Topic: Fire Extinguishers

[Jeffy]

I saw Jeep post this picture the other day and I thought. "wow, that looks expensive" when I saw the fire extinguisher.  I looked it up and it's $197 for that setup with mount.  The kicker is it's a 1lbs fire extinguisher.  Ok it's HalGuard but stll.  I saw you can buy a HalGuard 5 lbs fire extinguisher for $210.  So that's 5 times bigger for $10 more.  It's crazy what some people will spend money on.  I bet they saw it in Quadratec since that's where I saw it too.

[sharpxmen]

unless they have a second one by the front seats it's pretty silly to have it all the way in the back to be honest.

[Jeffy]

unless they have a second one by the front seats it's pretty silly to have it all the way in the back to be honest.

I'm sure it will run out well before the fire does anyway so it's fine back there.

[sharpxmen]

so you're saying it's more of a fashion statement

[Jeffy]

so you're saying it's more of a fashion statement

Well, I would carry no less then a 2.5 lbs fire extinguisher and optimally, I'd go with a 5 lbs.  If things are really flaming you need to get as much suppression on there before it all goes up.  I've seen guy's lose everything because they ran out of suppressant.  The fire's almost out and the extinguishers empty and it builds back up again.

[chardrc]

I've been thinking of getting a fire extinguisher for my jeep. what are you guys running. i don't want to have a monster of a can taking up all my space but also don't want to be left with an empty can and the fire still going.

[neale_rs]

Mine is an ABC dry chem. The Cold Fire ones are probably the best to have in a Jeep.

[dwtaylorpdx]

+1 for Cold Fire,, you can recharge them yourself and the water base is great for cooling down the stuff that gets hot with a engine fire.

Dave

[Jeffy]

Well, here's some stuff I've come across.

Small cans are good for getting small fires.  Stuff like smoldering wires under the dash that haven't flamed.  For that sort of thing though you want the extinguishers close by not at the back of the Jeep.  You can to get these ASAP before they are allowed to get big.  But also keep in mind that some like Halon displaces air so you do not want to start using it while moving in an enclosed vehicle.  I'd be wary of any of the aerosol style extinguishers though.  They lack any type of gauge so you can't tell if they are in fact ready to go.  I've heard of several instances where some cans were with little or no pressure.

I've also heard there is a worry with magnesium in cars.  When it gets hot and is quickly cooled you get get an explosion.

So water and AFFF (foams) would be a problem.  The magnesium attaches itself to the Oxygen and releases the Hydrogen which ignites.  The transfer case on some NP/NVG are magnesium from what I've heard.  Though the Jeep's should be aluminum.  I've heard some BW's are still magnesium in early 2000's GM's.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/qU6arBcC8nQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/qU6arBcC8nQ</a>

If you have a Dry Chem, be sure to shake it up once in a while.  The dry bits can and do settle though I've never seem it happen to one in a car.  They use  sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3, baking soda), potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3, nearly identical to baking soda), or monoammonium phosphate ((NH4)H2PO4).   They all will make metal corrode or rust if not cleaned up.

I've heard that Halon or the new stuff. (Halon is a CFC) can damage engines if ingested.  Then again if you have a fire, I think that's the least of your worries.  I think in most cases it's going to be an electrical fire.  No backfiring carbs to worry about with our EFI.

Some guy's seem to say you could carry a 20lbs fire extinguisher.  I think that's a bit crazy but if you have the room why not.

[Jeffy]

So it looks like you can get a CO2 fire extinguisher for less then an Halguard and it will be rechargeable. One interesting factoid I found was that Halon and CO2 fire extinguishers aren't one shot deals like Dry Chem.  With the Dry Chem, once you start using it, it's finished whether it still has some pressure or not.

Kidde 466180 Pro 5 CD Fire Extinguisher is a BC and about $150.  That's $50+ less then a Halguard.  I've also heard people are using their PowerTanks.

Seems like CO2 might be good for an electrical fire and then get a Dry Chem for camp and as a supliment if things don't go as planned.

[sharpxmen]

i'm not an expert but just by common sense I'd say any gas based F/E will require constant flow to keep the fire at bay (and enough flow for that matter to displace all air containing oxygen surrounding the fire) whereas a chemical one would cover the area sealing and keepin the oxygen away from the flammable material or fluid (so once you cover a certain area you could focus on the next one, where with the CO2 or halon based you'd need to keep a constant flow until all ares are estinguished so i think it is more suitable for a localized fire where a blast of gas can put it out).

[Jeffy]

i'm not an expert but just by common sense I'd say any gas based F/E will require constant flow to keep the fire at bay (and enough flow for that matter to displace all air containing oxygen surrounding the fire) whereas a chemical one would cover the area sealing and keepin the oxygen away from the flammable material or fluid (so once you cover a certain area you could focus on the next one, where with the CO2 or halon based you'd need to keep a constant flow until all ares are estinguished so i think it is more suitable for a localized fire where a blast of gas can put it out).

Well the Dry Chem does prevent reflash.  But like I said, you won't want to be having to clean Dry Chem off your engine in the middle of nowhere.  If you've ever had to use drychem, you know it leaves a huge mess.  If the area is wet then you're dealing with a corrosive paste that's a real PITA.  I wouldn't want to have to work on an engine after it's been hit with drychem.  There's a reason why computer rooms do not have drychem fire extinguishers in them.   I think most racing bodies (SCCA, NHRA, FIA) have moved from Halon to FE-36(Halguard) to AFFF.  I wouldn't mind running an AFFF but it's hard to find.  It can be used charged too.  Kiddie used to make an AFFF for hose use.

[dwtaylorpdx]

Most race tracks use cold fire and CO2.

I still use a on-board Halon on formula cars, it will fill the cavities and stop the fire instantly..
Cold fire is replacing halon in most motorsports.

You can also add foaming agents to water based extinguishers to create a thermal barrier very very effective.

Dave

[Jeffy]

Most race tracks use cold fire and CO2.

I still use a on-board Halon on formula cars, it will fill the cavities and stop the fire instantly..
Cold fire is replacing halon in most motorsports.

You can also add foaming agents to water based extinguishers to create a thermal barrier very very effective.

Dave

Cold fire specifically of AFFF in general?

I actually originally wanted to run AFFF.  Kidde used to make a 2Ltr bottle but I haven't been able to find it anywhere.  I heard they redid the product.

I've also found this:  http://www.k1racegear.com/2-4-litre-hand-held-afff-fire-extinguisher.html

http://www.spa-uk.co.uk/(S(drdbvc24ku1zomeox0lxwspd))/design/handheldfireextinguishers/default.aspx


Cold Fire's website kinda sucks.  This other site says the 2Ltr is about the same as a 5# Dry Chem.

http://www.shop.coldfiresoutheast.com/2-Liter-Cold-Fire-Extinguisher-Non-Winterized-CFSE2L.htm
http://www.shop.coldfiresoutheast.com/4-Liter-Cold-Fire-Extinguisher-with-Foam-Hose-NW-CFSE4LH.htm

They also have a 2.5 Gallon tank that comes empty.  I guess you pay a premium for the polished tanks.  No mention of how much concentrate you need.

Do you fill them with distilled water then pressurize with air?  Only the red one mentions a schrader valve.