Friend's neighbor's house burned down :(

[skyking]

We have 10 feet between the house and garage. Liking that.
It is not the heated seats that remain powered, it is the power mechanisms. That is what cooked off in the old aerostar vans. They had a recall about it.

 

[Gillbot]

No, I did not wire it wrong.

The radio was removable. Had a handle on it and you pulled it out and took it inside with you. It wasn't even in the Jeep, so it damn sure wasn't on. Wasn't analog, either. Yes, it was (and still is, I suppose) old. Early 90's.

The one that's going in it now will likely have an extra power wire, as it's newer. But as it was, it did not. The radio was in the house with me. Even if there was a constant power wire, it wasn't powering anything without the radio there.

And I'm not the one arguing about it, I'm just telling you what I had. Someone decided they knew more about MY wiring than I do, and started telling me I must have something that was always powered on.

You insisted there is NOTHING powered on, I disagree because there is no way to tell without checking. YOU assumed I was merely only talking about the radio, I was talking about the whole vehicle.

 

[Pacfanweb]

You insisted there is NOTHING powered on, I disagree because there is no way to tell without checking. YOU assumed I was merely only talking about the radio, I was talking about the whole vehicle.

What makes you think I never checked it? You are ASSuming that I did not.

It is an old Jeep. It's in pieces now, for the most part, but I can assure you it did not have a draw. If it did, something was going bad.

There was nothing there that was 'on' without the key. Ignition was electronic, but dead without power, Duraspark II, look up the diagram..no power to it at all unless the key was on. No clock. Radio we've discussed. No computer. No nothing.

I have 30 years experience in in auto repair, along with a CC diploma in auto repair and multitudes of factory certs, most of which were electrical in nature. I know what I am talking about. It didn't have any draw. Yes, I checked it.

 

[JeepinEd]

Arson.

Seriously- the amount of unlikely things here is pretty large. The seat heater(s) remained energized after the car was turned off (would likely mean a relay had to have failed in the 'on' position, or wiring for the control wire of the relay was shorted to ground). Somehow this never affected anything else. Then the heater shorted internally...which can result in a scorch mark on the seat. But fire means a short continued because a fuse failed to blow. This continued until the seat cover caught fire. Then the whole interior went up and burned until a fuel line ruptured. At which point, instead of the fuel simply burning, as per physics, it exploded, as per TV and movies.

Yeah; I don't buy it.

I had a Jeep with heated seats. For a while, I noticed that my battery kept dying. I assumed that it was a bad battery, so I changed it. When this didn't fix the problem, I began to look for the cause. It wasn't until I was getting in the Jeep one day, and noticed a spark emanate from under the seat, that I found a chaffed wire touching the metal frame of the chair and shorting out. Even if the switch to the seat warmer is off, there is still a hot wire going to the switch. This is the wire that was chaffed and could have easily started a fire.

Edit: Now that I think about it, It was probably the wire for the powered seats, and not the heating element. The power to the seat adjustor is always on, even if there is no key in the car.

 

[Kaido]

Taking a big step back: Attached garage FTL. Separate garage FTW.

I can't help but think that the damage would have been greatly reduced if their (presumably) attached garage was not attached to the house. Or if a genuine firewall was built between the garage and house.

Yeah, but I know exactly *one* person IRL who has a garage like that. All of the houses around here have the garage built-in.

 

[JCH13]

Yeah, but I know exactly *one* person IRL who has a garage like that. All of the houses around here have the garage built-in.

Well then, if there are any fires in the garage the fire is almost guaranteed to damage the house too. Just because it is common does not mean it is a good idea.

 

[Kaido]

Well then, if there are any fires in the garage the fire is almost guaranteed to damage the house too. Just because it is common does not mean it is a good idea.

Although having a detached garage seems to defeat half the purpose of having a garage, i.e. being able to hop in your car without encountering the elements on the way in or out.

 

[Gillbot]

What makes you think I never checked it? You are ASSuming that I did not.

It is an old Jeep. It's in pieces now, for the most part, but I can assure you it did not have a draw. If it did, something was going bad.

There was nothing there that was 'on' without the key. Ignition was electronic, but dead without power, Duraspark II, look up the diagram..no power to it at all unless the key was on. No clock. Radio we've discussed. No computer. No nothing.

I have 30 years experience in in auto repair, along with a CC diploma in auto repair and multitudes of factory certs, most of which were electrical in nature. I know what I am talking about. It didn't have any draw. Yes, I checked it.

So instead of being clear, you be vague, pump your chest and brag about factory certs nobody cares about because it makes you feel superior than me. You win. I don't have any certs in auto repair so I obviously know nothing about cars. I'm sorry.

Next time a simple "I know there is nothing drawing power, I checked it" will suffice. Or we can both keep assuming and all be asses together, I don't care.

 

[JCH13]

Although having a detached garage seems to defeat half the purpose of having a garage, i.e. being able to hop in your car without encountering the elements on the way in or out.

Hey, if staying out of the rain/snow a few days a year more important to you than keeping the largest source of volatile combustibles, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide away from your home; and a breezeway is too much trouble, go for it.

 

[Kaido]

Hey, if staying out of the rain/snow a few days a year more important to you than keeping the largest source of volatile combustibles, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide away from your home; and a breezeway is too much trouble, go for it.

Wouldn't the breezeway catch on fire and pass it to the house though?

 

[JCH13]

Wouldn't the breezeway catch on fire and pass it to the house though?

It could, potentially, but it would take much longer than a connected garage. Breezeways can also be made out of steel, which is quite difficult to ignite.