- Author
-
Walton, W. D.
- Title
- Solar Collector Fire Incident Investigation.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
-
NBSIR 81-2326,
August 1981,
45 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
solar collectors
|
building fires
|
fire safety
|
self-heating
|
autoignition
|
single family dwellings
- Abstract
- In May 1980, a fire involving a solar collector occurred in Boulder, Colorado in an unoccupied single family dwelling. Damage due to the fire as limited to a single solar collector and ajacent roofing and framing materials. Collectors of the same model on three other dwellings at the site showed signs of degradation which may have led to similar fires. The collector, installation, conditions leading to the fire, and events following the fire are described. The most likely point of ignition has been identified as the plywood collector backing. Result of a 30-day stagnation test and solar simulator testing are discussed. Recommendations to prevent future occurrences of this type of fire are presented.