Fire safety on Mutant Vehicles

BottomFeeder · Post by **BottomFeeder** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:03 pm

I don't know if this topic is addressed somewhere else. I tried to search for it, but couldn't find the right information.

I am considering putting some flame effects on my art car this year. Nothing too fancy, just a bottle of propane driving some 200 small jets of flame each about the size of the jets on a gas grill. The flames will be music responsive. The effect is a small and relatively harmless one, and not a large-scale fireball (hopefully!).

But, I'm curious as to what type of safety things I have to have implemented on the vehicle. Obviously fire extinguishers and a sober controller will be on hand. But, do I have to make sure that people can't touch the flame? I'm going to try to position the flames so some flowing costume doesn't end up engulfing a playa princess in flames. What type of safety check will the DMV put the vehicle through?

If the answers to my questions are posted somewhere obvious, gently point me in their direction.

-BF

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 10:27 pm

http://forms.burningman.com/dmvq2k7

You only have about three weeks left (deadline: June 30) to pre-register.

Dustdevil · Post by **Dustdevil** » Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:53 pm

A 1/4 ball valve for the propane line would be a good start. Generally the safety inspectors like to see the flame effects at least 10' off the ground. If the flames are really small, exceptions can be made. The idea is as you stated, to keep flames away from costumes etc. The hoses and valves must be rated for propane. Air compressor hose will not work. Route the lines away from moving parts and hot components of the engine. Large flame effects are not to be deployed within the city. They should only be used on the open Playa. Most of this info can be found on the link that the Captain directed you to. If you have any specific FE questions I will attempt to answer them. At the DMV inspection we will do a visual and operational inspection of your flame effect equipment. Neat and clean assembly goes a long way.

BottomFeeder · Post by **BottomFeeder** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 6:00 pm

Thanks for the replies, gentleman. I understand that I have a time limit. I'm a little late in getting started this year. So, it's time to think about feasibility of these flames. I should be able to knock together things in a weekend, but I'm not sure if I have enough weekend to spare.

Thanks for the tips about the propane rated equipment. I wouldn't have thought of that. I've been using vinyl tubing, and it's been holding up. But, I can see how the DMV couldn't allow that.