How intrinsically safe would our lights be?

Saw an article about a natural gas explosion so it got me wondering. Obviously i would never test this but would our standard lights be at all intrinsically safe? I know its a tricky question with so many lights but lets make it simple and assume a light like a Convoy M1 or Wurkkos FC11C.

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I hate to break it to you, but every flashlight is intrinsically safe except for the lights that Bort owns. :smiling_face_with_horns:

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To what level? For a workplace or something members of the public are involved with, the liability would mean only certified lights would be suitable.

If you’re asking along the lines of: “hypothetically, if I had to escape from my house in the middle of the night because of a gas leak, would the light set off an explosion?” Then I’d equate water resistance (broadly) to gas resistance- I’d expect a proper IP68 rated light to see you out of your house in your hypothetical situation, especially if you’re not using the switch (arcing would be a source of ignition, I imagine)…

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In that case i need to borrow your lights :joy:

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To be honest i have not thought about a level since i have no practical application in mind. For professional use i would not even risk it even if we are sure, at that level i’d buy something certified.

I do think your water resistance to gas resistance is interesting, though in that case using the switch should be fine because you can use most of our lights underwater and its got the rubber switch boot.

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By the way, when Darth Vader is saying NOOOOOO!!!, it’s because his plans have been foiled–not because you can’t borrow his lights. laugh

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His lights are evil, Bort will be borrowing yours :flashlight:

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My lights are evil, too. :grin:

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I use T virus eliminating spray

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In response to the title of this thread…

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“What about my options?” :grin:

Spontaneous combustion or donuts!

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  • What happens when you drop the light? Can the material cause sparks when it hits other materials in the environment?
  • Are there parts of the light that can degrade over time and expose critical components/material/substances?
  • Can any material of the light react with the atmosphere?
  • Does the light heat up?
  • Will it heat up, cause flames or sparks when something inside fails, like the battery?
  • Does it produces static electricity? Is it ESD safe?

There are so many things to consider. I’m sure the standard contains a list. Someone has to take the responsibility and certify the light.

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In my opinion “most” would be pretty safe.
Let’s go back in history a little bit when signs were telling you “don’t use cell phone while pumping gas” or “turn off cell phone”
at gas/petrol pumps/stations. Safety and fire related agencies and some gasoline companies around the world thought this was an issue. It may have started in Australia? They have all mostly backed off from from this position. And gasoline stations in the US are no longer posting those signs.
They initially thought that the phone ringing could cause a spark. And early phones had batteries that could pop out of the back housing if you dropped it.
But there are no documented cases of a phone ever causing a fire at a gas station.
However all of my phones for the past 12 years do have a label on the back that says they meet:

Class 1, Division 2, Group A-D, T4.
These are various hazardous classifications.

Almost all intrinsically certified flashlights are plastic.
But it’s not just about Sparks it’s also about heat so most of them are not very powerful as far as lumens.
So I would say if your flashlight can be dunked under water and not have water intrusion and you avoid turbo you’re going to be pretty safe.

There is more to it but again let’s go back to what they thought about cell phones.

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You showed a Cat.
All of my cats throw a pretty dang good spark when petted during the dry winter air.
Soooo, Cats are much more of a danger than your flashlight.

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Most water proof e switch lights should be fine.
If you want to be more sure use a Diving light with Hall or reed switch.

I was under the impression the rules were created for the early brick-sized phones which used relays and, theoretically, could create a spark.

All very hypothetical at best and modern phones obviously don’t have the same circuitry so it’s a moot point.

That said, I’d think the signs are still required to encourage people to pay attention to what they’re doing when refulling.

This is interesting, my Samsung A55 and A56 have no such ratings, when searching “Class 1, Division 2, Group A-D, T4 cell phone” I only get specialised phones with certification.

Given the cost and liability involved with providing this certification, I would be surprised if it’s done “as standard” by many manufacturers.