Hello everyone,
My wife and I are currently building a single-family house, which is still in the shell stage (masonry). During our last visit to the construction site, I noticed something inside one of the insulation cavities of the bricks that looked at first like a pen.
After pulling the supposed pen out of the insulation cavity of the exterior wall brick, we realized that apparently one of the masons had tried to dispose of his (most likely empty) single-use e-cigarette (vape) inside the brick.
The brick contains a fine, wool-like filling made of "pure softwood fibers." Since the construction has been ongoing for several weeks now, my wife and I are concerned that the e-cigarette we found might be just one of several.
Do these pose a fire hazard or any other risks? The scenarios we are imagining include the battery leaking or exploding after several years, which, combined with the softwood fibers, could quickly lead to a fire hazard… or accidental drilling into the vape when fixtures are installed in the masonry years later.
How should we raise this issue with the construction company? Is this just a minor issue and we are worrying unnecessarily, or is our concern justified?
Thank you very much and best regards
My wife and I are currently building a single-family house, which is still in the shell stage (masonry). During our last visit to the construction site, I noticed something inside one of the insulation cavities of the bricks that looked at first like a pen.
After pulling the supposed pen out of the insulation cavity of the exterior wall brick, we realized that apparently one of the masons had tried to dispose of his (most likely empty) single-use e-cigarette (vape) inside the brick.
The brick contains a fine, wool-like filling made of "pure softwood fibers." Since the construction has been ongoing for several weeks now, my wife and I are concerned that the e-cigarette we found might be just one of several.
Do these pose a fire hazard or any other risks? The scenarios we are imagining include the battery leaking or exploding after several years, which, combined with the softwood fibers, could quickly lead to a fire hazard… or accidental drilling into the vape when fixtures are installed in the masonry years later.
How should we raise this issue with the construction company? Is this just a minor issue and we are worrying unnecessarily, or is our concern justified?
Thank you very much and best regards
W
WilderSueden1 Oct 2023 08:23The garbage will be covered up later by the landscaping contractor, so everyone can convince themselves that everything is fine 😉
I would also recommend avoiding making a loud scene with the masons. Unless you have the build of someone like Markus Rühl, they probably won’t take you seriously. And who knows how well they will work afterward.
I would raise the issue in writing with the general contractor/developer and leave it at that. Maybe they even have a good relationship with the masons and can get the problem resolved.
I would raise the issue in writing with the general contractor/developer and leave it at that. Maybe they even have a good relationship with the masons and can get the problem resolved.