• AmericaDelendaEst [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    2 months ago

    Mini PSA: the immiscibility of water is only PART of why you don’t want to dump water on a grease fire

    The actual reason is that that hot, hot oil will flash the water into steam, causing the pot of burning oil to explode all over, spraying said burning oil. This is how it can “make it spread faster”

    • KobaCumTribute [she/her]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      spraying said burning oil.

      Specifically aerosolizing it, not just splashing it around, for anyone who’s unclear on what sort of “spray” is produced. It turns a big lump of burning oil where only some of it can get oxygen into a huge cloud of tiny oil particles that are each surrounded by oxygen, creating yet another additional explosion as suddenly a lot more of it is burning a whole lot faster.

      Like it’s not just a bad idea that makes the fire bigger, it’s a catastrophically bad idea that turns the entire room its in into fire instantly.

      Now technically there is an amount of water that can put out a small enough grease fire, but it’s on the order of hundreds of gallons hitting it all at once so unless someone has a bathtub sized emergency reservoir on a quick release directly above their stove, they’re not going to manage it with a glass or a pot or even a large bucket full of water. Especially since the actual solution is just “put a thing that won’t be on fire over it and it will stop.”

  • blame [they/them]@hexbear.net
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    2 months ago

    had a grease fire ignite one time. managed to grab a metal salad bowl and throw it over top of the fire and put it out in just a few seconds. was actually kind of proud of myself that i had the presence of mind to do the right thing in the situation. bought a fire extinguisher after that.

    • Assian_Candor [comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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      2 months ago

      watching the video it’s interesting how long it takes to get going. like it starts out pretty small & manageable so if you act quick it isn’t that big of a deal

      i love that my dude ended up solving the problem by just yeeting the pan, burning oil and all. hope nobody was hurt

  • Evilsandwichman [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    2 months ago

    After watching it, I’m reminded of something that happened to me when I was a kid and thought playing with fire was cool (I was a kid): I set something alight and noticed it was catching something else nearby on fire. At first I nearly panicked but then I remembered something I studied in chemistry, that you need oxygen for fire; so I picked up a nearby plastic container and covered the small fire and poof, fire went out.

    Thank you chemistry!

  • ReadFanon [any, any]@hexbear.net
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    2 months ago

    Be super careful if you are thinking about moving a grease fire.

    You absolutely don’t want to spill it as you are moving it because it slips from your hands, because you are panicking, or because the flames get bigger and you recoil.

    If you have the money, buy a fire blanket and keep one on a wall or inside a cabinet door such as a pantry door. They aren’t that expensive and as long as it hasn’t been used it will last you a lifetime. Your life, your health, your belongings as well as those of your pets and loved ones are worth it. Think of it like an insurance policy.

    Just remember that you want the fire blanket near the stove. Not beside it. The last thing you want to do is have flames blocking you from reaching the damn thing.

    Also welding gloves > oven mitts for the kitchen. They protect your forearms and you’re going to have a better time dealing with a fire wearing those than you would with an oven mitt. Same goes if you have open fires, especially if you’re camping. Being able to throw on some gloves to pick up a log of burning wood can spare you from disaster.