Vehicle Fire Extinguisher

[gobi_recon]

So in the past i've been pretty bad at just grabbing whatever fire extinguisher was at the local walmart or auto parts store. With my new jeep build I have been looking into a quality fire extinguisher.

Whats everybody running? I keep coming back to the H3R Performance HG250R which is an agentless fire extinguisher.

 

[Mike W]

Some good threads on this around already, check those out. https://www.overlandbound.com/forums/threads/overland-safety-fire-extinguishers.331

 

[Corbet]

Good info in that thread.

Get a clean agent. If you ever have to use it you'll be happy you did. Keep a small one in reach of your driver's seat and a larger one with cargo but easily accessible. Seconds count.

 

[gobi_recon]

Yea, i'm trying to find a list of who else makes a clean agent other than hal guard

 

[Corbet]

http://amerex-fire.com/products/halotron-i-clean-agent-extinguishers/

 

[wrath0r]

Good info in that thread.

Get a clean agent. If you ever have to use it you'll be happy you did. Keep a small one in reach of your driver's seat and a larger one with cargo but easily accessible. Seconds count.

What sizes do you suggest?

 

[Renegade]

What sizes do you suggest?

I have 2 2.5lbs

 

[Corbet]

What sizes do you suggest?

The bigger the better but cost and available space is always a factor.

I'd say a 2.5lb in reach of the driver's seat if possible. And a 5lb backup unit in the cargo area but still very easily accessible.

 

[Flipper]

A good tip for fire extinguisher maintenance, take it out of the bracket and shake it hard. Driving and vibration packs the powder to the bottom and they will not work correctly. I do this once or twice a year.

 

[Corbet]

Dry Chem (powder) extinguishers should not be mounted vertical but horizontally to reduce this. pdf attached with more info. I still say Dry Chem units are a poor choice but better than nothing.

 

[Railman]

Also, make sure they are properly mounted with the pin inserted securely. You don't want an accidental discharge. The dry chem is highly corrosive. I use to be a fire extinguisher tech. While driving down the road one day I had a unit fall over and discharge. My truck cab was open to the back and quickly filled up with with the dry chem making visibility next to nothing. Not to mention the stuff does not taste good. Any thing with a cooling fan like an inverter will suck up the chem and soon fail.

Another couple of points to mention on this here is that a 2-1/2# FE only has a couple seconds of discharge in it (15-20). I always recommend a 5# is space allows.

Take a look at the unit you are purchasing. The more inexpensive units have a plastic valve. While you can get these cheaper these are a one and done unit as most places will not recharge these units. My suggestions is to spend a couple more dollars and get a metal valve unite that can be recharged if needed. One little squirt of the chemical is usually enough to coat the valve stem and cause the rest of the nitrogen to escape leaving the unit with no charge. So the rule of thumb if you use it either replace it or recharge it. These units also need be hydro tested every so many years (can't remember the exact # any more) to ensure the housing are still up to specs for the pressures .

Lots of good info in the above link. Most should read it. I conducted many classes on how to use a FE and majority of the time people did not know how to operate the unit. Now put them in a panic situation and that becomes even worse.

 

[Teague]

I recently used a 2.5lb extinguisher to put out a vehicle fire. It worked but if the fire had been any bigger I would have been SOL as there was no reserve left in the extinguisher when I was done. If you only get one get at least a 5lb.

 

[The Traveling Shepherd]

So this is what I've found regarding dry chem --
Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate dry chemical is also called "regular dry chemical". In addition to
effectiveness on class B and C fires, it will have some effect on the flaming stages of a
class A fire but no effect on the ember or deep seated stages of a class A fire. When
used with common cooking greases it will react with the hot grease to form a thick foam
through a process known as "saponification". The foam created by saponification will act
much like other fire fighting foams but does not have the cooling effect of wet chemical
and is no longer considered effective for use on Class K fires. Sodium bicarbonate dry
chemical is alkaline in nature and will not cause corrosion during normal use.

Potassium Bicarbonate - "Purple-K"
Potassium bicarbonate or "purple-K" dry chemical was developed by the U.S. Naval
Research Lab, precluding the use of the term "Purple-K" as a Trade Name. It was
discovered that the salts of potassium were far more effective on flammable liquid fires
compared with the salts of sodium. Claims of the effectiveness of potassium
bicarbonate agents range from 50% to 100% more effective on flammable liquid fires
when compared to sodium bicarbonate. Potassium bicarbonate is also alkaline in
nature, has similar abilities to saponify when used on hot cooking grease, but like
sodium bicarbonate, it lacks the cooling capability of wet chemical and is no longer the
agent of choice for Class K fires. Purple -K will not cause corrosion under most uses.

Monoammonium Phosphate
Monoammonium Phosphate or "ABC" or "Multi-Purpose" Dry Chemical differs from
potassium bicarbonate or sodium bicarbonate in that it is acidic in nature. In addition to
similar effectiveness on class B and C fires when compared to sodium bicarbonate,
monoammonium phosphate has unique effectiveness on class A fires. When it contacts
the burning surface of an ordinary combustible, a molten residue (metaphosphoric acid)
is formed. This residue coats the burning ember and excludes oxygen. Monoammonium
phosphate will not saponify when used on hot cooking grease and will cause corrosion if
not thoroughly removed from most surfaces