Fire Extinguishers

[mlatour]

A 2-1/2lbs one in the cab of my F150, one in my girlfriend's car, another one in my dirtbike trailer.

I actually had 5lbs. ABC extinguisher accidently discharge in the trunk of
my old '91 T-Bird a long time ago during some 'sporty' cornering manoeuvres...

With all the dust rising thru the passenger compartment from around the back seat / rear window deck area,
until I openned the trunk it took a while to figure what had happened.

Needless to say it wasn't a good time to cross the border and visit family in the USA with all the whiteish/yellowing powder residue left in the truck despite a lot of vacuuming.

 

[mikered30]

The ones you typically carry in a car are only good on very small fires if you catch them early enough. Opening the hood just adds more fuel to the fire so to speak, if it is too big might as well wait for the fire department.

 

[buck91]

Could always carry a watercan with AFFF mixed in.

 

[wings&wheels]

Yes, at 1.5 or 2.5lb Halon in everything in my signature. don't normally carry one in the DD

 

[meep]

kitchen, camper, garage. car, no. probably should. I used to. I was in a microbus flambé years ago.

 

[IndyIan]

I should get a CO2 one for the tractor. We used to have one in the car years ago, then one day on vacation a campsite beside us had their camp stove spring a leak and lit the top of the picnic table on fire. I put it out, but in hindsight we all probably should've backed away and let it burn out as it was a pressurized tank full of air and fuel that may have ruptured and sprayed fuel all over me.
Our cars now don't have a trunk so I haven't put one in. A 2.5 lb steel missile isn't what I need inside the car in an accident.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: IndyIan

Our cars now don't have a trunk so I haven't put one in. A 2.5 lb steel missile isn't what I need inside the car in an accident.


You can get brackets to hold them down, but after adding the necessary blanket, tools, jumper cables, qt of oil, gallon of anti-freeze and whatever else, you probably need a lockbox.

 

[Run]

I used to carry one. One day I grabbed it to keep close by while working under the hood. There was exposed fuel lines and I needed to stick a grinder in the area. The job went perfect. I ended up accidentally discharging it by tripping over the trigger. Still haven't got around to recharging it.

 

[Ramblejam]

Interesting range of replies here. As a firefighter, I do have a few thoughts:

Appears most everyone that have equipped their vehicle with an extinguisher has chosen the ubiquitous 2.5lb dry chem. While this is 1000% better than nothing, an unfortunate side effect of the agent (monoammonium phosphate) is that it's going to make a nasty, corrosive mess that'll get on everything.

As an alternative, look at a DOT approved BC sodium bicarbonate extinguisher. With the amount of agent (1.5-3lbs.) available in any car-size model, we're only effectively combating small/incipient fires. These units will do a good job of stopping combustion, allow for easy cleanup, and let the vehicle return to service. Additionally, brackets are supplied, so there's no reason to avoid one should you be concerned with it being unsecured. $20 at Walmart.

 

[SeaJay]

I don't have one, never thought about it. I would imagine that if a fire broke out in my vehicle that I would be more worried about getting as far away from it as quickly as possible less the fire ignites the gas tank when I'm in the process of trying to put it out.

I'd watch it burn from a distance and call up my insurance agent.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Yes. For over forty years. Have used it twice. On a car under the hood fire and a truck wheel fire. Never had to use it on my own vehicle. Three in our home. One in the garage, one in the mechanical room and one mounted under the sink counter.-Never used

 

[Nate1979]

Originally Posted By: SeaJay
I don't have one, never thought about it. I would imagine that if a fire broke out in my vehicle that I would be more worried about getting as far away from it as quickly as possible less the fire ignites the gas tank when I'm in the process of trying to put it out.

I'd watch it burn from a distance and call up my insurance agent.


Exactly. I'm not sure I would want a vehicle after a car fire and could hope that it get's totaled.

 

[dustyroads]

I started same thread in july 2014 and got many replies similar to the replies in this thread. However, some did say that they hadn't thought of it and would be equipping their car with an extinguisher.

To those who say; "if my car catches fire...I don't want it anyway", I would ask you to consider the possibility of witnessing a crash that results in a car/truck fire. You may be in a position to save a life or multiple lives.

I drive about 130K miles per year and see many things that the average commuter doesn't (and hopefully never will), but you never know when the unthinkable is going to happen.

I've gone through many fire extinguishers (for car fires) over the years. Most people were grateful and others didn't care. I recently went through a DOT inspection in Texas and the Trooper noticed my replacement extinguisher (it was smaller than the hold down fastener). He asked if I had put out a car fire and I answered yes. I told him that the guy couldn't have cared less, that he didn't want the car after the fire anyway. The trooper shook my hand and said that he and his fellow officers certainly appreciated drivers putting out car fires as we are often the first on the scene. He said not to worry when a car owner seems to want their car to burn down. If I can extinguish the fire, please do.

There are many more fires than most people realize.

 

[cjcride]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Interesting range of replies here. As a firefighter, I do have a few thoughts:

Appears most everyone that have equipped their vehicle with an extinguisher has chosen the ubiquitous 2.5lb dry chem. While this is 1000% better than nothing, an unfortunate side effect of the agent (monoammonium phosphate) is that it's going to make a nasty, corrosive mess that'll get on everything.

As an alternative, look at a DOT approved BC sodium bicarbonate extinguisher. With the amount of agent (1.5-3lbs.) available in any car-size model, we're only effectively combating small/incipient fires. These units will do a good job of stopping combustion, allow for easy cleanup, and let the vehicle return to service. Additionally, brackets are supplied, so there's no reason to avoid one should you be concerned with it being unsecured. $20 at Walmart.

Thanks Ramblejam, I will get those.

 

[cjcride]

Originally Posted By: dustyroads


I drive about 130K miles per year and see many things that the average commuter doesn't (and hopefully never will), but you never know when the unthinkable is going to happen.

Seen some myself, I wish I had not.

 

[Mitch]

I have two ,a halon in case of my own stuff catching fire, and a chemical one for everyone else

 

[Gasbuggy]

I keep on in my Honda, the other cars are over insured.

 

[jr047]

I have one in each of my vehicles. Over 10 years ago, I used one to put out an alternator on a colleague's car. I noticed it smoking in the parking lot, got him to come out, and when we opened the hood, smoke was pouring from the alternator and flame shot out when we jiggled the alternator. I like to think I saved the car (and possibly others) with the small extinguisher; the car was fixed with a rebuilt alternator and new wiring pigtail for it.

My mindset is it's less for my own cars and more for coming upon an accident or something like I described above.

(In hindsight, opening the hood when there is smoke is usually a bad idea, because a fire can flare up, but we didn't see flame, and we thought it was a radiator boiling over at that point. I was also standing behind the owner, holding the fire extinguisher, in case something flared up.)

 

[Panzerman]

I have one mounted in every room of my house. They are in our vehicles but they are not in convenient locations. The car is in the trunk, the trucks are in the toolboxes. Recently our company removed all of them from our company trucks. Too much risk liability for workers, its cheaper to let the leased trucks burn.

 

[joegreen]

Yep. One 3 pounder in each vehicle and two 8 pounders in the house plus a small one in the kitchen. Can never have to many fire extinguishers. You may not think you need one but when a fire starts on you like it did me on my ford ranger your happy you had an extinguisher.