Check with your local fire departments they can direct you to places that can service and recharge your fire extinguishers IF they can be.You can also check with any commercial operation that has fire extinguishers hanging around they need to be "serviced" a couple times a year there should be a tag or decal on the extinguisher or bracket in any commercial building of the service company and service dates .Some fire departments can and do recharge them for a small fee.
i forgot. good idea to keep a couple in your garage also!! I have 2 nice ones in mine & a blanket JimV
Dry chem is the way to go! They put out more fire than Halon or CO2 , are relatively inexpensive and most citys have a depot that recharges them. One thing though.....NEVER TEST FIRE a dry chem. The powder will sit in the seat of the valve and cause the extinguisher to lose its charge. Check the extinguisher at least once a month. Look at the gauge make sure it's in the green area. Check to see the pin is in place and has a safety tag or wire to keep it there. Check the nozzle and hose to see that nothing is blocking it. Found a chocolate Easter egg in one that I was showing a lady how to check. Also, it's a good idea like others have said to turn the extinguisher over and tap it lightly with a rubber mallet to keep the powder loose. Dry chem will work in windy conditions and can shoot a fair distance so you don't have to be right in the fire. All this said , we use water for virtually every car fire. Granted it's from a 1-3/4 inch line @ 100 psi about 90 gals per min.....lots of water!
There are two ways to put out a fire. Cut off it's oxygen supply or reduce the heat so the fuel no longer burns. Dry chemical cuts off the oxygen supply with a powder. I like CO2 because it works both ways but it takes a bigger extinguisher to do the job and wind can blow it away. The powder is heavier and will fall to the fire. It is not good to breathe. There are various types of dry chemical for different fires. When you get extinguishers, don't forget your garage house and kitchen. Make sure you have a metal cover that will it over any pan. That's the best way to put out a fire on the stove.
Make sure you know how to use an extinguisher. I've seen a few poeple go to the hospital after they tried to put out a small vehicle fire and got in over their head. I've fought a few and even with a 1-3/4" line, airpack and lots of water there's a lot of heat to deal with. To this day I disconnect the battery on any vehicle I keep in my attached garage. Vehicle fires in a house give me the willies
Halon works great outdoors you just have to spray it in where the fire is getting it's air supply from. It isn't available through most regular sources though due to the environmental issues. One thing to remember on a dry chemical extinguisher is that if you trigger it you may as well use all of it as it won't stay sealed as Jethro mentioned in post 33. I ran into that years ago when the kids in auto shop would trigger an extinguisher and later when we needed it it didn't work.
the US Air Force uses halon fire extinguishers for our B-1 bombers outside on the flightline. you just need to aim them at the base of the fire
Best of all is to install a race car type fire suppression system - Speedway offer one called the Coldfire.... ► 2:30► 2:30 <cite class="kv">www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmhxFTLb1zc</cite>
I have a small dry extinguisher I've had for about 15 years or so, needle still in the green....never fired...is it still good???
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