4th of July fireworks and safety

[Gator Hazard]

4th of July is approaching and I wanted to start a thread about fireworks and safety. As many do, we have always enjoyed lighting our own fireworks which includes mortars. Last year we bought Excalibur mortar shells and let me say, they are very impressive. At the same time they can pose a serious threat of injury and even death. 

I became concerned last year when while following the instructions of placing tube on flat ground (we had a very large piece of wood board out in back yard close to fairway-everyone does this and we cleaned up our mess) and lighting mortars. The shot was so powerful that it literally flipped the tubes after discharge. I had never had this happen before using other mortars of the same size. I then thought to put the tubes in 5 gallon plastic painters tubs so they could not fall over and fire in a dangerous way but want to take additional precautions this year because they would still flip up and over after discharge  

I don't want to rent a rack but one idea I have is to take the paint buckets, put mortar tube in and then partially bury the tubes by filling up about half way with sand. I have about five buckets so more than enough. The tubes are the high grade tubes but I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this and what they did. This year we bought the stores equivalent to Excaliburs (same company just puts their store label on them. They guaranteed me I would be pleased) and now they have an even bigger 5 inch shell out. Of course, being the pyromaniac that I am, I bought a box of those too. 

Looking to put on a fun and safe show for guests, family, and kids. I pride myself on being safe on the 4th and I just want to make sure I don't put myself into contention for a Darwin Award so any advice or experiences would be awesome. 

Here is what we are shooting this year:

 

[newtogolf]

I leave fireworks to the professionals, I'm enjoy having 10 fingers and 2 hands.  Our country club hires Grucci to put on a great show for us, which is far better and safer than anything I could provide even if I was inclined to do so.  

[Elrey Desol]

5 hours ago, Gator Hazard said:

4th of July is approaching and I wanted to start a thread about fireworks and safety. As many do, we have always enjoyed lighting our own fireworks which includes mortars. Last year we bought Excalibur mortar shells and let me say, they are very impressive. At the same time they can pose a serious threat of injury and even death. 

I became concerned last year when while following the instructions of placing tube on flat ground (we had a very large piece of wood board out in back yard close to fairway-everyone does this and we cleaned up our mess) and lighting mortars. The shot was so powerful that it literally flipped the tubes after discharge. I had never had this happen before using other mortars of the same size. I then thought to put the tubes in 5 gallon plastic painters tubs so they could not fall over and fire in a dangerous way but want to take additional precautions this year because they would still flip up and over after discharge  

I don't want to rent a rack but one idea I have is to take the paint buckets, put mortar tube in and then partially bury the tubes by filling up about half way with sand. I have about five buckets so more than enough. The tubes are the high grade tubes but I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this and what they did. This year we bought the stores equivalent to Excaliburs (same company just puts their store label on them. They guaranteed me I would be pleased) and now they have an even bigger 5 inch shell out. Of course, being the pyromaniac that I am, I bought a box of those too. 

Looking to put on a fun and safe show for guests, family, and kids. I pride myself on being safe on the 4th and I just want to make sure I don't put myself into contention for a Darwin Award so any advice or experiences would be awesome.

probably goes w/out saying: make sure you have buckets of water and fire extinguisher(s) on hand for any homegrown firework displays.

have fun. be safe.

[gregsandiego]

How much land do you have?
How far away are your guests when you do this?

[jamo]

I've always been irrationally (or maybe rationally) fearful of being near fireworks, so I usually avoid them. I enjoy watching from a distance or on TV. 

It's still kind of weird seeing them in grocery stores in CT after growing up in MA, where they're illegal. 

[Gator Hazard]

1 hour ago, gregsandiego said:

How much land do you have?
How far away are your guests when you do this?

We have a third of an acre with a large backyard that is on golf course. Everyone takes their stuff out to rough of golf course and does it there. Plenty of room for safe distance.  We have been doing these for a long time just not with the power that they have in these specific shells  

A large part of the reason for my post was that I am wondering if anyone has ever done what I was proposing which is to bury half the mortars in sand. I don't think it's an issue but was curious if anybody knows. 

[billchao]

I knew a kid growing up with 6 fingers... total. He blew his left hand up with fireworks at some point in his life. They're dangerous and not even just for fire safety. I remember once a bottle rocket misfired at a friend's house and it hit a woman in the eye.

They're illegal in NJ but nobody gets in trouble around the 4th. I leave them to the professionals and satisfy my inner pyromaniac by grilling or lighting the fire pit.

@Gator Hazard, IMO, safety is paramount. If you have any concerns at all, pony up for the rack.

[Buckeyebowman]

Back in the day, the pros would just use a post hole digger, make a hole in the ground and put the mortar at the bottom of it. No problem! But, I don't think the golf course would take very kindly to this happening in their rough. So, the sand in the 5 gallon bucket sounds like a good idea. Maybe wet the sand down a little to make it heavier.

Here's another thing to consider. When I go out to the rifle range to shoot my 30.06, a pre-'64, Winchester Featherweight btw (rifle afficionados will appreciate this), it packs a punch! But, no matter how much the muzzle, scope, or anything else moves after the shot is touched off, that bullet hits where I was aimed!

The same is true with your fireworks, unless there's a manufacturing defect involved. I have seen a mortar, in a professional display, go off in the ground! This happened exactly once in my life, and I am now 63 so that gives you some idea of how rarely it happens. Still, it's a great reason to have water and fire extinguishers on hand.

I love fireworks! Both watching them and setting them off! But then I had an Uncle that we called "Uncle Pyro", because he loved making bonfires and setting off fireworks!

[Gator Hazard]

8 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Back in the day, the pros would just use a post hole digger, make a hole in the ground and put the mortar at the bottom of it. No problem! But, I don't think the golf course would take very kindly to this happening in their rough. So, the sand in the 5 gallon bucket sounds like a good idea. Maybe wet the sand down a little to make it heavier.

Here's another thing to consider. When I go out to the rifle range to shoot my 30.06, a pre-'64, Winchester Featherweight btw (rifle afficionados will appreciate this), it packs a punch! But, no matter how much the muzzle, scope, or anything else moves after the shot is touched off, that bullet hits where I was aimed!

The same is true with your fireworks, unless there's a manufacturing defect involved. I have seen a mortar, in a professional display, go off in the ground! This happened exactly once in my life, and I am now 63 so that gives you some idea of how rarely it happens. Still, it's a great reason to have water and fire extinguishers on hand.

I love fireworks! Both watching them and setting them off! But then I had an Uncle that we called "Uncle Pyro", because he loved making bonfires and setting off fireworks!

I have thought about wetting the sand down, the tubes are supposed to tear ifthey do fail instead of blowing apart. I was wondering if wetting the sand would make it more explosive if by chance shell did go off in the tube. I know the vast majority of the force will just go out the top of the tube but worry about compact sand. Probably overthinking it. 

I do have additional buckets for water, an extra long garden hose, and a fire extinguisher. Probably going to pick up some extra fuse and connectors as well. 

I have never had any real issues with fireworks except who lights them. One year a neighbors friend put a mortar in the tube upside down. Great to see that the tubes hold up and force goes out the top but he was an idiot or an asshole or both for doing that. He did it twice. My family was in driveway behind two parked cars with big golf umbrellas but I still was not happy and made mention of it. Another time one individual didn't think clearly and was lighting multiple bottle rockets out of a long pvc pipe directly over the cache of fireworks and sparks were sprinkling down into it. This was a 40 something adult. Amazing how people can lose their common sense around these things at times. 

They are fun and exciting but they have to be respected. I think I will use the sand and see if it is heavy enough on its own. If not it is very easy to add some water. 

Edited June 27, 2016 by Gator Hazard

[Lihu]

On 6/25/2016 at 0:32 PM, Gator Hazard said:

4th of July is approaching and I wanted to start a thread about fireworks and safety. As many do, we have always enjoyed lighting our own fireworks which includes mortars. Last year we bought Excalibur mortar shells and let me say, they are very impressive. At the same time they can pose a serious threat of injury and even death. 

I became concerned last year when while following the instructions of placing tube on flat ground (we had a very large piece of wood board out in back yard close to fairway-everyone does this and we cleaned up our mess) and lighting mortars. The shot was so powerful that it literally flipped the tubes after discharge. I had never had this happen before using other mortars of the same size. I then thought to put the tubes in 5 gallon plastic painters tubs so they could not fall over and fire in a dangerous way but want to take additional precautions this year because they would still flip up and over after discharge  

I don't want to rent a rack but one idea I have is to take the paint buckets, put mortar tube in and then partially bury the tubes by filling up about half way with sand. I have about five buckets so more than enough. The tubes are the high grade tubes but I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this and what they did. This year we bought the stores equivalent to Excaliburs (same company just puts their store label on them. They guaranteed me I would be pleased) and now they have an even bigger 5 inch shell out. Of course, being the pyromaniac that I am, I bought a box of those too. 

Looking to put on a fun and safe show for guests, family, and kids. I pride myself on being safe on the 4th and I just want to make sure I don't put myself into contention for a Darwin Award so any advice or experiences would be awesome. 

Here is what we are shooting this year:

 

Nice assortment! What does the "Sweet Home Alabama" one do? The first guitar riffs?

What's the difference between the two types of firecrackers? The little red ones look funny as opposed to the wrapped ones to the left of them?

Are the 5 inch shells used in PVC tubes, or are they complete?

Also, those silver jets really bring back memories. . .

[Gator Hazard]

34 minutes ago, Lihu said:

Nice assortment! What does the "Sweet Home Alabama" one do? The first guitar riffs?

What's the difference between the two types of firecrackers? The little red ones look funny as opposed to the wrapped ones to the left of them?

Are the 5 inch shells used in PVC tubes, or are they complete?

Also, those silver jets really bring back memories. . .

Sweet Home Alabama is a multiple shot and fountain 300 gram cake that comes as part of an assortment I bought (I would not have bought a confederate flag firework of my own choosing). 

The little red ones are just firecrackers whereas I also have packs of ladyfingers 40 per string and then the other packages are jumping jacks. The jumping jacks are not the ones I remember from my youth that would really whizz around in the air. 

Both the 5 Inch and the other mortar's tubes are made of High Density Polyethalyne (HDPE). HDPE tubes are constructed to tear apart should a mortar round go off in it and cause a breach. PVC is brittle and should never be used for mortars as it can shatter and send shrapnel flying. Go to YouTube and search Excalibur mortar fireworks and you will see that they are 24 individual charge shells that you load manually  

Its going to be fun. I've been reconsidering my strategy and may put four long screws through the base of the mortar tubes into the large plywood I have and then put a few more mortars in the tubs with sand. I want to be able to send some off at same time and buckets may make that difficult. I'm also going to go buy some extra fuse and connectors so can do that to make things safer and the bucket or two I don't use can hold water for extra water if necessary. 

Edited July 1, 2016 by Gator Hazard

[Dave2512]

On ‎6‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 2:05 PM, newtogolf said:

I leave fireworks to the professionals, I'm enjoy having 10 fingers and 2 hands.  Our country club hires Grucci to put on a great show for us, which is far better and safer than anything I could provide even if I was inclined to do so.  

Same and I have no interest in the smaller designed for home use stuff. Typically I shut all windows and doors and watch the Boston Pops.

[Golfingdad]

I've pretty much always lived somewhere where fireworks are illegal (every municipality in Cali is different) so I rarely use them.  When I have gone places where they were legal, it was very underwhelming, because the "safe and sane" ones aren't terribly exciting.  Certainly not compared to the professional ones.

For the last few years, we go to a friends house in Anaheim Hills who has a nice view of a few different professional shows from their backyard.  And the kids light a few sparklers. :)

[Gator Hazard]

24 minutes ago, Golfingdad said:

I've pretty much always lived somewhere where fireworks are illegal (every municipality in Cali is different) so I rarely use them.  When I have gone places where they were legal, it was very underwhelming, because the "safe and sane" ones aren't terribly exciting.  Certainly not compared to the professional ones.

For the last few years, we go to a friends house in Anaheim Hills who has a nice view of a few different professional shows from their backyard.  And the kids light a few sparklers. :)

That used to be true but what you can buy and set off anymore is actually pretty cool. It's changed a lot

[Gator Hazard]

Preparing for tomorrow night. Put together a few combos with extra fuse and masking tape. I have eight tubes total so going to screw six into the board in two pairs of three on the corners. I also put two tubes in 5 gallon buckets and filled halfway up with sand. 

Today is my mother in laws 60th birthday so after dinner and dessert we just test fired three shots in the sand filled buckets. They were awesome, love the fireworks they sell nowadays. The tubes in the sand buckets performed perfectly with no movement at all. 

[JonMA1]

I wouldn't mind the fireworks at all if my neighbors would stick to setting them off on the 4th and maybe the day before and after. Unfortunately, it goes on for weeks. It just gets old. It doesn't get dark until almost 10 up here. 

But as long as they stay within the ordinances (and they do), it's no different than me running my chainsaw to cut firewood.

I just hope they practice safety around their kids and consider the fire hazards when conditions are dry.

[newtogolf]

2 minutes ago, JonMA1 said:

I wouldn't mind the fireworks at all if my neighbors would stick to setting them off on the 4th and maybe the day before and after. Unfortunately, it goes on for weeks. It just gets old. It doesn't get dark until almost 10 up here. 

But as long as they stay within the ordinances (and they do), it's no different than me running my chainsaw to cut firewood.

I just hope they practice safety around their kids and consider the fire hazards when conditions are dry.

I wouldn't care as long as they stop by 12, but my one dog gets panicked when she hears fireworks so it's been a rough week.  We have to give her a mild sedative the days leading up to the 4th and after just so she doesn't give herself a heart attack.  

[iacas]

3 minutes ago, newtogolf said:

I wouldn't care as long as they stop by 12, but my one dog gets panicked when she hears fireworks so it's been a rough week.  We have to give her a mild sedative the days leading up to the 4th and after just so she doesn't give herself a heart attack.  

I just read that more pets go missing on the 4th of July than any other day of the year.

I don't know… fireworks never really did much for me. Once you've seen one you've seen them all, and I take little to no personal satisfaction from setting off my own fireworks. I get the appeal if you have kids, but yeah, in that case… be super safe, please, tonight and the following few days.