ramenth
Gratis persona
The poll says it all.
The results will be used for an unscientific survey.
The results will be used for an unscientific survey.
fire extinguishers
- Thread starter ramenth
- Start date
-
Dustdevl340
Westie Dad & All Around Mopar Fanatic
Latched in between my front seats. I even practice unlatching and removing it so I can do it real fast if I have to. Guess I am a class - A, 100% paranoid.
yes, absoultely, 100% no reason not to carry one.
Even a small fire could take the whole car.
Even a small fire with presence of fuel will prevent EMS from rendering aid.
I'm not ready to standby helpless as a small fire from a pinhole in a fuel filter or split fuel line engulfs and totals my car.
I'm not ready to standby helpless as a small fire kills the people in the car just involved in the accident in front of me.
They are cheap, and they work. I carry a small traditional extinguisher in the drivers compartment, and two 12oz cans of coldfire in the trunk.
The coldfire can be sprayed onto fuel etc to prevent it from igniting in the first place and its what we carry for CSAR.
Its very cheap, and very impressive stuff
Industries Using Cold Fire -RDR Technologies - Cold Fire and Carbon Seal - Green Chemicals for a Safer World
Even a small fire could take the whole car.
Even a small fire with presence of fuel will prevent EMS from rendering aid.
I'm not ready to standby helpless as a small fire from a pinhole in a fuel filter or split fuel line engulfs and totals my car.
I'm not ready to standby helpless as a small fire kills the people in the car just involved in the accident in front of me.
They are cheap, and they work. I carry a small traditional extinguisher in the drivers compartment, and two 12oz cans of coldfire in the trunk.
The coldfire can be sprayed onto fuel etc to prevent it from igniting in the first place and its what we carry for CSAR.
Its very cheap, and very impressive stuff
Industries Using Cold Fire -RDR Technologies - Cold Fire and Carbon Seal - Green Chemicals for a Safer World
Just saved my *** with a engine fire, had a small household one that JUST put it out.now have a 10lb one. Electrical tape fueled it when it started. Fire resistant tape from now on. Oh yeah never use a Eddy foam air cleaner even for a temp!
Throttle cable rubbed into the wiring. Never had one before. Was the first really good run with the car was flying to shake things out, well I guess I did! The dam tape spread the fire. Just take a flame to reg electrical tape. Never again.
spl440
Everybody's Fool
I have a Halon extinguisher by the front seat. a fire would be bad enough, but the mess a regular extinguisher puts out, oh what a mess to clean up after!
Yes they are a good idea. But are are more than one class of fires and more than one class of extinguishers. Plus if not used properly they are of little use and may draw someone into a false sense of security. Your not going to discharge a extinguisher thru the fender well and put out an engine fire, the hood has to be opened. Open it wrong and get a blast in the face from the heat/flames. With the increase in the use of magnesium and it catch fire, you will never put it out and it reacts violently with the application of water. There are a multitude of different rate extinguishers, Class A ,ordinary combustibles, Class B flammable liquids, Class C electrical fires, Class D combustible metals. Most Fire Departments have classes for the public on extinguisher types and how to use them if your interested. Most fire victims die long before the flame every reaches them from breathing the by products of incomplete combustion and the super heated air they inhale. I can not tell you how many fire victims we rescued, took to the hospital and died within the next 72 hrs. They drowned in their own fluid from breathing super heated contaminated air. It is not worth your life! Cover it with good insurance and walk away. Live to build another Hot Rod!
All good points, but look at ColdFire, it might surprise you..
Shamrock--WV2NC
Well-Known Member
I worked at a fire protection company for 10 years. I'll tell ya what, Even if you only carry a 2.5 lb extinguisher it's better than nothing. Halon is clean. That's for sure. It's a little expensive. I had customers buy 2.5 lb ABC extinguishers for vehicles. There are chrome extinguishers available, and look pretty cool actually. The powder from the ABC extinguisher will leave a mess. But if it saves your ride or even a life, it's worth cleaning up
Because Halon is a CFC, production of new Halon ceased in 1994. There is no cost effective means of safely and effectively disposing of the Halon. So basically what is out there now has been around for a while now or has been recycled.
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2012
- Messages
- 7,098
- Reaction score
- 4,247
I am in the Fire suppression and detection business. What Roy says is true.
There are execeptions though. All our employes Cary ABC extinguishers and a couple have successfully extinguished cars fires for unfortunate motorists. I lost a 69 BEE in 83 that way and wish a passerby would have had one! I have always carried one since and always will. Insurance is best but having a unit handy if not for yourself but others is always a smart idea
I would have gladly cleaned the mess up if the car had been saved. By the the time the FD showed up it was gone and all I could do was to ask them not to stick the hose down the carb!
There are execeptions though. All our employes Cary ABC extinguishers and a couple have successfully extinguished cars fires for unfortunate motorists. I lost a 69 BEE in 83 that way and wish a passerby would have had one! I have always carried one since and always will. Insurance is best but having a unit handy if not for yourself but others is always a smart idea
I would have gladly cleaned the mess up if the car had been saved. By the the time the FD showed up it was gone and all I could do was to ask them not to stick the hose down the carb!
Last edited:
Shamrock--WV2NC
Well-Known Member
Halon was replaced by halotron. Suppose to be more eco friendly
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2012
- Messages
- 7,098
- Reaction score
- 4,247
Just another note to this post.
If you have not been instructed in the use of an extinguisher then you should attend a class by your local FD or trained others.
You may think it is a no brainer but effective use of it may save your or others lives.
I also lost a house to fire and have always thanked the FD for what they did save!
So much that I went through a 12 week citizen class this year that was awesome. In no way did it make us Qualified Fire Fighters but we got to experience a lot of what "They" do. Including search and rescue and extrication.
If your County or local FD puts them on, then look into it and sign up!
Graduation day was cool!
If you have not been instructed in the use of an extinguisher then you should attend a class by your local FD or trained others.
You may think it is a no brainer but effective use of it may save your or others lives.
I also lost a house to fire and have always thanked the FD for what they did save!
So much that I went through a 12 week citizen class this year that was awesome. In no way did it make us Qualified Fire Fighters but we got to experience a lot of what "They" do. Including search and rescue and extrication.
If your County or local FD puts them on, then look into it and sign up!
Graduation day was cool!
Last edited:
fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
I keep one in my car not only in case I have a fire but also if I see someone else in trouble with a fire. You just never know
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Was working on a friends 442 decades ago. Coil was laying on the intake, carb was off so fuel line was open. I had the key in my pocket. Hood was up. Was walking home from my drag racing buddies house, we swapped my buddies 850dp for something more realistic for the 442. Heard the fire whistle go off. Seen the plume of smoke coming from my neighborhood. Got to my house, car was already out. Knucklehead did not bother looking under the hood before sticking his key in the ignition. Hit the starter...well...you know what happened. Neighbor was on the fire department. Heard the call and came running. He caught Knucklehead just before he hit the fire with the garden hose...Damn lucky..Mr. Curtin got it put out, minimal damage. Had a mess to clean up...but sure beat the alternative...
71beater
Well-Known Member
I'll say YES to having an extinguisher.
I've actually had the joy(?) of stopping two vehicle fires way before they got out of hand.
On one I was working in a bicycle shop as young man, woman comes in screaming "My car's on fire!". Walk outside (w/extinguisher) to see little licks of flame coming out the louvering on the hood of her VW bug. A quick blast through the louver seemed to quell most of it, then open hood and a quick blast at what was left. Stuck a pencil in the broken fuel line. Done.
Then the fire department showed up.
Total repair? One foot of fuel line, and an hour of cleanup.
I'd take that over total loss, if she had waited for the fire department.
I've actually had the joy(?) of stopping two vehicle fires way before they got out of hand.
On one I was working in a bicycle shop as young man, woman comes in screaming "My car's on fire!". Walk outside (w/extinguisher) to see little licks of flame coming out the louvering on the hood of her VW bug. A quick blast through the louver seemed to quell most of it, then open hood and a quick blast at what was left. Stuck a pencil in the broken fuel line. Done.
Then the fire department showed up.
Total repair? One foot of fuel line, and an hour of cleanup.
I'd take that over total loss, if she had waited for the fire department.
74Dusted
Stock Piler of 340's
Started carrying an extinguisher in every single vehicle I own, after the built 904 in my D50 4x4 pickup blew apart at an intersection... Don't delude yourselves, 904's can and will blow up just like a 727, especially when you've got 40" tires and a hot small block.
I crawled under the truck, in the middle of a hurricane and proceeded to put the fire out. No damage to the rest of the truck (replaced the built 904 with a built 727, 5 years ago... 904 was in the truck for 100 miles, 727 has been in there for 6000 miles).
After that hairy experience I bought extinguishers for all of my vehicles, including my daily drivers
I crawled under the truck, in the middle of a hurricane and proceeded to put the fire out. No damage to the rest of the truck (replaced the built 904 with a built 727, 5 years ago... 904 was in the truck for 100 miles, 727 has been in there for 6000 miles).
After that hairy experience I bought extinguishers for all of my vehicles, including my daily drivers
Robert,understand the reasoning.... And usually I have more than one,when my car is running... Have had BBC fuel & oil fires,on 2" primary headers...,Mig welding sparking a light fire, and a couple times,distributor was 180 out,and lit things up.. It does happen,and you need to be ready...
Yes, you should absolutely have a fire extinguisher in your car (even if its not a classic!). And one in your garage, and one in your house (kitchen). Minimum. If you have a big shop or garage where you work on your car you should probably have a couple, especially if you do any welding. Just a good old ABC dry chem is all you need, that will take care of pretty much everything you encounter with your car or in the average garage.
Dry chem's are messy, but they're the only thing that will really work for this application. Halon, or halon substitutes now, or CO2 extinguishers are not really the right type for automotive use, they get used in tech industry more than anything. Rubber products retain heat and will reignite as soon as the halon substitute or CO2 clears. Fuel fires will have vapors present again immediately after being extinguished with an inert gas extinguisher, ready for re-ignition and even explosion. An ABC dry chem covers pretty much all the possible fire types for a car, and the dry chem smothering the area prevents re-ignition. Dry chem also works on liquid fires, like you would get with spilled fuel, because it will float on the fuel and prevent vapors from spreading again. Magnesium can be an issue, but for small fires a dry chem will work early on. Most fire departments don't even carry anything for magnesium unless there's a specific hazard like a manufacturing plant or the department as a hazmat team or crash/rescue rigs at an airport.
Car fires only take about 30 seconds to total a car depending on the source of the fire. A minute or less to a car being well involved depending on the source. No fire department will be there that fast unless your car catches on fire in front of the fire station. Yes, you have to use common sense, you're not going to put out a well involved car fire by yourself with a 2 lb extinguisher and you shouldn't risk your life trying. Or even a 10 lb extinguisher for that matter. But if you have a 2 lb extinguisher you can hit it when the fire is small, before it becomes a major life threat and before it requires really specialized techniques to fight. Even if you have a small dry chem and it doesn't completely extinguish the fire knocking it down will buy time for the fire department to get there, keeping it smaller longer. If you can attend a local class on how to use a fire extinguisher, even better. But really, it's not that hard. Yes, training will make you more efficient and mean you can extinguish more fire for a given size extinguisher, but don't use that as a reason not to have one at all. Something is better than nothing at all. And it beats the crap out of watching a small fire turn into a fully involved car fire before the fire engines get there, because for any significant source that's exactly what will happen.
Dry chem's are messy, but they're the only thing that will really work for this application. Halon, or halon substitutes now, or CO2 extinguishers are not really the right type for automotive use, they get used in tech industry more than anything. Rubber products retain heat and will reignite as soon as the halon substitute or CO2 clears. Fuel fires will have vapors present again immediately after being extinguished with an inert gas extinguisher, ready for re-ignition and even explosion. An ABC dry chem covers pretty much all the possible fire types for a car, and the dry chem smothering the area prevents re-ignition. Dry chem also works on liquid fires, like you would get with spilled fuel, because it will float on the fuel and prevent vapors from spreading again. Magnesium can be an issue, but for small fires a dry chem will work early on. Most fire departments don't even carry anything for magnesium unless there's a specific hazard like a manufacturing plant or the department as a hazmat team or crash/rescue rigs at an airport.
Car fires only take about 30 seconds to total a car depending on the source of the fire. A minute or less to a car being well involved depending on the source. No fire department will be there that fast unless your car catches on fire in front of the fire station. Yes, you have to use common sense, you're not going to put out a well involved car fire by yourself with a 2 lb extinguisher and you shouldn't risk your life trying. Or even a 10 lb extinguisher for that matter. But if you have a 2 lb extinguisher you can hit it when the fire is small, before it becomes a major life threat and before it requires really specialized techniques to fight. Even if you have a small dry chem and it doesn't completely extinguish the fire knocking it down will buy time for the fire department to get there, keeping it smaller longer. If you can attend a local class on how to use a fire extinguisher, even better. But really, it's not that hard. Yes, training will make you more efficient and mean you can extinguish more fire for a given size extinguisher, but don't use that as a reason not to have one at all. Something is better than nothing at all. And it beats the crap out of watching a small fire turn into a fully involved car fire before the fire engines get there, because for any significant source that's exactly what will happen.
-
