Posted Fri Mar 30, 2012, 7:56am Subject: Re: Home Coffee Roasting Safety
Good thread and good advice yet all kitchens should be equipped with a fire extinguisher even if someone isn't roasting coffee.
My paper regularly prints stories about people burning down their homes due to grease fires or other food related fires. Reflecting back in my school boy days we were taught about using flour, stop drop and roll, so the only thing that changed is what's getting cooked or baked.
At the end it still al comes back to the people taking control and responsibility.
Joel_B Senior Member Joined: 9 Oct 2007 Posts: 1,823 Location: Pacific NW Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Astra Mega II Grinder: Mazzer SJ, Virtuoso Vac Pot: Yama 5 cup Drip: nope, french press Roaster: Behmor, WP, BBQ drum
Posted Fri Mar 30, 2012, 9:19am Subject: Re: Home Coffee Roasting Safety
onthemoors Said:
My paper regularly prints stories about people burning down their homes due to grease fires or other food related fires. Reflecting back in my school boy days we were taught about using flour, stop drop and roll, so the only thing that changed is what's getting cooked or baked..
Ive had a grease fire in my house. Petrifying to say the least. Put it out by putting a lid on the pan but lifting the lid only reignited it. Kept the lid and stood watch until all was safely cooled outside. Reading a story or advice on a coffee forum is one thing, but an eye opener is actually having a fire in your house. Ive had fire in my behmor too. Followed the wise direction of NOT opening the door and all was "safely" kept contained in the behmor.
The likelihood of burning your house down with a home roaster probably isn't very high, but with the risk of burning your house down and killing someone is worth whatever that fire extinguisher costs and the time hanging out by the roaster.
Snaxx Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2008 Posts: 115 Location: Northeast Michigan, LP Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: KitchenAid A9 Drip: Technivorm Moccamaster Roaster: I Roast2
Posted Fri Mar 30, 2012, 9:25pm Subject: Re: Home Coffee Roasting Safety
If you can find some thin heat gloves they also provide some brief protection on hot surfaces while still letting you work an extinguisher.
You shouldn't need anything too expensive like welding or woodstove gloves for standby use with a roaster. All we use in the fire department on wildfires is lightweight leather work gloves, nothing major like heavy duty structure fire rated gloves. your roaster fire with at the most, a pound of beans inside, likely shouldn't be requiring too much handling or attention to either wait until it's out or to hit it with some baking soda or an ABC extinguisher.
Netphilosopher Said:
Interesting side note: this is exactly the effect that converted wood-gas or coconut-husk-gas vehicles take advantage of. Combustion of wood and husk products in a low oxygen environment (smoldering) produces flammable gas that can be sent directly into the carburetor of a vehicle.
Back in the early days of the Mother Earth News, there was a piece or two on wood or coal gasification systems people had built and installed to run a vehicle. Quite bulky installation for one, and you needed to plan ahead if you had to get anywhere, since it took a while to build up enough gas to get it moving. I'd seen a short TV news story one time on one of these cars, and there was a definite smoke issue to deal with. They were so large and took up a lot of space in the passenger compartment.
jkoll42 Senior Member Joined: 2 Jan 2010 Posts: 465 Location: Pennsylvania Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: VBM DD V3, Gaggia Baby Class Grinder: Cimbali Max Hybrid, Bunn... Drip: Technivorm, Chemex Roaster: Honey Badger 1K, HG/BM
Posted Sat Mar 31, 2012, 5:45am Subject: Re: Home Coffee Roasting Safety
I would also add that if you are using electric for the heat source it's a good idea to have a manual power cutoff switch between you and the exit. It can be as simple as a surge protector. At least if the worst happens you can cut power easily and only have to worry about putting out the existing fire. I second roasting at the garage door. You can always kick/push the roaster out in the driveway and eliminate any immediate threat to your home.
Posted Sat Mar 31, 2012, 10:24am Subject: Re: Home Coffee Roasting Safety
Snaxx Said:
...Back in the early days of the Mother Earth News, there was a piece or two on wood or coal gasification systems people had built and installed to run a vehicle. Quite bulky installation for one, and you needed to plan ahead if you had to get anywhere, since it took a while to build up enough gas to get it moving. I'd seen a short TV news story one time on one of these cars, and there was a definite smoke issue to deal with. They were so large and took up a lot of space in the passenger compartment.
Mother Earth News!!! LOL Now that's a blast from the past! :D
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germantownrob Senior Member Joined: 2 Dec 2007 Posts: 2,008 Location: Philadelphia Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Duetto 3, A Dead Oscar Grinder: Vario-W, Preciso w/Esatto,... Drip: Brazen Roaster: Diedrich IR-1, HT B
Posted Sat Mar 31, 2012, 10:55am Subject: Re: Home Coffee Roasting Safety
jkoll42 Said:
I would also add that if you are using electric for the heat source it's a good idea to have a manual power cutoff switch between you and the exit. It can be as simple as a surge protector. At least if the worst happens you can cut power easily and only have to worry about putting out the existing fire. I second roasting at the garage door. You can always kick/push the roaster out in the driveway and eliminate any immediate threat to your home.
I dont think I will be kicking my roaster out the door at 130lbs nor would I want to damage it. For big expensive machines I suggest co2 extinquisher but since they are $200+ I don't think it is an option for most home machines but for my Diedrich it is a small price for piece of mind, safety, and will not gum up the interior with chemicals. Smaller under $1k machines are pretty easy to access all parts so I would not hesitate to use an under $20 ABC chemical extinquisher ( the kind that should be in every kitchen).
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