Will I burn my house down with a heat gun?

[SarahFair]

I'm redoing my window, stripping, repainting, glazing, and cording.
They were all painted shut and contain about 6 layers of paint.
A lot of the detail on the casing has been lost because the paint is SO thick on there.
I'd also like to remove the paint from the channel(?)(the part the window actually slides up and down).
It has aluminum guides, but above and below it's painted and I'd like it to match.

I read somewhere that heat guns can cause fires behind walls and now I'm slightly paranoid about burning my house down
...I'd never hear the end of it and my husband would want our next house to be a brand new build


Stripping this paint with traditional stripper is excruciatingly slow, expensive, and messy. I ruin more stuff with stripper than Im saving, if anything


How likely is it that a heat gun will burn a house down?
It's normal to use a heat gun on window frames, sills, aprons, casings, and the like, right?
What precautions need to be taken?

[1918ColonialRevival]

As with anything, common sense applies. Heat guns are excellent for stripping paint, but don't hold it in one place for very long. Just like you'll burn your scalp if you hold a hair dryer in one place, you'll scorch wood if you hold the heat gun still. I've never heard of anyone actually burning down a house stripping paint, but I guess it's remotely possible.

Treat it like a hair dryer and keep it moving. Also, be careful about getting the heat too close to the window glass, as it can shatter. That's a bigger risk than setting the house on fire, at least to me.

[SarahFair]

As with anything, common sense applies. Heat guns are excellent for stripping paint, but don't hold it in one place for very long. Just like you'll burn your scalp if you hold a hair dryer in one place, you'll scorch wood if you hold the heat gun still. I've never heard of anyone actually burning down a house stripping paint, but I guess it's remotely possible.

Treat it like a hair dryer and keep it moving. Also, be careful about getting the heat too close to the window glass, as it can shatter. That's a bigger risk than setting the house on fire, at least to me.

Thanks for the sensible response.
And I know about cracking the glass, I did that on my last window

[Gothichome]

Sara, as Colonial mentions common sense should keep you safe. Also, keep the heat off the glass, it will at the least crack it with very little heat. When I need to heat gun close to glass I use my eight inch drywall trowel to keep the heat off the glass in the area I am heating. Hold the trowel at the juncture of the glass and frame at an angle and follow the gun with the trowel. Every once and a while let the trowel cool down. I generally only heat six to eight inches at a time so it works out well.
And were are the update pictures?

[PaulJohnson]

Sara - you have received good advice.

Another tip: If your gun has heat settings start low and slowly increase the heat until you hit the sweet spot. My experience is the paint melts off in layers. Slow and steady.

Please share progress pics.

[SarahFair]

I'll have to start remembering to take pictures in a smaller capacity. Everytime I've tried to upload they are too large.

My front porch is pretty much a disaster right now though, between the horrible handy man, the last person who repaired the columns using the wrong wood and not sealing it, so not its all bowing and popping off, and raising a couple baby raccoons last spring/summer, not wanting to use a lot of harmful chemicals and paints (they are into e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i
n.g.) I didn't get much work done.
I feel sorry for my neighbors with my multi-colored test patches, never ending projects pulled out, landscaping always in progress

[phil]

any time you do "hot work" there should be a fire extinguisher and water handy so keep the hose nearby, and having an axe that could get you into the wall space is a necessary item as is a phone that you can call with that is fully charged up and handy.
when you stop stripping allow a couple of hours where you will watch and pay attention. Don't leave the jobsite quickly. on an industrial site there are usually rules about that and the fire watch period is just part of doing hot work. If you dont have time to do the fire watch period, dont start.

so you get the paint hot and strip with a putty knife, there is a warmup period before you get the paint up to temp and then you need to clear the blade of chips. You can nail down a tin can to clean the knife on with one hand.

there is no point in wagging the heat gun around , you want to heat where you strip get the heat on, up to temp strip as far as you can then stop and clean your blade. If it is getting too warm just tip it away. controlling that heat is a learned thing so start in an area out of danger, not in some tight awkward spot.

I find I spend a lot of time preheating with one gun, you can use two at once then you can start more quickly. You need two circuits as it may draw over 15 amps. It's probably a good idea to start with one and don't use two where there is risk like near cracks and openings.
once the paint is up to the temp you need turn the heat gun away until you need more heat. There is no point heating out of the area where you are actually stripping.

once you get the heat right and practice you can turn both on and strip pretty much continuously as far as you are able and that will speed things up. heat gun in one hand putty knife in the other in a continuous movement right down under all the layers if you can. no point doing it twice if you dont need to.

the paint protects the wood from the burning heat. if you go so it's all patchy then you'll end up pointing the heat gun towards already stripped wood and then see the wood burning.

maybe some have different approaches but I have never found any reason not to have my heat gun on full heat. If you can't keep up with the putty knife just point it away from the house while your right hand catches up to the left.


in most old houses there is no insulation and many dont even have fire stops, some have balloon framing. so yes you can have a fire in the wall and if you do they can travel fast, yes the dust can catch and it is tinder dry in the wall cavities, so be careful.

having an axe and 10 gallons of water both inside and outside near the work area wont cost you a penny and if you did have a fire and you could likely open the wall and put it out quickly after calling emergency. have the hose on and just shut off at the nozzle. be prepared. a hole in your wall is nothing compared to a big fire. If you aren't able to make a hole and stick the hose in quickly then you need a helper. If you are working near electrical wires shut those breakers off until after the fire watch period.

the young raccoons are cute. I had lots near me and they didn't bother my cat, they came through every evening looking for food. thy lived in my boat for a while so I stuck a radio in there to coax them out. they like my plumbs and blueberries. I think a neighbor called animal control because I saw the van and then didn't see more. We had families of them , cute to see mom and all the babies using the crosswalks. They are smart so they remember each person and if you are nice to them or mean. I was initially worried about my cat but I saw them both outside many times and they didn't seem to be doing anything other than living in peace. Some dogs can make trouble with them and regret it. I've heard that if you hand raise them they will still be somewhat wild and maybe revert back to the wild.

[SarahFair]

Thanks for the tips, especially about the ax and water!

[1918ColonialRevival]

I'd be more concerned over the wildlife than the heat gun. Raccoons can get aggressive (believe me, I know)! Had a couple of them set up shop in my garage a few years ago and getting them out was painful.

[phil]

I think the easiest and also most humane way to evict a racoon or skunk is with a loud radio. Just put it where they are, they will leave and if they have babies they will pack them out too. poisons and traps are dangerous to pets.