A HOMEOWNER SAFETY TIP

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest:  for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire;  and the fire shall try every man’s work...” (I Corinthians 3:13).

For all of you theologians out there, that’s one of the references from which the Catholics get “Purgatory”, although I don’t believe in Purgatory, and this piece is NOT about theology, it’s about FIRE.

For most of you handyman/homeowner types, the tip I’m going to mention here will seem so foolish and so basic that you’ll be tempted to laugh and think that anyone who DOESN’T know what I’m about to share is a complete idiot.  Well, I once didn’t know it and I’m glad I learned about it.

IF your home has gas- especially a gas water heater, you need to be aware of being EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS lest you start a fire that will burn down your house and seriously injure or kill you.  Please don’t misunderstand.  I’m not at all against gas.  The residence I live in (church owned) has gas- stove, dryer, and water heater.  Many people believe food cooks better with gas.  Honestly, it does.  Many prefer gas heat because you don’t have to worry about filling up with home heating oil, running out of oil, having the tank leak, etc.  I agree.  I’m glad my residence was converted from oil heat to gas heat sometime before 1986.  (The church has oil heat- I hope my fuel oil dealer isn’t reading this- I hate oil heat!)  I’m not anti-gas but you’ve GOT to be much more cautious with gas.

ABC-TV’s 20/20 program featured an important piece over ten years ago, warning of the potential dangers of gas water heaters.  Did you know that if you open a can of oil based paint within 30 feet of a gas water heater, there could be a sudden, spontaneous combustion, badly burning you and setting the house on fire?  That also goes for even a small can of turpentine, mineral spirits, or paint thinner.  Horror stories of burn victims and fatalities from doing just what I’m mentioning here were presented.  You may ask why ANYONE would open a can of turpentine or oil based paint in a basement.  The answer is that in certain other types of homes, you can do that all the time.  The house I grew up in had NO gas.  My parents were dead against gas.  We had oil heat with a tankless water heating system, and we had an electric stove and electric dryer.  It was common for my Dad to have paint brushes soaking in turpentine on his cellar bench for days on end.  I thought nothing of opening up cans of oil based paint or containers of turpentine in the basement of the home in Canton.  It was perfectly safe.  Doing the same thing at my present residence would have brought disaster.  Being a pretty unhandy guy who ordinarily would never stop to think how a house is heated and whether stuff like I’ve just talked about would make a difference - it’s a MIRACLE I never did anything like that in my Framingham basement.

After watching the 20/20 story, I posted a big warning sign in the basement.  That may sound stupid, but I just thought that if I leave here someday, I’d like my replacement to be aware of it.

A few days ago, I was putting the garden hose away for the winter.  I noticed the warning sign, and I thought it would be a good item to mention on my blog.  Incidentally, my predecessor, the Rev. Tom Gurney used to store his gasoline lawn mower (tank emptied) and empty gas can in the cellar!  Even with the can and tank empty, there was a chance of fumes igniting the house on fire.  In fact, it was illegal for him to store the stuff in the cellar for that reason.  If there’s one wish I’d have for my residence, it’s a garage (separate building).  That would solve a lot of problems.  Since I don’t have a garage, about fifteen years ago, a family gave me their son’s old small wooden playhouse which I’ve been using for a shed, and that’s where I store the mower and gas can.  That fifteen year old little “shed” is badly rotting and should have been replaced this year.  (If any rich people are reading and want to donate a first-class wooden shed to the church next Spring, e-mail me!  Your gift would be tax deductible!)  

Anyway, that’s my safety tip.  You macho handyman types, stop laughing.  If this piece saved a life or a house, it’s worth it!