Flame hazard for wood furniture product -

[brookbend]

review the product in the pdf first...

On the grill model that has the external burner, what if someone places a large pan on that burner? The flame follows the pan's contour and spreads out much further from the gas outlets than normal, and directly over the wooden frame abutting it.

Q: What barrier or part, or re-design could I used for this ready-to-assemble product that provides protection for the frame?

 

[IRstuff]

There was no need to start a completely new thread.

So, why not use the one with the added stone?

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[brookbend]

re added stone

If you look carefully you'll see the stone does not impede the flame. The wood frame is still in between the burner and the stone.

Additionally, the stone happens to be an accessory option at this point. We do not supply it. The consumer will decide if he wants it after he sets up the unit and seek a local stone store.

 

[IRstuff]

Well, then it's up yo you to decide whether you want to cover the wood with ceramic tile, or somesuch, or just tell your customers to avoid being idiots.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[brookbend]

I wont ever see the customers. That's moot anyway. We plan for morons. I don't think covering it up is that easy - that's why I'm in this forum. I have to worry that whatever's covering the wood may eventually heat up too much. If not for legal reasons, my conscience. There must be an innovation that will work. It's not always a maximum temperature that ignites wood. It's repeated exposure to heat which dries out the wood making it susceptible.

Get this: next week we're inserting a high-powered grill into that cabinet. We're turning it on full blast at 9am. Turning it off at 5pm. To simulate someone forgetting to turn off the gas. And I'm not legally liable for this scenario. We built the cabinet to Viking's heat, distance, and combustible materials specs. The tests we're doing exceed the requirements. I don't like doing it. But that's the way it is.

If these tests work the sales guys on the floor will have ammunition to counter objections from the public. Not a bad thing, in this economy.

 

[IRstuff]

Well, you don't have many alternatives. Frankly, if you're going to have to cover the wood, then it's not visible, and therefore it's somewhat superfluous to even have it. If it were up to me, I'd rip out the wood in question and put in a nice ceramic or granite inlay.

The best protection for the wood is going to be a ceramic or stone, since it has the lowest thermal conductivity, besides asbestos, which is a no-no.

But, there's a limit at which you're going to draw the line for morons; the absurd limit is that they are incapable of operating the thing safely at all. On the other hand, the designer of the catalog you posted assumed that the user wouldn't do something that silly, since he's got wood up to about 1/2 inch from the burner recess.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[brookbend]

"...If it were up to me, I'd rip out the wood in question and put in a nice ceramic or granite inlay".

That's a good idea. I knew you had it in you. The wood frame in question is part of a "grill-fit" kit. This kit is the variable part of the product, allowing accommodating different grill brands. The kit is a U-shaped frame around 3 sides of the grill. I would not have thought of it because I'm personally into it too much. The "burn zone" for Viking begins at 10.25" vertical of the shelf the grill sits on (.25" above the 10" control panel). Our wood is below that.

Problem with stone is the Asian factory can not source stone and the ship cost to US is cost-prohibitive. We like to make wood product all wood, minimizing mixed materials. Nevertheless, your idea starts me thinking. Amazing how commercializing something new never ends.

 

[brookbend]

How thick would a piece of ceramic tile have to be to reduce the heat to safe levels if one side of it were heated by a flame and you were trying to protect the other side?

I know this isn't a UL forum, but it would be interesting to know from practicality if not (obviously) from measurement. eg) We could add a strip of ceramic 1/2" thick all around the grill, resting on top of the existing wood frame.

 

[IRstuff]

Depends on how long, how hot, etc., but just bear in mind that standard counter tile has plywood underneath it, 1/2" is probably quite reasonable. But, do bear in mind that even if the wood degrades or dries out, the ceramic would still prevent ignition, since the amount of heat getting through the ceramic would still be insufficient to start a fire.

TTFN

FAQ731-376