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Re: UR-Q WARMUP FIXED (uh, sorta)
Jeff,
Butane is even worse than propane in this regard. Butane is C4H10 and has a
molecular weight of 58 which increases the density factor from ~ 1.5 for
propane to almost exactly 2.0 for butane. This leads to an even greater
tendency for the vapors to pool in low places (without adequate ventilation).
Starting fluid (diethyl ether) has a molecular weight of 74 and is also
highly flammable. The tendency to pool is even worse for ether than than
butane!
The key? Adequate ventilation! Outdoors with at least a gentle breeze and
no nearby ignition sources.
Since ether has a very recognizable odor it might be the substance of choice
because its presence is easy to detect. Once the odor is gone, so is the ether.
At 08:09 AM 1/3/96 -0500, you wrote:
---snip---
>I must have been in a trance when I typed "propane" ... I meant butane. My
>torch is one of those little hand-held things and, to my knowledge, this is
>reasonably safe. Or have I just been -- gulp -- lucky over the past decade
>or so? As an alternative, starting fluid also works well for this...
___
Bob
********************************************************************
* Robert L. Myers <rmyers@wvit.wvnet.edu> *
* Chair, Department of Chemistry 304-442-3358 (office) *
* West Virginia Institute of Technology 304-574-2372 (home) *
* Montgomery, WV 25136 *
* Obligatory Quattro and Sleddog Content: *
* My Siberian Huskies like to ride in my '89 200TQ *
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