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FIRE!

step_hen

By step_hen
in The Astro Lounge

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step_hen

step_hen

Posted
Posted

Oh dear, its not been a happy few days for me, we had a garage fire here yesterday morning while we were out with family. It seems the tumble dryer wiring shorted out and set light to the machine, which quickly spread to the neighbouring freezer and fridge and beyond. The scopes and mounts and various other astro bits and pieces are either charred or caked in sooty crud. The 100ED is full of water and the 10" SNT has a nice internal cooting of soot on the mirror and corrector too. Thankfully the obsy escaped and the MN68 and EQ6 where both in there with my cameras and eyepieces, but the power has been cut till an electrician can sort out the melted cabling. theres got to be soot inside the focuser mechanisms too but i havent been brave enough to look in much detail yet. Anyone had any experience of cleaning smoke damage off lenses or mirrors? Hoping the insurance company prove to be helpful and it can all be sorted out asap

Stephen:(

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MissMessier

MissMessier

Posted
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Awww That is awful!

I feel so sorry for you. I hope that you get everything sorted too, and the insurance help?

I don't know how to clean soot from lenses, but I'm sure it will come off eventually ..at least nobody was hurt. It could have been much worse if somebody had perished in the flames.

Good Luck.

:)

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Bizibilder

Bizibilder

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Sorry to hear of your misfortune. I suspect that as long as there is no heat damage, things like soot/water will probably wash off or dry out - hopefully you can salvage some of your kit. Your insurance should pay up anyway for replacements.

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night vision

night vision

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Hi, I am really sorry to hear what has happened. I was close to a house fire a few years back and I know that it is a terrifying experience. I am glad that no one was hurt. I would say that if the insurance company are involved, then they should pay to clean up the mirrors professionally, or supply new equipment. If you try to clean them and make them worse, the insurance company may refuse to pay up.

I would also like to make the point that everyone should have at least one smoke alarm in their house. They do save lives. The house we lost was totally destroyed in a very short time from when the fire was discovered. So if any of you have not already done so, please do get one fitted and check it regularly. I don't mean to sound bossy, but it still chokes me up even now.

Liz

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steppenwolf

steppenwolf

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I would insist that the insurance company either pay for professional cleaning or replace the equipment. Soot damage can be a nightmare especially if it has got into anything electronic as the carbon content can give all sorts of issues.

I hope you get it all sorted and am so sorry to here of your problem but at least the family were out!

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Tantalus

Tantalus

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:)

You have my sympathy Stephen. I had a fire last year, and I know just how pervasive the soot and smoke can be - it gets absolutely everywhere. Hope you get it all sorted to your satisfaction soon.

I would also like to make the point that everyone should have at least one smoke alarm in their house.

Sound advice. A neighbour heard my smoke alarm and called the brigade, limiting the fire damage done to the property..

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TheThing

TheThing

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Get onto your insurance company. Don't be fobbed off if they try to send Rainbow or Munters round to clean up. Insist on DisasterCare or Chemdry - much better.

If they can't clean then they should be replaced, but be aware of any limits applying to contents stored in garages or outhouses!

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jamespels

jamespels

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Sorry to hear that Stephen. Had a house gutted by a fire a few years back - fire brigade got it put out before there was any strutural damage but it was a dreadful mess so I feel your pain here.

Might be worth giving Orion Optics or similar a call for advice - the soot will be very acidic and won't do the coatings on your lenses or mirrors any favours.

Good luck with the clean-up - hope it all gets sorted with minimum fuss.

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twotter

twotter

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We had a house fire a few years ago. Not so much fire damage but the smoke, soot and smell gets everywhere! Definitely one for the insurance company as ours were really good at getting things sorted quickly.

Best of luck :)

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Nillchill

Nillchill

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thats awful, glad you are all ok tho, better it happened when you were out instead of at home could have been far worse.

I would insist on the insurance replacing all of it, soot, can be very brutal on mirrors, especially if it got wet.

hope you get it sorted soon, and good luck with it all!

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step_hen

step_hen

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Thanks folks for all the kind words. Now that the initial shock of this has died down its fair to say we have been lucky that there is as little damage as there is and thankfully no one was hurt. Just glad the neighbours caught it so quick and the fire brigade responded in less than 2 minutes! Hopefully the insurance can either arrange for the repair or replacement of the scopes- we have 'Polygon' cleaning contractors coming out in the morning, dont know if they are any good Hugh??

Thanks again

Stephen

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