• dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I wonder what that foil is made out of. I’m going to assume aluminum, and I’m going to further assume that whoever did it knows what they’re doing and I don’t. Because otherwise I can tell you that aluminum foil (and cans, and water bottles, and… other objects) will readily melt in an ordinary camp fire. I have to assume a forest fire will reach similar temperatures. Maybe it’s just to keep the embers off, or the fire is expected to sweep through too fast for it to be a problem.

    For whatever it’s worth I use a stainless steel foil to wrap my knives when I heat treat them and that stuff readily handles the 1875° F or so temperature I do it at. Aluminum definitely would not cut it at those temperatures. Wrapping an entire cabin in that stuff would surely cost a fortune.

    • terranoid@lemmy.cafe
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      1 month ago

      So I doubt it’s to make it melt proof, but probably to prevent a stray spark from lighting the whole thing. Like wind blows sparks around, and the cabin is probably a lot more of a risk than trees if they’re not too dry.

      Likely preventative like a water resistant watch, not “submerge in water” proof

    • curbstickle@anarchist.nexus
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      1 month ago

      Aluminized structure wrap, and yes it does work.

      It doesn’t melt until about 2000F, which is about the temp of a forest fire itself. With a bit of gap around (like shown in this picture), temps are going to be decently below that.

    • treadful@lemmy.zip
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      1 month ago

      Yeah, it’s mostly for embers. Also note all nearby brush was cleared and sprinklers setup.

    • taiyang@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Like your said they probably know better but I love the idea of a cabin getting shiny smooth metallic plating after it all melts and affixes to the base.

    • infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net
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      1 month ago

      I think thermal blankets are usually mylar. I’ve no idea what temperature mylar fails at, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s lower than that of a full throttle forest fire. I’ve seen video of that shit in action and it’s scary both how fast it moves and how violent the interior is. Hundreds of tons of fuel per acre, all going up at once, it’s like an ongoing explosion as the combusting matter crowds itself for space.

        • Sparks and embers. And whether it’s aluminum, aluminized structure wrapping, insulation, or mylar, it’ll reflect the heat away from the side of the cabin for a lot longer than no covering. Toss in sprinklers, and clearing of bushes and other scrub nearby, and I’d say this cabin stands a far better chance of survival than it does without.

          It’s not going to withstand a 24 hour firestorm directly over it, but I’d rather spend $3k trying to save everything than lose it all because I didn’t try.

    • Peppycito@sh.itjust.works
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      1 month ago

      Because the forest would burn inside the bag and the expand like Jiffy-Pop and then cause significantly more damage from the explosion.

  • Dadifer@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I hope the whores are prettier than the house.

    • The one line I never thought I’d get to quote
  • gibmiser@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    If it turns black but doesn’t completely burn it should last even longer. Forget what its called but burning the outside of a piece of wood protects it from bugs and rot

    • Jarix@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      It doesn’t seem more expensive than rebuilding it though. Especially if it is precious to the owner for some reason and is effectively priceless for them

  • TrackinDaKraken@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    There’s also at least one sprinkler keeping it wet.

    This probably worked. Likely all that was needed was the sprinklers, but maybe they had the foil already on hand for some reason.

    However, if the fire burned down the forest around them, the value of the property would be severely diminished. Years ago, my brother’s cabin in California suffered that way. The cabin survived, but the forest was black. No one wants to buy a cabin in a hellscape and it takes many years for the forest to recover even a little.

  • farmgineer@nord.pub
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    1 month ago

    My bet is, as another person mentioned, it’s just to try to keep stray sparks off. I think the trees in the left of frame are close enough that, if they catch, that cabin is probably going to be a little well-done.