Fire extinguisher recommendations?

[Rich_NYS]

I'm thinking of getting this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Kidde-21006287-Auto-Extinguisher-Silver/dp/B0017TGH32/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1405275890&sr=8-6&keywords=kiddie+fire+extinguisher

There's also a 2.5lb model.

Anybody have another recommendation, or an opinion on this choice?

Thanks.

[skill]

Well Rich, Ya got me to finally throw in the towel on gettin' a fire extinguisher tonight too... I think the Kidde 21006287 is the right one and it even matches the DeLorean! I like how it even has the pressure gauge too. It's never a bad investment; peace of mind and havin' the Kidde ready for the if in case moment. I've seen too many of those nightmare DeLo chared BBQ pics floating around and that sets off all sorts of emotions! Best safe/r than the sorry one I say.


Anyone know the shelf life on this one model, or just I guess exchange it out for a replacement when the warranty expires?????

[Rich]

Very good idea to equip your car with an extinguisher.

That Kidde's not bad. It's a commodity-level 2lb dry chemical B-C extinguisher. Most are non-refill type.

You might also consider a good dry gas type Halon or Halon-like extinguisher, also rated for B-C fires.

They cost more than the dry chems. They are favored by the collector/race car crowd due to these advantages:

- You can see the fire while fighting it since the gas is clear, unlike conventional powder-based BC's. This way your charge can be more efficiently dispersed, pound for pound.
- The extinguishing agent won't contaminate/discolor/attack adjacent equipment or components. Dry chem BC's leave a significant mess afterward. You may end up replacing stuff that wasn't hurt by the fire but was hurt by the extinguisher. Anybody here have a story about how to clean up any car after a dry-chem episode?
- Excellent shelf life in excess of 10yrs

Halotron is an example - the small one here fits in a D's glove box:
LINK: http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/Halotron (http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/halotron+fire+extinguishers.do?sortby=ourPicks)

LINK: http://www.halotron.com/applications.php (http://www.halotron.com/applications.php)

[Jonathan]

Rich... if you search for "extinguisher" you'll find a few other threads on the subject. Not exactly what you are asking, but more along the lines of where to mount it. There are also a number of comments mentioning whether to have one at all. I am in that camp as my extinguisher is sitting nicely on my garage shelf. This has nothing to do with not wanting to save my car if it is going up in flames. It has only to do with not wanting to risk my life by trying to get into the engine bay if things are already on fire. I don't think I would risk trying to get the louvres and lower cover unlatched and open to potentially make matters worse with new oxygen and get a face full of flames. If it is a small electrical fire in the fuse and relay area, yea, I probably would wish I had it with me. But if there is fuel on fire, I'm going to get safely away from the car and find the phone number to my insurance agent. There's also the subject of the fire extinguisher whacking you in the head if it isn't secured well and you get crunched in an accident.

[SS Spoiler]

I used to be an apartment maintenance supervisor and I ask my fire extinguisher guy about halon. He has them but said it's illegal to refill them? at least in
Minn. I can't sell it to you but I can give you one. So I have a nice nine pounder in the trunk. It helps that I have a secret external trunk release for quick access.

[Rich_NYS]

You might also consider a good dry gas type Halon or Halon-like extinguisher, also rated for B-C fires.

They cost more than the dry chems. They are favored by the collector/race car crowd due to these advantages:

- You can see the fire while fighting it since the gas is clear, unlike conventional powder-based BC's. This way your charge can be more efficiently dispersed, pound for pound.
- The extinguishing agent won't contaminate/discolor/attack adjacent equipment or components. Dry chem BC's leave a significant mess afterward. You may end up replacing stuff that wasn't hurt by the fire but was hurt by the extinguisher. Anybody here have a story about how to clean up any car after a dry-chem episode?
- Excellent shelf life in excess of 10yrs

Halotron is an example - the small one here fits in a D's glove box:
LINK: http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/Halotron (http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/halotron+fire+extinguishers.do?sortby=ourPicks)


I really like what I'm reading & seeing here, but damn....the price!

[Rich_NYS]

Rich... if you search for "extinguisher" you'll find a few other threads on the subject. Not exactly what you are asking, but more along the lines of where to mount it. There are also a number of comments mentioning whether to have one at all. I am in that camp as my extinguisher is sitting nicely on my garage shelf. This has nothing to do with not wanting to save my car if it is going up in flames. It has only to do with not wanting to risk my life by trying to get into the engine bay if things are already on fire.

That makes some sense, but Dave S. and a few others once mentioned to me that a fuel fire is "initially" only fuel burning, so if it gets put out early enough the damage won't as bad you'd expect. But, I get what you're saying, a car can be repaced alot easier than life & limb.

[Notifier]

A fire extinguisher is one of those things you really wish you had one when you really need one! You would never forgive yourself if you had that small, controllable fire, that could have been quickly put out by an extinguisher. That being said, a large fire, like a fire taking up the entire engine compartment, an extinguisher may not do much of anything. It's always a judgement call. If the fire is too big, just get away and call the fire department.

At the very least, the minimum rating you would want is a 2 1/2 lb 1A:2BC rating. A clean agent type would be a bonus, no cleanup, but can be expensive. You can still get Halon. I bought a 3 lb Halon extinguisher last year for my car, and it's still available. But other types of clean agents are available.

I was looking into putting a permanently installed system. Mounting a tank in the luggage compartment, running the lines through the cabin, and installing the discharge nozzles in the engine compartment. Fire breaks out, you pull a lever and it dumps the system. A project for another time though.

[Rich]

I really like what I'm reading & seeing here, but damn....the price!

Yep, they aren't cheap.

On the other hand compare the upcharge to the cost - and hassle - of possibly replacing lots of the electrics in the engine bay. The ones that didn't burn, that is, but were damaged by the chems/powder.

Microswitches, K-Jet components with terminals, alternator, anything in the corner J-box if the cover is missing or if dry chem gets up underneath it.

Could be cheap insurance. Or maybe your insurance company will make you whole. Then the question might be a cosmetic one.

Anyway, thanks for the good question. Have been meaning to get one of these dry gas (Halon-like) babies and now I've talked myself into it!

[Lightning]

I came across this article (http://www.nfpa.org/~/media/Files/Research/Research%20Foundation/foundation%20proceedings/hammel.pdf) article about how Halon is no longer used in race cars but has been replaced by DuPong FE-36 (http://www2.dupont.com/FE/en_US/products/fe36.html) which is a Halon replacement that is also non-corrosive and suppose to be better.

Notifier: I like your idea, something I'll have to ponder.

[Ron]

FWIW- I am a NPQ Firefighter Instructor and suggest the following:

1. It seems a lot of you should consider more than using it to save the car. Someone may be trapped in your vhehicle, or another's...you may happen upon something not related to a vehicle.
2. An ABC is the best bet (handles fuel, electrical, and most automotive materials). Many of the "auto extinguishers" contain gas(es) which are illegal to refill, expensive.
3. 2 kilos/5lbs size. (This is the standard requirement for taxis, and other "small vehicles"...)
4. Purchase and install the quick release mounting hardware!
5. If you must attempt to extinguish a D fuel fire (life threatened), don't open the hood -- Bounce it off the ground/aim up into the engine compartment. CIS can be a 70-90psi flame thrower surprise in your face, literally. Otherwise, if you can't cover the view of the vehicle with the width of your thumb, with your arm extended, you are too close.
6. Get one!

[Rich_NYS]

FWIW- I am a NPQ Firefighter Instructor and suggest the following:

1. It seems a lot of you should consider more than using it to save the car. Someone may be trapped in your vhehicle, or another's...you may happen upon something not related to a vehicle.
2. An ABC is the best bet (handles fuel, electrical, and most automotive materials). Many of the "auto extinguishers" contain gas(es) which are illegal to refill, expensive.
3. 2 kilos/5lbs size. (This is the standard requirement for taxis, and other "small vehicles"...)
4. Purchase and install the quick release mounting hardware!
5. If you must attempt to extinguish a D fuel fire (life threatened), don't open the hood -- Bounce it off the ground/aim up into the engine compartment. CIS can be a 70-90psi flame thrower surprise in your face, literally. Otherwise, if you can't cover the view of the vehicle with the width of your thumb, with your arm extended, you are too close.
6. Get one!


Good stuff, thanks. The one I posted is only BC....but it's silver colored! :biggrin:

[Ron]

Good stuff, thanks. The one I posted is only BC....but it's silver colored! :biggrin:Cool, it covers liquids and electrical equipment (not paper, wood,...some interior elements, etc).
If it weren't for people looking for red, I'd suggest SS paint. :biggrin: But then again, I have seen many SS extinguishers (mostly fill your own/water).

[DMCVegas]

FWIW- I am a NPQ Firefighter Instructor and suggest the following:

1. It seems a lot of you should consider more than using it to save the car. Someone may be trapped in your vhehicle, or another's...you may happen upon something not related to a vehicle.

Kinda funny that you mention that. Years ago when I was a teenager working in a grocery store, the LPS guy's old Honda caught fire. Turns out it he installed an amplifier under his seat using a direct feed off the battery with no relays or fuses that popped off the terminal and created a dead-short which caught the interior on fire. It took a few minutes for the fire trucks to arrive, and by the time that they did, the heat warped the bumpers and lenses of the car next to it. Since that time I started carrying a fire extinguisher in my cars.

You may take great care of your car and not have any worries, but who knows about someone else's work. Or especially as Ron pointed out, something non-auto related that you might come across.