Fire Extinguisher media

[TomoHawk]

Have there been any new developments in the media used in fire extinguishers?

I recently looked at a number of units, from Kidde to FirstAlert, and anything with a 10 B:C rating had a dry powder media. So if I'm right, dry powder is corrosive and messy, and not very desireable for use on valuable cars.

The only thing that would be OK to use on a Z would be the FireAide product, but those only come in little 16 oz. bottlles, and is only rated 1A:10B.

If you had your choice (or requirement), what would you carry in the car?

thx

[beandip]

The dry chemical used in extinguishers you mentioned is almost all BAKING SODA. There are other chemicals in there to keep the media from caking up in the container. Corrosive , well yes , mildly , but not if you clean up afterwards. What do you think the fire is going to do ? Not make a mess ? There are several other type of extinguishers that can be used , but mostly they are specialised for a particular use , like just for electrical fires or for wood/paper or like the foam or carpets in your car. Except for the electrical use, plain old WATER is the best for the paper and the like. The A B C dry chemical will handle all of it. This is why we put up with the mess of the powder blowing all over. And they are CHEAP .That is my input . Gary

[MikeW]

Except for the electrical use, plain old WATER is the best for the paper and the like.

Does "electrical use" even apply to 12V systems as opposed to 120/220, etc. I agree, if my car is on fire I'm going to do whatever it takes to put it out, even if it was saltwater out of the ocean.

I was sitting at a traffic light once and an old pickup truck came up behind me. The truck knocked off and the driver was trying to start it back up. In my mirror I saw flames through the grille but the driver didn't realize what was happening. I grabbed my extinguisher and jumped out and managed to get the fire out. We were fortunate that it turned out alright but I can imagine that the damage would have been far worse if it had burned much longer.

[beandip]

generally a electrical fire will go out when the juice is turned off. What is burning is the insulation and the plastic. Water of course will further short out things if the power is still on. Your engine fire you mentioned was most likely a fuel fire , at least to start with . A alternate extinguisher is a good old qt bottle of soda water. Just twist off the top and use your finger over the end like it was a garden hose and shake it. It wont last vary long but it will work effectively. Plus when the excitement is over you can add a little scotch and settle your nerves , NOT . Especially if you are driving . When you look at a tag on the fire extinguisher they will show a rating. A is for wood/ paper and the like. B flammable liquid . C electrical . The 10 that was mentioned before by Tommy, deals with how much flammable liquid it should handle in square foot increments , in this case 10 SQ FT. Remember this is in perfect conditions , no wind and used by a person with experience using one of these things . Gary

[TomoHawk]

Yes, the type A:B dry chemical units are mostly sodium bicarbonate,but still not recommended for cars because they are corrosive to the point that it'll get into everything, and it it will damage the aluminum on the engine if you don't clean it up immediately. It is also not recommended because you should not breathe it in.

The newer water-based stuff is better than the dry powders, as it is initially like a foam to smother the air, cool the hot materials, and prevent re-ignition. You can spray it on yourself with no harmful effects, and it cleans up with plain water. It sounds like a kind of ultra-sudsy soap, although they aren't telling, but that's what did for years after college (I was a soap chemist).

[LanceM]

Can you still buy Halon extinguishers? We have them at work, no residue.

Just found this, looks like you can buy them in the US, but they are expensive.

http://www.safetyproinc.com/catalog1_c29261.html

[V8-240Z]

If the fire is electrical or became electrical because

of a short after the insulation has burned away its

nice to have a pair of electrical cable cutters to

disconnect the battery in a hurry. Harbor freight

sells it for $5.99. Just try to disconnect a side

terminal battery is a hurry.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=40507

[beandip]

Can you still buy Halon extinguishers? We have them at work, no residue.

Just found this, looks like you can buy them in the US, but they are expensive.

http://www.safetyproinc.com/catalog1_c29261.html

The shortcomings with Halon is the same with the CO2 . They both will work well in a confined space .They contain the fire by eliminating the oxygen and Halon needs at least 16 % concentration, also it is somewhat toxic . If there is any air exchange , like an open door or window or an open hood or air streaming in from under the engine for an example , you would need a large amount of halon to control a fire, in the cabin or under the hood. With flammable liquid , re-flash is a large part of the problem . So until you either remove the source of ignition , or cool the burning substance to the point it will not likely reignite you still have the problem. When I was a active Fire Inspector , I was a specialist in special extinguishing systems. Dealing with large computer centers that depend on Halon systems. The regular ABC dry chemical extinguishers are still the best and cheapest for our application . Inside your kitchen , by all means the Halon . Gary