By Yolan
What follows is the sad, sad story of the demise of my solar generators. Two of them. One of which was practically new (tear).
It started out like any other day. I was busy with my Friday chores and tooling around inside of my trailer, when I kept hearing this strange noise outside. I brushed it off thinking that it was Ally working on her solar mounts (her trailer is the closest to mine). But the noise continued so I finally looked out of the window and saw what I thought was dust or dirt flying by. Then I really wondered what Ally was doing so I opened up my door only to look in horror at smoke pouring from the box that housed my solar generators!
It started out like any other day. I was busy with my Friday chores and tooling around inside of my trailer, when I kept hearing this strange noise outside. I brushed it off thinking that it was Ally working on her solar mounts (her trailer is the closest to mine). But the noise continued so I finally looked out of the window and saw what I thought was dust or dirt flying by. Then I really wondered what Ally was doing so I opened up my door only to look in horror at smoke pouring from the box that housed my solar generators!
I rushed outside and carefully opened the door of said box to confirm the sad reality that indeed, my solar generators were experiencing their final moments. How could this happen? Why? This was certainly not in the budget and assuredly not penciled in to my schedule for the day.
Ally and Meena came running over while yelling to get my attention. We were all alarmed but none of us knew for sure what to do. This was an electrical fire so water was not an option in this scenario. I could see that only one generator was actually smoking. That was the older one that I purchased used from a neighbor months previous. That neighbor had since moved away. My trailer was plugged into that generator. The other one, which was practically new, was not on fire and I wanted to reach into the box and pull it out so that I would not lose both. Meena didn't think that would be a good idea so I left it. Also the two generators were daisy-chained together so just pulling the new one out, may not have been as simple of a task as I was envisioning.
The smoke at some point transitioned into flames. This was even more concerning. We each had fire extinguishers in our trailers which we all quickly grabbed. Unfortunately they were all sealed and we had to scurry to find something to cut the seals off so that they could be used. Then once that was done, we realized that we didn't quite know how to use them!! So we had to figure that out. This was precious time wasted. But it really didn't matter much because these were trailer sized extinguishers which were 'extinguished' in a matter of seconds while doing little to nothing to quench the flames.
Ally and Meena came running over while yelling to get my attention. We were all alarmed but none of us knew for sure what to do. This was an electrical fire so water was not an option in this scenario. I could see that only one generator was actually smoking. That was the older one that I purchased used from a neighbor months previous. That neighbor had since moved away. My trailer was plugged into that generator. The other one, which was practically new, was not on fire and I wanted to reach into the box and pull it out so that I would not lose both. Meena didn't think that would be a good idea so I left it. Also the two generators were daisy-chained together so just pulling the new one out, may not have been as simple of a task as I was envisioning.
The smoke at some point transitioned into flames. This was even more concerning. We each had fire extinguishers in our trailers which we all quickly grabbed. Unfortunately they were all sealed and we had to scurry to find something to cut the seals off so that they could be used. Then once that was done, we realized that we didn't quite know how to use them!! So we had to figure that out. This was precious time wasted. But it really didn't matter much because these were trailer sized extinguishers which were 'extinguished' in a matter of seconds while doing little to nothing to quench the flames.
With that gone, we needed another plan. Meena's mom had a Costco sized bag of baking soda that we started throwing at the flames. This actually was more effective than the extinguishers and did help until we ran out! I need to pause here and emphasize the fact that we are not fire-fighters! We didn't know what we were doing so we prayed several times throughout this ordeal. After running out of the baking soda, we used what we had the most of ... dirt! There is no shortage of it on our property! I'm not sure why we didn't think of that sooner. So we grabbed some sandbags that were already filled (they were going to be used for the earthbag shed) and shovels and went to work.
Initially our efforts didn't seem to be making the impact that we'd hoped for and the flames continued to leap from the box seemingly higher. At one point, something popped and flew out of the flames. This made getting too close dangerous as we didn't know when something else would fly out. What added to the scariness of it all (other than the obvious) was the fact that this fire was happening only feet from my trailer and I was afraid of it catching fire as well. I suggested that we call the fire department which we did and a unit was dispatched. In the meantime, we continued to fight the fire and pray.
Initially our efforts didn't seem to be making the impact that we'd hoped for and the flames continued to leap from the box seemingly higher. At one point, something popped and flew out of the flames. This made getting too close dangerous as we didn't know when something else would fly out. What added to the scariness of it all (other than the obvious) was the fact that this fire was happening only feet from my trailer and I was afraid of it catching fire as well. I suggested that we call the fire department which we did and a unit was dispatched. In the meantime, we continued to fight the fire and pray.
Smoke billowing up into the sky
Finally after maybe 30 minutes to an hour, the fire was under control. This was a huge blessing because the fire department never showed up! We actually wound up calling back and cancelling the request. Our property doesn't yet show up in the mapping programs, so they could not find us! Wow ... talk about needing to be self-sufficient! What if we had've just idly waited for them, which is basically what the dispatcher told us to do.
After getting the fire under control, we noticed that it kept re-igniting. This was concerning but we weren't sure at first what to do to stop it. Also my solar panels were very close to the flames. Ally and Meena were able to relocate them to safety but not before they were covered with ash. I was able to hose them off later.
After getting the fire under control, we noticed that it kept re-igniting. This was concerning but we weren't sure at first what to do to stop it. Also my solar panels were very close to the flames. Ally and Meena were able to relocate them to safety but not before they were covered with ash. I was able to hose them off later.
In order to keep the generators from re-igniting, we buried the smoldering pieces. I was concerned that the fire would flare up again overnight. Burying them effectively addressed that problem.
(R.I.P.) Rest In Pieces
What caused the fire?
That's a question that we've all wondered about. Clearly the generators overheated but why, we're not sure. Some speculations I have is that daisy chaining them may have been an issue. Basically, I had one generator plugged into the other to feed power to it. Also each generator was connected to its own solar panel. So one of the generators (the one that caught fire first actually) had power inputs coming from both the solar panel and from the other solar generator. Maybe this caused it to overcharge? Not sure ...
Another issue is that the box that they were in was insulated and some of the insulation had come loose and was leaning against the generator that caught fire first. Maybe this blocked a fan which caused it to overheat? Again, not sure ...
Lastly, and I did not discover this until afterwards, but my trailer had an open ground. This can be a dangerous situation. I had noticed that sometimes when I'd use my microwave that it would flicker. I didn't know at the time that this was indicative of a grounding problem. I'd suggest that you read this article to learn more about the dangers of an open ground and how to rectify the issue: How To Fix an Open Ground on My RV: A Step-By-Step Guide.
Another issue is that the box that they were in was insulated and some of the insulation had come loose and was leaning against the generator that caught fire first. Maybe this blocked a fan which caused it to overheat? Again, not sure ...
Lastly, and I did not discover this until afterwards, but my trailer had an open ground. This can be a dangerous situation. I had noticed that sometimes when I'd use my microwave that it would flicker. I didn't know at the time that this was indicative of a grounding problem. I'd suggest that you read this article to learn more about the dangers of an open ground and how to rectify the issue: How To Fix an Open Ground on My RV: A Step-By-Step Guide.
Lessons learned
- Don't wait until there is a fire to learn how to use your equipment! (This should be a no-brainer but clearly we never thought this would happen and were quite unprepared)
- Probably best to not purchase used equipment containing large lithium batteries. As previously stated, the generator that caught fire first is the one that I purchased used from a neighbor. I had no idea how much wear and tear it had on it or really what condition it was in. It worked so I figured that it was ok.
- I didn't have proper ventilation in the box that housed the generators so it was likely easy for heat to build up in there.
- Be cautious with daisy-chaining generators. If they come with a special slot for connecting an extra battery or extra generator, then its probabaly fine because its built to accomodate that. Mine didn't have such outlets and I just kind of jimmy rigged them together.
- Have a fire plan. We didn't! Also we decided to keep bags of sand near our trailers in case they are ever needed for emergencies such as this.
What brand were the generators?
I've decided not to mention what brand they were because I was at fault on so many levels in this experience and I don't want to associate the brand with my folly. It is a very good and reliable brand so I will remain silent on that point. By God's grace, I was able to purchase a replacement generator which is a different brand from these. Part of the reason I purchased it was because it was more affordable (remember, this was not in the budget). Also it had many, many good features and very good reviews. At some point down the line, the three of us may do a blog on what solar generators we use and why we chose them, because we each have different ones.
Counting our blessings
This could have been so much worse. Looking back, we have mountains of gratitude to offer to our Heavenly Father for His protection. For one, we were all there. This was a blessing because we needed all hands on deck to tackle this. Secondly, it didn't happen at night. That could have been quite tragic. Third, it was not a windy day. This was of God's mercy because it was quite windy just the day previous. Imagine how horribly out of control this could have gotten if that had been the case on this day. And when I say wind, I'm not talking about a summer breeze. We get wind gusts here that at times exceed 40 MPH.
In even the worst situations, there are blessings to be found if we look for them. Prayerfully my mistakes in this whole situation will prove beneficial to you in helping you to avoid my missteps.
I hope this has been helpful to you. God Bless :-)
In even the worst situations, there are blessings to be found if we look for them. Prayerfully my mistakes in this whole situation will prove beneficial to you in helping you to avoid my missteps.
I hope this has been helpful to you. God Bless :-)