How many of us look at our fire extinguishers? Not more than to look at the pressure. If it is the powder type, the powder cakes in the bottom and won't come out. Break it up by pounding on concrete or something equally hard. Make sure it will shift in the ext ,from on end to another. I had 4 that the pressure was good, but a solid mass till I busted it up.
Good advice. I've also had one in my shop that had the discharge nozzle packed tight with dirt from mud daubers.
I actually pic mine up and guive them a shake at least twice a year. Fire supression was part of my duties the last two places I worked as an operating engineer. Thanks for the heads up its about that time again and I haven't been thinking about it.
A guy doesnt think about that. you just figure that you have a extinguisher in the car and your good. Great advice.
Very good advice - used to be my line of work till I broke my back. Car fires are usually VERY bad and take off quickly because you have so much fuel and heat in a small confined area. The quicker you can jump on it - even with a small extinguisher - the better chance you have of knocking it down. Dirt T, an ABC rated dry chemical extinguisher is a good all around choice, about a 2.5 lb. Halon is better but a lot more expensive. Try and get one with a gauge on it so you can be sure it hasn't lost it's charge. You can get a decent on for $25 or less. Extinguishers are rated for their use and performance - Use is broken down by the type of fire they're intended for; Class A - wood, paper, cardboard, etc. Class B - flammable liquids - gas, oil, grease, etc. Class C - Electrical equipment And less common are class D (combustible metals like titanium, magnesium) Especially hard to put out since the metals produce their own oxygen as they burn - water just makes it flare up. Of course in a car you've got all 3, maybe even all 4, right? Old V-Dubs had magnesium transfer cases. Extinguishers are also rated with a number indicating the area or amount of fire it will extinguish in square feet. A typical 2.5 lb. auto extinguisher might be rated 1A: 10B: C That means that with this extinguisher an 'expert' should be able to put out a class B fire with an area of 10 square feet. Really just sort of a guideline, think of it like a tire wear rating; a 20 B extinguisher is twice as big as a 10 B, etc. There is no number rating for class C. I'd recommend checking with your local Fire Department, we used to give classes and let people put out small fires with our extinguishers in a supervised, safe environment.
Gator, I got a question for ya about extinguishers. On an online auction there was an extinguisher for sale on a pallet of stuff. Anyway we could just read the tag and it said class K. I don't recall ever seeing a class k or knowing what it means. Do you know by chance?
Yeah, class K is for fires that involve cooking oils, trans-fats, or fats in cooking appliances and are typically found in restaurant and cafeteria kitchens. Something new (or at least i'd never heard of it) since I took medical retirement in '06.
Don't hit them on the ground. Tip them upside down and smack em a couple times with a rubber mallet or plastic deadblow. Thats how we were taught to do them, we can recharge our own at work.
Yeah I wouldn't recommend hitting on the ground. I turn mine upside down & lightly tap all sides with a wrench or small ballpeen hammer till I can feel the powder moving. been doing it this way for years just hope I never have to use them. Another precaution is never stack/store your greasy rags put them in a metal can with a lid or just dispose of them. Prevention is much better than an extinguisher.
Being a retired Fire official and part of my job was fire inspections I figure I would give a little info on fire extinguishers. Like it was said there are different type of fire extinguishers which the most common is the ABC or BC powder extinguisher. maintenance for the powder extinguishers should be as followed. The extinguisher should be check every month it make sure that the extinguisher is still fully charged and that it is in good working order. Things that should be done at this time is to check the gauge, make sure the pin is still in place and that it is secured from falling out. The hose nozzle should be unscrewed and look through it to make sure it is open and that there is no powder in the hose or nozzle. If any of the above items are not found to be in order the extinguisher should be placed out of serves. Yearly You should that the fire extinguisher and make sure the powder is lose. You can do this by truning the extinguisher upside down and bang on the bottom and sides with a ribber hammer. Also the extinguisher should be service by a Fire extinguisher service co. If the extinguisher is in the car I would do the rubber hammer part about every 3 to 6 months because of the vibration from it riding in the car, Other items about powder extinguisher. Never buy one that is over 4 years old. according to NFPA 10 and powder fire extinguisher shall be serviced annually and a powder change every 6 years and a Hydro test every 12 years. Also any fire extinguisher made before 1986 should be placed out of service, Once you use a powder fire extinguisher you should place it out of service even if there is still pressure on the gauge. anyone have any other questions just ask
I had a nice little gasolne fire under the hood of the 55 this summer. I grabbed a new small Kidde, it would not fire. I grabbed it with the other hand and squeezed again, it still didnt fire. I reached for the new ABC marine grade extinguisher mounted in the car, a one second blast fixed the problem. I had the extinguisher refilled, and bought another bigger one for the house. Please folks, if you have one from Kidde, toss it out and buy a marine grade extinguisher that you can depend on.
If your looking to buy a new extinguisher make sure it is one that can be recharged. I used to buy mine at the local big box home improvement stores only to find out that most of them either can't be recharged or if the valve needs service parts are not available. Now I buy from my local fire extinguisher company and spend a little more.
good post. I'm going to go home and check the pressure and give it a few smacks with a rubber hammer. been hanging on a hook for 4 years or more, can't remember the last time I looked at it.
Yes make sure they are metal heads and not plastic. It pays to pay a little more for a good fire extinguisher.
Just went out to the shop and checked mine. One was caked, took a couple pops with the rubber mallet to loosen up the powder. I have to put this on my 6-month checklist, along with the smoke detector batteries. THANKS!!
Hey Track T, I own Redline Fire out of Phoenix, I will be in Kingman by the end if the month to do some other service work, I have the 2 1/2# ABC new on the truck, the brand is Amerex if you still need one, the cost would be $40.00, all metal construction, all replacement parts available. Just let me know if you need one and I can drop it off. Thanks 36 RAM
What I haven't read here yet is the fact that ABC powder is very corrosive and once you shot it at an open carbie you have a rebuild ahead. Where Halon is non corrosive and can even be shot in a food area with no issue. Halon is much more expensive but then so is the car you are protecting with it.
CO2 units are good for the shop ... a bit pricey but if you have to use it you wont care about the cost.
ABC extinguishers are the best all around for automotive type fires. The way the professionals service them is to turn them over and pound on the bottom with a rubber or compothane deadblow for 5 or 10 minutes. Especially in an automotive application, the vibrations cause the fine powder to compact into a brick, and you want to break all the caking up, or it will clog the tube. Think of it as an aerosol can, if you don't shake it till it is completely mixed, the tube will clog. Leaving an extinguisher right side up and smacking it on concrete might only serve to compact it more. Type K is a new classification added within the last 3-5 years by NFPA(National Fire Protection Act) It is a classification for grease fires. Mostly relating to grease in quantities of a kitchen fire of a resturaunt. Not really necessary for our hobby, unless you use a deep fryer for sweating on bearings...believe me, it works. I am not sure you will even find a class K extinguisher for the consumer, but you never know, someone may put one out there.
Dickster27 is right, you don't want have your six pack running and suck in a pound or two of ABC powder that would be a bad day. Another fire extinguisher unit that's nice to have is a 2 1/2 gallon water pressure for the structure of the building/shop or if your fortunate enough to own a woodie, they are used for wood or anything that leaves an ash. They run about $120-140 but well worth it, you can buy them used if you look in the right places, also you can recharge them yourself if they have a schrader valve on them, I sell used units for $75. On the ABC dry chemical fx dont buy a plastic headed unit, they leak, amerex, ansul, badger are all good brands with replaceable parts and all metal construction. If anyone has any questions on fire extinguishers please feel free to ask, I have 30 years of experience in the fire prevention field.
We found out one day that if you collect up about 5-7 odd extinguishers, big ones and lay them all out in a field with C4 they make a lovely errrr...............bang. I'm not sure why, but I never stayed long as thr Medic at the Army Explosive School, was fun though. Doc.
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