Look at this
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Some interesting experiments were run by the guys of Myth Busters on this and it was determined by them that even with huge amounts of high powered lights the tree would never burst into flames as was shown and as is reported by about 10,000 fires nationwide between Dec 24th and Dec 25 each year. But what they also showed is that if there is one spark, the tree would burst into flame as was shown.
So the obvious question is what causes a spark and why is this small spark so lethal on a real tree vs. an artificial tree.
While the experiments on MythBusters test only one source of spark source, a melted wire from the heat of the bulbs, there are usually other possibilities that are far more probable than the melting of the wires. The most common source of a spark in tree lighting is due to a loose bulb that sparks as it makes and breaks contact in the socket. If your lights are non- blinking but flicker at times, they are loose and will generate a small spark in the socket when flickering.
Next- why does a pine tree ignite with a spark? I know the answer to that one well! A pine tree is loaded with pine sap and that pine sap with heat gives off pine oil which is volatile and flammable! The heat from the bulbs raises the temperature of the pine oil vapors and lowers the ignition point of the oil enough that the speed of the fire once started from the spark is much like a tree doused with gasoline!
Many years ago when I was still a kid, our neighbor's house burned to the ground on Christmas Eve due to a tree fire. Very sad. from that time on, we never had a real tree in the house and I forbid it today.
My daughter always complained about it and now, on her own, she has the real tree. It makes me nervous.
So if you want a real tree and want to be safe, here is my suggestion- DO NOT PUT any ELECTRICAL ON YOUR TREE!
Decorate the real tree with reflective tinsel and then from a nice safe distance spot a series of lights with rotating color wheel on the tree and light it up that way. Keep the tree wet with water spray and in a base pan and cool and the pine oil that will still evaporate will stay way below ignition temperature.
So the obvious question is what causes a spark and why is this small spark so lethal on a real tree vs. an artificial tree.
While the experiments on MythBusters test only one source of spark source, a melted wire from the heat of the bulbs, there are usually other possibilities that are far more probable than the melting of the wires. The most common source of a spark in tree lighting is due to a loose bulb that sparks as it makes and breaks contact in the socket. If your lights are non- blinking but flicker at times, they are loose and will generate a small spark in the socket when flickering.
Next- why does a pine tree ignite with a spark? I know the answer to that one well! A pine tree is loaded with pine sap and that pine sap with heat gives off pine oil which is volatile and flammable! The heat from the bulbs raises the temperature of the pine oil vapors and lowers the ignition point of the oil enough that the speed of the fire once started from the spark is much like a tree doused with gasoline!
Many years ago when I was still a kid, our neighbor's house burned to the ground on Christmas Eve due to a tree fire. Very sad. from that time on, we never had a real tree in the house and I forbid it today.
My daughter always complained about it and now, on her own, she has the real tree. It makes me nervous.
So if you want a real tree and want to be safe, here is my suggestion- DO NOT PUT any ELECTRICAL ON YOUR TREE!
Decorate the real tree with reflective tinsel and then from a nice safe distance spot a series of lights with rotating color wheel on the tree and light it up that way. Keep the tree wet with water spray and in a base pan and cool and the pine oil that will still evaporate will stay way below ignition temperature.
Well if youre into Disco Don's Christmas, and want something even cooler (pun intended) yet and very cheap to do. try this-
At the gift stores you can buy these $25 laser units that move about with sound from Christmas music. Now train that on the tree and the reflective tinsel and turn the light down low in the room and see what a fabulous Christmas laser light show synced to the music you will have in the room! I don't think you can do it any cheaper or safer than that!
At the gift stores you can buy these $25 laser units that move about with sound from Christmas music. Now train that on the tree and the reflective tinsel and turn the light down low in the room and see what a fabulous Christmas laser light show synced to the music you will have in the room! I don't think you can do it any cheaper or safer than that!
As long as you don't invite those who may have seizures triggered by flashy lights over to look at it.
Shall I break out the Pink Floyd CD's and DVD's?
Oranges for everyone!
[a dollar for those who get that reference.]
Want to see some pretty fire? Get a ceder tree for Christmas some day, and then after you dischard it put it somewhere in a fire pit and let it sit for several months to dry out. When you get around to it, light that baby up and watch the fireworks. Dried, dead ceder trees lit on fire burn up completely in some super quick amount of time. It's a blast to watch if you use it as the intro to a bonfire sometime before putting on other, less quick burning wood.
I can't recommend the color wheel approach. As a kid, we came home one day to find the motor on the color wheel had failed and the color panels had melted away, onto the ground and into the reflector next to the bulb. A little longer and the thing might have caught fire. Today's color wheels are, if anything, flimsier.
I have not seen a color wheel in at least 20 years. When i did see them they generally were used with the silver artificizl trees. I miss a lot of things about childhood Christmased in the Berkshires but not color wheels or silver trees.
I like mythbusters but it after all is a tv show and all tv shows are propaganda and in someones pocket and I am not about to put any faith in them to do a truely unbiased set of tests.
That being said one of the ladies I work with is on an bereavement leave for a funeral in Alabama to bury her 19 yr old cousin and that girls baby girl, they both died in a house fire sparked by a christmas tree fire, the mother was found holding the baby in her arms in a back room because the tree had went up so fast that they were trapped by the flames and smoke. If you really dont believe that a real tree can go up that fast then just watch some of the video's of forest fires and see how fast the fire spreads through a moderately dry stand of trees.
That being said one of the ladies I work with is on an bereavement leave for a funeral in Alabama to bury her 19 yr old cousin and that girls baby girl, they both died in a house fire sparked by a christmas tree fire, the mother was found holding the baby in her arms in a back room because the tree had went up so fast that they were trapped by the flames and smoke. If you really dont believe that a real tree can go up that fast then just watch some of the video's of forest fires and see how fast the fire spreads through a moderately dry stand of trees.
I've had fire fighting training in the Navy. The video is an extreme case, but quite believable. Often it is the smoke, not the fire, that gets you. Almost always, in fact. That's why smoke detectors are so important.
Nothing concentrates your mind as wonderfully as a fire at sea.
Nothing concentrates your mind as wonderfully as a fire at sea.
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