Mr Fixit eh wrote:
Where would you find more information about the dangers of combustion
of dust or vapors in the workshop.

I have a natural gas furnace in the workshop which has a constant-on
pilot light. I would think that the concentration of dust would have
to be extremely thick before an explosion would ignite, but I do want
to be safe.


Vapors from inflammible liquids can easily cause an explosion under
those circumstances.

If you use Google to search the rec.woodworking archives you will
find the issue of dust explosions in a home workshop rather hotly
debated.

My conclusion is that you would be hard pressed to produce dust
fast enough to cause an explosion but if dust accumulates
somewhere and goes airborn en masses, say for example on top of
something that gets tipped over toward the furnace then you could
get a high enough concentration to get a whoomf. That'd be like
throwing a handful of sawdust onto an open flame, it most definately
ignites.

I do recall reading, but do not recall where, an account of an
actual fire by one woodworker. He observerd a short wall of flame,
only a couple of inches high, move from the ignition source accross
the room. Not an explosion, just a fire, the flame front moved
slowly enough that he was able to beat it to the stairs. Evidently
the dust concentration near the floor (and only near the floor) was
high enough to support combustion.

Then again, maybe he was working some sort of exotic wood with
a toxin that causes halucinations.

There are other issues as well like dust being blown through the
ducts or accumulating and growing moldy getting parts of the
furnace dirty so it doesn't burn efficiently. Inefficient burning
means more CO. Is the furnace flueless?

--

FF