Does sawdust need an open flame to ignite?

Question

I am thinking about making a wood work shop in my basement. I am going to board off an area so the sawdust doesn't get to my furnace and hot water heater but, there are the ducts from the furnace that will run through the area. If sawdust was to lay on top of these ducts or around them could a certain heat cause it to ignite? Or would there need to be an open flame to ignite it?

Answer 1

any kind of wood or paper dust can ignite with a spark if its at the right concentration in the air but the heat in your duct work will never get hot enough to ignite it other wise it would have burned your house down long ago. to contain the dust is tricky if your doing alot of cutting then its not going to be bad but if you are sanding alot then the dust is finer and will travel farther.you may choose to hang some plastic on the inside of your shop and invest in a vacuum collection unit and sweep up after every project

Answer 2

Not necessarily an open flame, just need a lot of heat. I seriously doubt your ducts get hot enough to ignite anything.



I would be more concerned with fine dust getting to the furnace. Occasionally, you read about silos in the mid-west blowing up. A spark or source of flame can ignite dust to an explosive result, no compression needed. I would look to connect a vacuum (shop vac or similar) to capture the sawdust to keep it out of the house.

Answer 3

Sawdust will ignite if you get it hot enough without an open flame.(~ 450F. or so)

It's even listed as a dust type fire hazard for industrial installations.

No air vent will get that hot. A furnace flue might, but I doubt it.

The problem with sawdust is that it's both a very good insulator, and flammable.

If allowed to build up on a heat disbursing surface, (like an electric motor casing),

it can cause heat build up, equipment failure, or a fire.

You can buy a vacuum fitting to collect the sawdust from that scroll saw.

it's pretty much a standard accessory that you can purchase with the saw.

Answer 4

the chances of your ducts being hot enough to ignite sawdust is next to impossible...you would need temps of 500 degrees or above to burn saw dust...if the dust was thick enough , you could have an explosion similar to a grainery explosion...a workshop in the basement is not a good idea because the dust will filter throughout the house and your missus will have a fit...

Answer 5

GASOLINE Spark of interest: A new lawnmower. With a cup holder and an ipod dock Flame of passion: Driving that bad boy! Gotta go get some gas-o-leeen.

Answer 6

Is it double wall or single wall ducts? Double I would say not. What kind of wood will you be cutting?

Answer 7

its called spontaneous combustion, can ignite just by laying there,

a Scroll saw will not give off that much dust,