smoke detector.

If my car catches fire in the garage, f#$k it, let it burn, that's what insurance and smoke detectors are for. Plus I don't have to drive that POS anymore haha.

 

[supton]

As much as I'd love to have an attached garage I have to say, on the slim chance of this happening, if I ever build a garage I'll make it detached.

I have to wonder though. What causes car fires like this? Gotta be electrical in nature I'd think. I don't have 20 year old vehicles but I do have >20 year old electrical things in my house (like the fridge).

 

[whip]

The OP seems to have a lot of bad luck, so maybe it's not a bad idea. Of course, a thread about his cars getting broke into will be coming soon. I have a 16 year old car in the garage, and I've never once worried about it catching fire. The house is more likely to catch fire without help from the car.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
I was just posting on the thread about keeping a fire extinguisher in cars.

I have wondered about the simple fact that as cars age things can fail randomly at any time. I was primarily thinking about
fuel leaks or electrical failures that could cause a fire,
when you are asleep. Many homes do NOT have smoke alarms in their garages either....

I have decided that I will no longer keep my nearly 20 year old vehicles garaged now because of this potential risk. Even if we maintain the vehicles properly, them I still think the risk is pretty significant.


Much like seeing a car wreck on the highway, I look at nonsense like this and think "Thank goodness that tragedy isn't me". Then I promptly go back to the business at hand, happily forgetting that I ever saw it.

 

[fdcg27]

The leading cause of house fires is the home heating plant followed by wiring problems.
Cars don't usually catch fire just sitting, although I have seen it happen.
Garaging a car keeps it cleaner as well as cooler during the summer months and makes things much easier during the winter months.
If you're really concerned, you could always install a smoke detector in the garage, or even a simple sprinkler system running on domestic water pressure. A little plumbing and a couple of heads and you're there, although the system would not be rated under any fire or building code.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Wow. We park equipment in our pole barn that is anywhere up to 50 years old without worrying about fire hazards. Even have an old Farmall M tractor (gas) in there. Regularly store a couple of things from other folks in there during the winter. I grew up on this farm, with the same pole barn, back in the 60's. Well, we do have fire extinguishers around. Never have had to use one. Just replace them occasionally. Between you, me, and the fence post, I could use a new pole barn, so if you want to park your fire potential vehicle in my barn, you are welcome to.

 

[Bud]

I keep mine in the garage and even have a battery tender hooked up all the time as I do not drive it much. No way I would leave it outside, even with a cover.

 

[Fleetmon]

I keep our '47 Farmall and '96 Dakota along with some other, equally old, equipment in our garage and I sleep well each night.

As stated previously, your home heating unit, hot water heater, extention cords, coffee maker, refrigerator, and almost everything else that makes your life convenient is just as much, or more so, of a fire hazard. Televions have started numerous fires.

 

[old1]

With classic cars, to have the cheap full coverage classic car insurance on them from places like Hagarty etc. you must keep them in a garage at night unless out of town. And they don't ask about the mechanical condition.

 

[Kiwi_ME]

Disconnecting the battery is perfectly sensible precaution with older cars and you don't have to worry about re-tuning the radio presets. Just use a battery post switch.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: Kiwi_ME
Disconnecting the battery is perfectly sensible precaution with older cars and you don't have to worry about re-tuning the radio presets. Just use a battery post switch.


That is the best answer to the problem, but lots of people are very lazy about taking that extra step every time they park the car in the garage. When I mentioned parking older cars I was considering the fact that both of these 20 y/o vehicles are my daily drivers, they are used nearly every day, and it is a bit of a pain to constantly have to lift the hood/bonnet and turn that post switch.

 

[Silverado12]

I know someone who had an older F-150 catch fire in his driveway due to a ignition switch (I think) issue.

 

[rockydee]

You have to worry about new cars too. Recalls galore, some for fuel line issues. Put a smoke detector in your garage if its connected to the house, that would be a good idea.