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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Or are garden mirrors a fire hazard?

26 replies

ImSoShiney · 20/04/2023 22:05

Seems such a strange thing to sell....

We're taught as kids not to leave mirrors/magnifying glasses etc outside near grass, yet every time I go for a mooch around the shops I see these 'garden mirrors', seems like a new trend, unless I've been blinkered till now.

Why would you put a mirror where it can start a fire?!

YABU- garden mirrors are fine
YANBU- it's dangerous

OP posts:
freyamay74 · 20/04/2023 22:06

Potentially, but then so are mirrors indoors if they're in the sun

MistyGreenAndBlue · 20/04/2023 22:12

They're hardly new. They've been popular for decades.
Not heard of any fires started by them either

IamaBluebird · 20/04/2023 22:19

Garden mirrors can be a hazard for birds. Saw a robin trying to fight its own reflection. They also fly into them. Only have a tiny mirror on the patio and that’s covered with flowers now .

Wenfy · 20/04/2023 22:20

Why is a garden mirror even needed?

Cluelessasacucumber · 20/04/2023 22:25

As pp said they're awful for birds, they can fly into them or get confused and attract them which causes a lot of stress.

As our summers get hotter and drier, fire risk seems completely possible. They're such a weird thing anyway, I suppous they go with the whole trend of making your garden look like an outdoor living room?

Original poster
ImSoShiney · 20/04/2023 22:58

Wenfy · 20/04/2023 22:20

Why is a garden mirror even needed?

It's not needed, It's bizarre....😂

OP posts:
Original poster
ImSoShiney · 20/04/2023 23:00

MistyGreenAndBlue · 20/04/2023 22:12

They're hardly new. They've been popular for decades.
Not heard of any fires started by them either

I'd better get out from under this rock then. It's just this year I've seen them

OP posts:
Timesawastin · 20/04/2023 23:44

ImSoShiney · 20/04/2023 22:05

Seems such a strange thing to sell....

We're taught as kids not to leave mirrors/magnifying glasses etc outside near grass, yet every time I go for a mooch around the shops I see these 'garden mirrors', seems like a new trend, unless I've been blinkered till now.

Why would you put a mirror where it can start a fire?!

YABU- garden mirrors are fine
YANBU- it's dangerous

Had mine nearly ten years. Not gone up in smoke yet. If they are on a wall they would be very unlikely to get a directed ray.

Timesawastin · 20/04/2023 23:45

ImSoShiney · 20/04/2023 22:58

It's not needed, It's bizarre....😂

Show quote history

They reflect the plants, not the people. Borders aren't needed. Nor are lawns. People like those.

5foot5 · 20/04/2023 23:51

ImSoShiney · 20/04/2023 23:00

I'd better get out from under this rock then. It's just this year I've seen them

Show quote history

Not just you. I have never seen or heard of them and I have visited garden centres more in the last 18 months than I ever have in my life (recently retired). Why does anyone have a mirror in the garden?

SalviaDivinorum · 21/04/2023 00:05

Oh I love mine. It hides an ugly concrete wall and reflects the rest of my garden onto what would be an ugly eyesore. No chance of it setting anything alight or birds flying into it

Bubblegumtea · 21/04/2023 00:10

Always wondered this too but never actually looked up the answer. I do love it when they're positioned so flowers look never ending but I'd be scared of the sun hitting the glass too.

SchoolTripDrama · 21/04/2023 00:22

They reflect light. They're good to have near partially shaded plants to provide them with additional lighting

parietal · 21/04/2023 00:25

lenses are bad because they focus the light. similarly, anything with curved glass - glass water bottle or mirror with curved edge etc. anything that concentrates the light can be a fire risk. i've seen a regular glass bottle explode from the heat of sitting in the sun for 30 mins.

an entirely flat glass mirror that does not distort or concentrate the sunlight is not a fire risk (but might annoy the birds).

WouldJudasLeaveIt · 21/04/2023 00:28

Haha I saw my first one yesterday, I was baffled 😂

PollyPeptide · 21/04/2023 00:30

Is there a problem with exploding mirrors? I've never heard of one. Surely they'd be banned if so. My friend had one which looked like a window in her wall. It was really lovely. They've been around for years.

MrsTerryPratchett · 21/04/2023 00:35

PollyPeptide · 21/04/2023 00:30

Is there a problem with exploding mirrors? I've never heard of one. Surely they'd be banned if so. My friend had one which looked like a window in her wall. It was really lovely. They've been around for years.

It's not exploding!

It's reflecting the light onto flammable things (like dry grass or wood). Ask a fire fighter. The ones I know have stories about mirrors starting fires.

EmmaEmerald · 21/04/2023 00:39

I never thought much about mirrors till a friend had one catch fire in her flat, from the sun being directly on it. Now I'm really careful with placement.

DiscoBeat · 21/04/2023 00:40

Ours is in a shady part of our garden, at the end of a woodland path. It's mostly iron though. I think in the right place they can look lovely.

ImustLearn2Cook · 21/04/2023 00:50

Are you sure that a mirror outside could be a fire hazard?

I’ve seen those round convex mirrors being used for some driveways where there is poor visibility because of walls or hedges. It’s so the the driver can see approaching pedestrians and pedestrians can see a vehicle about to exit.

I’ve never seen a hedge catch fire from one or the grass on the nature strip or beside the driveway catching fire either.

ImustLearn2Cook · 21/04/2023 00:58

Ok, I just googled the answer. This what gardening mentor says:

Garden mirrors can cause fires when they are concave and direct the sun’s rays onto a combustible material with a low flashpoint. Paraboloid mirrors are better fire-starters than spherical concave mirrors. Plane and convex mirrors won’t cause fire as they don’t concentrate the sun’s thermal energy.

https://gardeningmentor.com/can-garden-mirrors-cause-fires/

garden mirror

Can Garden Mirrors Cause Fires? (How To Make Them Safe)

When thinking of home and garden fire hazards, it’s easy to list the obvious, e.g., gas geysers, electric toasters, dried leaves, trees that extend over the house’s roof, etc. However…

https://gardeningmentor.com/can-garden-mirrors-cause-fires/

PollyPeptide · 21/04/2023 01:36

It's not exploding!
It's reflecting the light onto flammable things (like dry grass or wood). Ask a fire fighter. The ones I know have stories about mirrors starting fires.

Surely, you just put the mirrors where they don't get full sunlight. They wouldn't show well reflecting the sun anyway.

Sturnip · 21/04/2023 02:00

I’ve always loved garden mirrors for some reason.

Definitely not new, they’ve been around for decades.

RosaCaramella · 21/04/2023 02:37

I have a couple of small ones that I’ve put in north facing positions where they never get any direct sun. As precious posters have said, they can brighten up shadier parts of the garden. Mine have georgian bars to minimise bird confusion.

Alleycat1 · 21/04/2023 05:03

My ex-neighbour had one. She was constantly picking up dead/dying birds but didn't care enough to remove/move the mirror. I think this is more worrying than the very slight risk of fire.