Hello Boys and Girls, Today's lesson is in TWO parts. Part One: It is always a good idea to have a fire extinguisher on hand. One should know where it is and how to use it and test this knowledge occasionally. A good fire extinguisher can prevent a house or a car from burning up. We passed this test today down in the garage. Part Two: Seam sealer is a petroleum product. That means it WILL burn. Quite nicely. Roasting weenies and marsh mellows type flames. Pretty yellow and red ones. I tested this theory today as well. It is TRUE. The result: The fire in my cab was minimal and did no damage. The extinguisher made a hell of a mess but put out the fire RIGHT NOW!. I am changing both shorts and trousers. Thus endeth the lesson.
Wow, sounds like a close call. Good for you for being prepared. I think I'm gonna go check my extinguisher right now while I'm thinking about it!
Fortunately have never had to use mine. But, I haven't checked it in a while either. Think I will put a recurring reminder on my phone to check it every six months.
One thing to remember when checking your extinguisher is NEVER TEST FIRE IT! If you do the pressure will leak out and it will be useless when you try to use it the next time. When checking you should turn it upside down and give it a few taps with a rubber or deadblow hammer to loosen the powder . The powder "cakes" when an extinguisher sits for long periods or is subject to vibrations. Also check the nozzle for obstructions....mud daubers love to make nests in there...I found some chocolate easter eggs in one once. The ladies in the office thought that it was a good place to hide them.
Thanks. Simple advice. But good advice. Okay boys and girls let's all go check our fire extinquisers NOW ! I learned that seam sealer leason many years ago. But was reminded again when welding on a firewall a few years ago. Let's all have a safe 2014.
i am happy to here you didn't end up with a major loss,just a PITA inconvenience. I learn a valuable lesson from the late Deuce Roadster about carrying a fire extinguisher BIG enough to do the job,,regrettably the one he had was small and didn't get the fire completely out,a good Samaritan had a large capacity fire extinguisher and got the fire out. I carry a BIG fire extinguisher with me now. HRP
Mine was a white powder extinguisher. Did a job on the fire. Fine white powder all over the cab and the floor and my tools now. Not on me after a shower and a change of trousers. I chose that because it works on both liquid and electrical fires.
Some parts of the country have a ban halon fire extinguishers,,I know we cannot get the 3 halons I have recharged. HRP
I was cutting the trunk floor out of our 70' Nova. Sparks got into something? It was not easy watching my 30 x 50 shop full of my stuff burn.
Halon was replaced several years ago with FM200, another oxygen-depleting fire suppressant which has also been phased out. If you have a Halon extinguisher I don't think it's illegal to use it (some AHJ's may have banned it by now), but to HRP's point you can't get them recharged so once you use them it's time to get a new one. That's what I have in my garage because the company I used to work for phased them out but it sure beats the mess of the powder. One note about Halon; it puts out fires by taking one of the elements (oxygen) out of the fire triangle, so if you use one in a confined space like a closed garage get to fresh air right away.
White powder extinguishers are very corrosive and hard to clean up as it goes every where. Also never leave oily rags laying around as they can self combust. Be safe in 2014. JW
That's good you went for the extinguisher the times I was in those situations and yelled fire every body ran out of the building and was left to fight the fire alone.
I have one in every car, including projects throughout the build. One on my bar-b-que, one on each welder cart, one on each plasma cart, one on my oxy-acc cart, and one in the kitchen. Overkill? Maybe, but Ive lit a few things on fire over the years and NEVER burned anything up.
I have been fortunate that I have never lost a car due to fire but we did have substantial damage our home in 1978 due to a kitchen fire,,had it not been for a fire extinguisher I believe we would have lost everything. HRP
Also, if possible mount your extinguishers near your exits. So if things do get really out of control you won't get trapped as you go for the extinguisher.
Just this past Friday I had a discussion with a Marine Patrol Officer who came into my work and I asked him some questions about what he looks for when he boards a boat for a safety inspection. I wanted to know because I am advising people all day long about what they need on their boats and I wanted to make sure I was giving them the straight scoop and current information. As for fire extinguishers, he said he looks for 3 things. One is that the gauge is in the green portion, two, that the safety pull pin is in place, and three that the date on the bottom is less than 10 years old. If an extinguisher fails any of those criteria you are getting an $80 ticket. I asked him about the turning over and hitting it with your hand to see if it is clumping and he said he really doesn't do that anymore, but I have had them do it when they boarded my boat. Don
Mig Welding near the seam sealer caused the problem. The sealer had been in there for 4 hours and should have skinned over. Apparently it was still curing.
lots of good tips here--we have an extinguisher in every car and several within easy reach in the garage-but I'm going out now to ck them all. Whenever we start up a new build we have two extinguishers at the ready and two large wet towels as well. If weather permits we also roll them outside to start them. Also please carry an up to date first aid kit--have had to use mine to patch up some nasty stuff 3 times til better medical could be obtained. THX for the timely reminder
If you have an ABC rated dry powder extinguisher, the powder can be corrosive. BC rated ones are not. It's a good idea to wash a car down if an ABC is used. I have a large Ansul Purple-K extinguisher in the garage. It's an industrial type that uses a separate CO2 cartridge that's punctured to pressurize it when needed.
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