Proper storage of lubricating oil and solvents? (Have insurance inspection)

[gellfex]

So, I have a real horror show coming, an insurance inspection of my shop in the basement of my multifamily building. Lots of things you can do in your own home are verboten in multi-unit dwellings! I'm trying to hide my worst sins, like welding equipment. What about gallon jugs of lube oil? is it considered as bad as volatile accelerants like solvents? I have a heavy steel cabinet, I think it's one of those old paint mixing tables. But its not vented to the outside like code often calls for. IDK whether to put a few cans of solvent type stuff there to show I'm being good, or get it all out and possibly leave the impression I'm hiding it since anyone with a brain knows a workshop has solvents around!

Now I have to go and disassemble my vent hood...

[754]

Get it all out, it needs a holiday.. more than you need a stop order..

[lakeside53]

If it's stored in a Flammables cabinet let the insurance inspector tell you if it's ok. You can also ask for a rider on your policy allowing use of a home shop, if they care. Might cost $5 a year. They are in the business of assessing risk and covering with policies... use them.

[Paul Alciatore]

I say be honest.

That being said, if you have anything that is highly flammable, like gasoline, I would dispose of it. And after the inspection replace it with something safer.

I would clean up those oil bottles so they look like they are in use and are being cared for.

Any oily rags should be either disposed or placed in small, air tight containers. I keep one or two oily rags in an old coffee tin that I keep covered. Never more than two in there. The rest get trashed.

Clean up any other questionable areas. Empty the trash cans before the inspection. Keep things look professional or at least high end amateur.

[gellfex]

I say be honest.

That being said, if you have anything that is highly flammable, like gasoline, I would dispose of it. And after the inspection replace it with something safer.

I would clean up those oil bottles so they look like they are in use and are being cared for.

Any oily rags should be either disposed or placed in small, air tight containers. I keep one or two oily rags in an old coffee tin that I keep covered. Never more than two in there. The rest get trashed.

Clean up any other questionable areas. Empty the trash cans before the inspection. Keep things look professional or at least high end amateur.

Actually, I was thinking it best to keep it a mess and not looking like a business! When asked I'm going to say I inherited a bunch of tools and I'm a 'home shop machinist' hobbyist. I believe the biggest red flag would be them thinking it was a business, that opens a huge can of worms.

I've got all the solvents and oils loaded into milk crates to go in the (unattached) garage. Some of that stuff I need to get rid of, hasn't been touched in decades. I know there's a level of stuff they might expect in a basement, like a can of mineral spirits and a can of denatured. But I don't know the threshhold.

[J Tiers]

You are in New Jersey..... You should be able to do something to "improve the outcome" while the inspector is there. Have the envelope ready ahead of time........

[JoeLee]

I say be honest.

That being said, if you have anything that is highly flammable, like gasoline, I would dispose of it. And after the inspection replace it with something safer.

I would clean up those oil bottles so they look like they are in use and are being cared for.

Any oily rags should be either disposed or placed in small, air tight containers. I keep one or two oily rags in an old coffee tin that I keep covered. Never more than two in there. The rest get trashed.

Clean up any other questionable areas. Empty the trash cans before the inspection. Keep things look professional or at least high end amateur.

Be honest with an insurance company ?? Really !

Insurance companies are not your friends. I say get everything out of there. They're looking for an excuse to either cancel you or raise your rates. Don't give them any.

JL....

[J Tiers]

Actually, improving the outcome is not even the best idea. You live there too, right? So get the hazards out so they do not form a hazard for YOU.

I keep all the significant stuff out in the shed. Oils are not so much of an issue, the real problems are stuff with a low flashpoint, volatile solvents, etc. Oil, like motor oil, or most any lube oil etc, is actually not that easy to light. But solvents, gases, etc, out of there.

At a former employer, we had a large welded-seam Nema electrical cabinet in which all that stuff was kept. Any flammable liquids cabinet has to be non-flammable itself, (metal), and must have the ability to contain spilled liquids to some proportion of what is kept in it. Certainly at the least, the entire contents of a couple of the biggest containers, and maybe the contents of all.

In any case, the fire department and insurance were always OK with that. But there were no residents in the building.

Per the "mess". Mess is fine if it does not include flammables. If you have cardboard boxes of stuff, they should be on shelves and not laying abut in piles. A mess of non-flammables with no electric cords in the mess is less threatening.

They look for fire and electrical (another fire source) problems, mainly. Anything that can cause a large "loss". In resident-accessible areas, they may get more strict as to tripping hazards, unsafe stairs, lighting, etc. I assume your "shop" area is walled or caged off from the rest of the basement.

[gellfex]

You are in New Jersey..... You should be able to do something to "improve the outcome" while the inspector is there. Have the envelope ready ahead of time........

If it was a city inspector you'd be right on the money, so to speak. I have no idea about insurance inspectors.

[Doozer]

...I say be honest.....

Noted.


Are you FORCED to pay insurance
or do you CHOOSE to have insurance coverage?
It make a difference on how honest and upfront
I would be in your situation.

-D

[Mike279]

Working as a paid firefighter I inspected plenty of basements. We looked for the obvious problems that most dumb ass home owners have. Like let's store the mower gas next to the hot water heater. Or the grill's extra 20lb propane tank in the basement. I would imagine if you have good shop practices you should have no problem with an inspection. Things pointed out should be addressed and then a plan to insure should not be that hard to figure out. Seems you can always shop another company if you don't like how the inspection goes. I have changed mine a few times over the last thirty plus years.

[darylbane]

I was able to pick up one of those yellow "Flammable" cabinets cheap. The last Ins. inspection...great ..we love it.

[reggie_obe]

You're running a business in the basement of a multi-family dwelling, get you're sh*t straight.
When your business was in NYC, did FDNY not inspect?
No reason any of your tenants should suffer being burned out because of sloppy practices.
All your aerosol cans will become a problem as well. Can't hide them in the garage, they will want to see that as well.

[Doozer]

You're running a business in the basement of a multi-family dwelling, get you're sh*t straight.
l.

Who the heII are you to tell anyone what to do ?

-D

[JoeLee]

Noted.


Are you FORCED to pay insurance
or do you CHOOSE to have insurance coverage?
It make a difference on how honest and upfront
I would be in your situation.

-D

You not forced to pay insurance not as a single residence, but if you have a multi family building you could be held liable for just about anything. The rules may be different.

JL..............