Man, I just KNEW there was a reason Halon was banned in Canada! Next, we're gonna ban Mad Cows!
Personally, I carry a 5A - 10 BC Multi.
And yes, I am a trained professional...don't try this stunt at home

 

he i appreciate the thought, and i agrre with you, the guy that gave it to me, is a pilot, and a cert. mech. he did warn me, NOT to use it in a closed area, he also said the fumes are are deadly, to make sure IF, i needed to use it, use it in an open area,, thankx again for the concern there Shane

waskillywabbit,
in MY opinion, yea an "el cheapo" is ok, the way i see it, something is better than nothing, just make sure it will work on electrical stuff, it will say so on the box, GOD forbid you be on the highway, and a fire breaks out, and you have nothing, nothing to do but watch your pride and joy burn, so thats way i first got the "el cheapo"

Ric

 

He said not to use Halon in an enclosed area?

Let's think about this - it's used onboard aircraft. I'd say that is a pretty enclosed area.

That's the best place to use Halon. Really, the only place you should use Halon. We used Halon a lot in the Navy - it was extremely effective at extinguishing fires. Engine rooms and paint lockers were equipped with fixed systems. These systems had time delays that allowed everybody to vacate the space prior to Halon release.

After Halon was released (in an enclosed space) and the fire was extinguished, it was SOP to WAIT 15+ minutes before entering the space. Why? Because Halon, while effective for extinguishing fires, does not remove any of the elements that cause a fire - it works by stopping the chemical reaction of the combustion process. When personnel re-enter the space, the concentration of Halon is diluted, and there is a very good chance of reflash occurring unless temperatures have cooled. Halon has absolutely no cooling effect.

So, if your engine is on fire, and you spray Halon on it, the fire will go out. However, as soon as the Halon begins to dissipate, it will most likely pop right back up.

The hazard of decomposing Halon, in the event of a fire, is less than the hazards of the products of the fire (ie carbon monoxide, smoke, etc.).

It is no longer legal to manufacture Halon in the US (and many, many other countries), under the Clean Air Act. This is because Halon is a CFC and causes damage to the ozone layer. The FAA, however, mandates is use in aircraft (go figure).

For more info on Halon, try here:
http://www.h3r.com/halon/index.htm

For info on Halon in the Navy, try here:
http://www.tpub.com/content/combat/1.../10572_137.htm

If it was me, i'd ditch the Halon and use a CO2 extinguisher. If you keep the Halon, you should also get a CO2 extinguisher as a back up, as CO2 works to displace oxygen (smother the fire) and cool it (preventing reflash).

~Bill

 

Bill,
thankx for the info. damned if ya do & damned if ya dont, lol, but thankx for the links im gonna read up on it.
Ric

 

I got a small APC unit (metal valve, etc.) from Jeg's for $46 (Blue ones are $15 cheaper than the others for some reason). It's a 1 lb unit and is not obtrusive at all. I mounted it to the same spot as Corey on my Husky.

 

I have seen Halon demo's where a guy sits in a closed room smoking a cigarette when it dumps and the guy did not fall over dead. We use Halon in our computer rooms where there are people. No problems, although I must admit we have not used them.
Also, those tiny multi-purpose extinguishers are barely OK for a small stove fire.
Has anyone here EVER put out a car fire with a small extinguisher? Those itsy bitsy things are all but useless although they look cool and make you feel safe, like police stopping crime.
Most sanctioning bodies require a five pound system onboard of racecars.
If you are serious about putting out a fire, carry a real extinguisher. Five lbs. at least. Yeah it takes up a lot of room but I have personally seen a small extinguisher used until empty and watched the fire restart. Not pretty.
Carry two 2.5's if you are space limited.
Mike

 

It is harder and harder to get Halon even in computer rooms, we just stood one up and they said NO way, because of the deadly fumes.

As far as el cheapo extinguisher, would you trust your rig to el cheapo tires or brakes, what good are they if they fail at the critical point you need them?

 

Ive heard that most fire ext. need to be slowly shaken about once a month, something about keeping the chemicals stirred up, dont know if thats true or not, as far as the ones in the rigs, i think its being move/shaken as we drive them.
Ric

 

No, shaking them or storing them on their side under vibration (as in a vehicle) frequently ends up with chemical getting packed into the siphon tube and then it jams up as you go to use it. Laying them on their side also has the possibility of getting chemical into the pressure guage and jamming it at it's currently displayed pressure, which could be bad since if it leaked off you wouldn't know until too late. This is one of many reasons all dry-chemical extinguishers should be torn down and recharged by a qualified shop every 6 years. The contents of your typical BC or ABC unit are a dry chemical powder, there is no "mixing" to worry about.

Also remember if you use one, IT MUST BE TORN DOWN, CLEANED AND RECHARGED. Don't think that since you didn't run it all the way out that you can keep that last bit for later, any remaining nitrogen charge WILL LEAK OUT!!!

 

so then, mounting them on the side, or laying down, would not be the best thing ???? i have mounted (halon) mounted under the driver seat, and the other mounted upright in the cargo area.
Ric

 

Not in my opinion, I used to service them and a pretty high percentage of dry-chem extinguishers that were stored in vehicles on their sides came into our shop in inoperable. Less so for those stored vertically, but these were almost all neglected units that hadn't been checked in quite a while. Also note that I was talking about dry chemical extinguishers above. Halon is in a liquid state in the cylinder, you don't have to worry about them or Co2 units either as they are the same.

 

I was reading on Amerex's site that the 2.5 lb one lasts for 10 seconds and the 5 lb lasts for 14 seconds. Are the 1 lb ones about 5 seconds of output? I guess when the extinguisher runs out, time to pee on it...

I plan to have a spot for a large unit in the cargo area, but I wanted "something" up front also. My thinking was "something is better than nothing".

Shane about these units mounted horizontally - how frequently should these be checked and/or discharged/recharged to be sure it will work when you need it? Once every 3 months (label says 6 months)? Also, what does recharging cost - do you have an estimate for the common sizes?

 

Standard procedure regardless of how it's stored is a visual inspection once a year, teardown and recharge every 6 years, and hydrotest of the cylinder every 12. Not sure what you're talking about on the label, typically the only indicator of age will be a manufacture year. My recommendation is to go no longer than the standard 6 year cycle and as often as your wallet is comfortable with. The problem ones were almost exclusively 10-15 years or more since manufacture or last service, "forgotten" if you will. As far as pricing, I've been out of the business for too long to say but I'd expect to pay around $10 for a 5lb. It really depends on the shop as some are geared towards contracts with large businesses while others are more friendly to smaller commercial customers and individuals walking through the door. I know at the place I was working we charged walk-in customers double to triple the price that our typical contract customer paid.

 

General maintence on Dry Chem is to hit it with a rubber mallot to break up any clumps that might form. I usually do this once every 1-2 months.

 

Yep, we used that trick to help empty some of the really compacted ones. But it's not a substitute for regular maintenance, you should still take them to a shop for proper maintenance every 6 years.

 

Goldtaco9 asked: "Has anyone here EVER put out a car fire with a small extinguisher?

My answer: Almost but No.

I know that if I had a 5lb extinguisher instead of the 2 1/2 lb one I used I could tell a different story.

Here's a before pic (the red one): http://img2.exs.cx/img2/9391/4-25hrbeforeburn.jpg

During: http://img3.exs.cx/img3/6162/8-startofburn.jpg

And after: http://img3.exs.cx/img3/1444/99-2hrafterburn.jpg

The really sad thing about it was that we could only stand by and watch it burn (I even got video).

 

Here's another angle of the aftermath: http://img47.exs.cx/img47/9687/9-2hrafterburn.jpg

 

Swede, I feel your pain.
We watched my parents Suburban burn to the ground after my pops was adjusting the carb & it shot fuel out over the plugwires & ignited. He had a 5 lb ext. but had used it briefly to put out a grass fire on the lawn mower (dummy was welding on the deck) & never thought to have it re-charged. Anyway, went to grab the ext. & it barely spit & was done. The 'burbon was partially in the garage when this happened so he shut the hood on it & started carrying arm loads of snow in to help...no dice! By the time I got home (less than 5 min. after the FD) it was toast.

SO TO REITERATE WHAT SHANE SAID - RECHARGE AFTER USE & KEEP 'EM SERVICED!!

 

to answer your question YES i have i worked at a auto auction and some people started talking about a fire or something so i went to look and a van was on fire so i ran and got a extinguisher went over and put it out. BUT it wuz only a little fire in the door panel and the window was open so it was easy to get to. i have a small one in my truck i would put a big one in but where u gonna put it in a reg cab?