Fire extinguishers

[glenn in camino]

My fire extinguisher gauges register in the green. Does that mean that they're still ok, or should they be recharged every year?

[1930artdeco]

as long as you are in the green you should be good to go. Nothing should have leaked out, if thy are really old then you can have them checked out.

Mike

[Jerry in Shasta]

I know the Fire Marshall's office comes around about once a year checking the dates on our extinguishers.

If you are using a powder type extinguisher I would suggest looking into a Halon or CO-2 type. The powder type are not generally very effective against electrical or gas fires, unless it is rated as A. B. C.. This rating is for all types of fires.

Just my W.A.G at the question

[TDO]

If your using the powder type, the powder will clog in the bottom, you need to turn it upside down ever so often to keep the powder from cloging up.

[1crosscut]

Originally Posted by TDO

If your using the powder type, the powder will clog in the bottom, you need to turn it upside down ever so often to keep the powder from cloging up.

Good advice but at the same time give it a couple three whacks with a rubber mallet while upside down.
Once a year and you are good to go.

[twilder]

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I am a firefighter in Kentucky, and all the previous posts are correct. As long as you are in the green you should be ok. It is a good idea, as a previous poster pointed out, to turn it upside down occasionally to loosen the powder. You should have them checked annually if possible, no longer than every five years. Be sure you have an "ABC" type extinguisher.

[SeaSlugs]

how can you tell if the water type that are gaugeless are still holding pressure?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by SeaSlugs

how can you tell if the water type that are gaugeless are still holding pressure?

Dog here, I know thet one: Jist give it a little PFFFT, or a little PSSST,or however you spel it
Buster T.

[QGolden]

Some of the "water" type are really soda acid activated. Turning them upside down activates the process. I recommend CO2 around old cars. Although the dry chem will do the job, it makes a hell of a mess, even on a small fire. CO2 does no collateral damage.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by QGolden

Some of the "water" type are really soda acid activated. Turning them upside down activates the process. I recommend CO2 around old cars. Although the dry chem will do the job, it makes a hell of a mess, even on a small fire. CO2 does no collateral damage.

I couldn't agree more.
It's also very corrosive and anything it touches rusts right away.

I use a 3 liter pop bottle with an 1/8" hole in the cap. You'd be surprised at how much fire it can put out, and doesn't make the chemical mess, plus it's free.

[QGolden]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

I use a 3 liter pop bottle with an 1/8" hole in the cap. You'd be surprised at how much fire it can put out, and doesn't make the chemical mess, plus it's free.

Tom,
If you add a couple of generous tablespoons of Dawn dish washing soap to that 3 liter bottle fire extinguisher, you will have a pretty good homemade extinguisher full of what we used to call a "Slippery Water". Which is not unlike the Aqueous Foam that Firetrucks spray on the Runway at a crash site. It will work better on a fuel fire than water alone. (I am a former Fireman as well.)

[CarlG]

2.5 or 5 Lb Halon

[Mitch//pa]

i carry this around for such an emergency
non corrosive h2o

[nhusa]

Mitch - You need to be careful with that chemical.
It contains Hydrogen that can be explosive and Oxygen that supports combustion. When mixed correctly (more than 6% oxygen in hydrogen) it is considered to be unsafe by the National Fire Protection Agency.

For you guys that use Sodium Chloride - that is also unsafe!
Sodium (Na) is a metal that combusts when exposed to water.
Chlorine (Cl) is usually used as a bleach when mixed with 94 to 97% water and is deadly to biological organisms. When in the gaseous form it will kill everything.

To the Model A hobbyist- This is a dangerous hobby
It can empty your wallet, upset your neighbors, or result in a broken home.
There are reports of men getting grease on their hands that is almost impossible to remove.
There are also numerous cases where men spend every free minute of their time and even stay up all night trying to find just one "special" part for their car.
In extreme cases they lapse into a trance when thinking about the vehicle they did not purchase.

Note: Model T hobbyist are as bad or worse.
It is completely hopeless when they have a T and an A.
If any of you are in the A & T category I am available to help.
All you need to do is send me one of your vehicles and everything will be OKey Dokey

[ronn]

QGolden-

a quick history lesson-don't know if you are aware, but the guy who invented Dawn is a car guy who invented Dawn while working at P and G
he attempted to create a colloidal cleaner for engines and failed-that's how Dawn was created
P and G thought it good enough for dishes-needless to say, he is a very wealthy man and also invented Fabreze. He has a warehouse with over 180 chopper motorcycles very near to my neck of the woods........
He now sells cleaners to HD

[H. L. Chauvin]

Fire extinguishers are regulated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) which has numerous different manuals concerning life safety, sprinkler systems, electrical requirements, storage requirements for hazardous & non-hazardous materials, etc., all referenced by Fire Marshals, where all of the NFPA manuals could occupy about 12 - 14 linear feet of book shelves.

Then they are all tied in with the separate Underwriters Laboratories, (UL).

If anyone knew what was in all of these NFPA manuals 5-6 years ago, believe me, this person is now a complete dinosaur compared to all of the changes that come out often -- NFPA changes about equal the IRS changes for every household & every business or enterprise.

Even though requirements for numbers of fire extinguishers & travel distance to fire extinguishers are listed in NFPA 101, actual individual fire extinguisher requirements are mostly found in their little NFPA 10 manual.

Cars are not required to carry fire extinguishers but commercial vehicles are required to carry fire extinguishers with UL ratings of 5 BC ........... & 10 BC if transporting hazardous materials.

The B symbol is for extinguishing grease, gasoline etc., materials, & the C symbol is for extinguishing electrical fires.

Commercial buildings are required to have a minimum of UL rated 5A-10-BC, with 5 pound capacity. I think soda type fire extinguishers are obsolete as well as many other types used years ago.

If interested in what really works, the most effective, & how to maintain same, one can read "latest" testing & maintenance requirement in NFPA 10 published by fire extinguisher manufacturers like J. L. Industries, Kidde, Larsen, Potter Roemer; or call one of these guys -- like the IRS employees, the NFPA employees will make sure the NFPA requirements change often -- especially after some new different fire accident.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by ronn

QGolden-

a quick history lesson-don't know if you are aware, but the guy who invented Dawn is a car guy who invented Dawn while working at P and G
he attempted to create a colloidal cleaner for engines and failed-that's how Dawn was created
P and G thought it good enough for dishes-needless to say, he is a very wealthy man and also invented Fabreze. He has a warehouse with over 180 chopper motorcycles very near to my neck of the woods........
He now sells cleaners to HD

It's really surprising how many "inventions" were really just mistakes made trying to invent something else. Two of these are "Post-it" notes, and the throw-away face mask breather.

[lnvmyrick]

I own a fire extinguisher business and a 31 RPU. Most of the posts are close. The bottom line is...if you are going to depend on the fire extinguisher have it serviced. Most service companies will not fool around servicing a cheap or plastic valved unit because the
plastic threads and it could rupture in the process. Purchase a good unit and have it serviced at least every 2=3 years. Most states only require the service company to fully tear down the extinguisher every 6 years to recertify it. My concern for the Model A guys is that I have seen vibration solidly compact a dry chemical unit so bad it was not even rechargeable. Halon type/ clean agent fire extinguishers are not as effective at a distance (5-6ft) and using outdoors was even worse. A good dry chemical could save your A. (no pun intended) Even though they make a mess (can be washed off) they are very effective for flammables /oil, grease, gasoline. Usually depending on proper training... most everyone uses the whole thing in one shot....instead, of short blasts between flare-ups. Most importantly a larger sized 5# is the wisest choice. You'll have enough chemical to initially knockdown the flames and enough to give additional short blasts there after if required. Always remember to have the unit refilled after usage. Even though the unit still has chemical in it..... Most dry chemical units will leak-down pressure within hours of usage. A good unit with a metal valve can be purchased at many discount stores, however check for the mfg date.
All licensed extinguisher sales companies are required to sell a unit of same year mfg.

[lnvmyrick]

I have a small clean agent extinguisher I'll use first if a small fire occurs, but the 5# dry-chemical is my defense unit.

PS: In the last 35 years I have used my extinguishers for someone else's fire.

XPS Most insurance companies will total a burned vehicle regardless of the amount of damage because there are not very many shops that will attempt a fire repair. Good Insurance is your first defense!
Learn the proper fire extinguisher usage and extinguisher capabilities so you do not endanger yourself or others attempting to help someone.

[lnvmyrick]

I own a fire extinguisher business and a 31 RPU. Most of the posts are close. The bottom line is...if you are going to depend on the fire extinguisher have it serviced. Most service companies will not fool around servicing a cheap or plastic valved unit because the
plastic threads and it could rupture in the process. Purchase a good unit and have it serviced at least every 2=3 years. Most states only require the service company to fully tear down the extinguisher every 6 years to recertify it. My concern for the Model A guys is that I have seen vibration solidly compact a dry chemical unit so bad it was not even rechargeable. Halon type/ clean agent fire extinguishers are not as effective at a distance (5-6ft) and using outdoors was even worse. A good dry chemical could save your A. (no pun intended) Even though they make a mess (can be washed off) they are very effective for flammables /oil, grease, gasoline. Usually depending on proper training... most everyone uses the whole thing in one shot....instead, of short blasts between flare-ups. Most importantly a larger sized 5# is the wisest choice. You'll have enough chemical to initially knockdown the flames and enough to give additional short blasts there after if required. Always remember to have the unit refilled after usage. Even though the unit still has chemical in it..... Most dry chemical units will leak-down pressure within hours of usage. A good unit with a metal valve can be purchased at many discount stores, however check for the mfg date.
All licensed extinguisher sales companies are required to sell a unit of same year mfg.