Powder storage...
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Meckmeister
Member
As I understand you can store 20 lbs. of powder on shelves, etc. Over 20 (code in my county) needs a cabinet. I built mine from 1" of plywood layers, then a drywall layer. Includes a bottom panel and top panel. Most specs require that you build one wall as a 'weak wall'. Your local fire dept. could be a source of info.
I have a plain cabinet bought from Sam's. Not air tight because that would be a bomb. Have 2 dehumidifiers to keep humidity in the 50s. Other than that nothing else.
Ya'll are fancy.
You can see my my powder storage from about a year ago. Since then I have switch the small cabinet for primers only. The larger one, has powder on top and loaded rounds on lower part. Both lock and have plug in dehumidifiers.
Keep most of mine in a cabinet in the bench. Large jugs in the closet. Whole room is in the basement, one outlet, one light, virtually no potential for fire starting in there, door to room locks.
For personal use, make sure the kid can't get to it, cause spilled/mixed powder is bad. Don't store it near heat sources and/or flame/things likely to spark/arc, and try to minimize static. If your house is already burning it'd take a lot of powder or a sealed vessel for it to really make it worse.
For personal use, make sure the kid can't get to it, cause spilled/mixed powder is bad. Don't store it near heat sources and/or flame/things likely to spark/arc, and try to minimize static. If your house is already burning it'd take a lot of powder or a sealed vessel for it to really make it worse.
OP
Flammable material cabinet = the sealed vessel/bomb you guys are referring to? Does having the lid on the containers not do the same thing? I don't live in the boonies and have monitored security/fire so hopefully response time would be quick. Do the firefighter even ask or want to keep track of where such materials are kept on a just-in-case basis?
OP
Not storing it in my man-cave/reloading room, which is just an extra bedroom beside my daughters room would probably be the smartest/simplest option, but keeping it in the house for its low-humidity benefits still warrants some concern, hence my storage questions.
Gspec;n56395 said:
If air tight, then yes it equals a bomb. These are not air tight, so no pressured will develop. It will just burn really hot for a few seconds. This was looked at by fire dept. and they had zero concerns.
FatboyFlash
Senior Member
I keep some of mine in regular old kitchen cabinets and what didn't fit is on the floor
Tailhunter;n56317 said:
lol no doubt
I have a 2 year old so I got a keypad lock for the door.
I keep my powder on shelves and I have more than 20lbs for sure. No clue about any local ordinance
Like ammo, it gets put everywhere.
T
trcubed
Guest
FatboyFlash;n56443 said:
Exactly what I do.
If the house ever catches fire, I'm going to stand on the curb and suggest to the FD that going in there might not be a good idea.
Do you run a business?Bullseye Baldee said:
trcubed;n56456 said:
Yeap. Pretty good insurance for total loss. So I will strongly suggest the FD stay back at least 100 yds.
Till then, primers on the top shelf in a closet on the main floor. A bunch of powder in a kitchen type cabinet in the basement reloading room. Some on a shelf under the bench, a few stragglers on top of the bench. I think there is some primers, 5000 or so, on top of an old tv in the reloading room also
T
trcubed
Guest
Mike Overlay;n56510 said:
If your house is like mine, and I'm sure it is, it would be quite the fireworks show.
No the factory container does not constitute a pressure vessel, the plastic won't hold much pressure and melts at a fairly low temp, same reason wood is specified for constructing a magazine, it will burn and/or fail rather than heat and pressurize to the point of explosion.Gspec said:
In the event of a fire if the area of the house wasn't consumed I would tell the responders there's especially flammable materials in whatever area. Be it gasoline, propane, acetylene, diesel/kerosene, paint, or gun powder. Reality is many houses have some or all these things and may have gas lines run through, 100lbs or so of gunpowder doesn't strike me as all that dangerous, it just burn in an open environment.
I keep mine in the oven so I can dry it out quick if I think the humidity is going high. Kind of like welding rods.
Someone has done the math on energy density of smoke
ess powder, and while I forget the details, he determined that it takes more than 50lbs of gunpowder to equal the energy in a gallon of gas. the fire departmentwill not be concerned about your properly stored gunpowder in any reasonable quantities.
ess powder, and while I forget the details, he determined that it takes more than 50lbs of gunpowder to equal the energy in a gallon of gas. the fire departmentwill not be concerned about your properly stored gunpowder in any reasonable quantities.
T
trcubed
Guest
The powder burning isn't as big a threat as the shrapnel generated when the blammo starts cooking off...JimB said:
As long as the ammo is not stored in a sealed container or a gun then if it lights the bullet will sit still and the brass will go flying at low velocity, not a danger. I do believe that full ammo cans might be a problem.JimB said:
T
trcubed
Guest
Exactly my point. A lot of us store ammo in ammo cans.JimB said:
Ikarus1
Avtomat Krishna-kov
I store mine in a room with a fireplace insert about 10ft across the room. Low humidity in there throughout winter. Never had a worry about it either, and dont really take precautions. Sometimes when i clean powder up off the bench or pull some unknown load, it helps clean the carbon out of the insert fast!
So you are saying that my 40lbs of powder shouldn't be on the shelves next to my reloading bench?
I'm more worried about the ammo cans full of ammo than the powder on my bench.
I'm more worried about the ammo cans full of ammo than the powder on my bench.
So how much is too much? 50 lbs?
how many primers is too many? 50k?
how many primers is too many? 50k?
JimP42;n62267 said:
You happen to know what that would be?
https://policies.ncsu.edu/sites/default/files/general/NC_FIRE35.pdf (section 3306.4).
3306.4 Storage in residences. The storage of small arms ammunition shall comply with Sections 3306.4.1 and 3306.4.2.
3306.4.1 Black powder and smokeless propellants. Pro- pellants for personal use in quantities not exceeding 20 pounds (9 kg) of black powder or 20 pounds (9 kg) of smokeless powder shall be stored in original containers in occupancies limited to Group R-3. Smokeless powder in quantities exceeding 20 pounds (9 kg) but not exceeding 50 pounds (23 kg) kept in a wooden box or cabinet having walls of at least 1 inch (25 mm) nominal thickness shall be allowed to be stored in occupancies limited to Group R-3. Quantities exceeding these amounts shall not be stored in any Group R occupancy.
3306.4.2 Small arms primers. No more than 10,000 small arms primers shall be stored in occupancies limited to Group R-3.
There are amendments to this code but none that change 3306 that I can find. 10K primers is not nearly enough. I have a note to myself that 10K changes to 150K if stored in DOT 1.4S compliant containers (they come that way), which is much more reasonable, but I can't find a reference for that, much less one that applies to NC. But I'm not an expert on this stuff, just did a little research a while back.
3306.4 Storage in residences. The storage of small arms ammunition shall comply with Sections 3306.4.1 and 3306.4.2.
3306.4.1 Black powder and smokeless propellants. Pro- pellants for personal use in quantities not exceeding 20 pounds (9 kg) of black powder or 20 pounds (9 kg) of smokeless powder shall be stored in original containers in occupancies limited to Group R-3. Smokeless powder in quantities exceeding 20 pounds (9 kg) but not exceeding 50 pounds (23 kg) kept in a wooden box or cabinet having walls of at least 1 inch (25 mm) nominal thickness shall be allowed to be stored in occupancies limited to Group R-3. Quantities exceeding these amounts shall not be stored in any Group R occupancy.
3306.4.2 Small arms primers. No more than 10,000 small arms primers shall be stored in occupancies limited to Group R-3.
There are amendments to this code but none that change 3306 that I can find. 10K primers is not nearly enough. I have a note to myself that 10K changes to 150K if stored in DOT 1.4S compliant containers (they come that way), which is much more reasonable, but I can't find a reference for that, much less one that applies to NC. But I'm not an expert on this stuff, just did a little research a while back.
Harbor Freight Wall Cabinet. Left = Primers & Projectiles, Middle = Powder, Right = Dies, Scales & Accessories
Hangs above the work bench, just enough room to slide the Dillon tool heads on stands underneath. 8lb Powder jugs sit on top of the cabinet.
Extra screws going through the perforated back into wall studs help hold the load.
Hangs above the work bench, just enough room to slide the Dillon tool heads on stands underneath. 8lb Powder jugs sit on top of the cabinet.
Extra screws going through the perforated back into wall studs help hold the load.
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