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Fire extinguishers


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Question about storing fire extinguishers in classic cars...Just bought a new 10BC extinguisher to carry in the trunk of my '47 Plymouth Coupe...

I was going to lay it flat in front of my spare tire and cover it with a piece of blanket that matches the trunk color....I wonder if there is a problem 

with storing an extinguisher flat...All of mine in the house and garage and shop are stored upright....Just cleaned out the carrier behind the front

seat of my '89 F-150 XLT and lo and behold there is a 6Bc which probably has been flat for 30 years and the guage still says 'OK'...Any ideas ?...Chuck...

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On many of the disposable one time units....I do not think it is an issue.  I also think that they recommend that they be replaced every so often for assurance of 'usability' when needed.  I think I would have mine a bit more handy to grab....say under the seat, lots of damage could be prevented in the time it would take to retrieve from the trunk.   Many of the car show promoters require that every car have a serviceable extinguisher to enter the show grounds.  

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6 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

On many of the disposable one time units....I do not think it is an issue.  I also think that they recommend that they be replaced every so often for assurance of 'usability' when needed.  I think I would have mine a bit more handy to grab....say under the seat, lots of damage could be prevented in the time it would take to retrieve from the trunk.   Many of the car show promoters require that every car have a serviceable extinguisher to enter the show grounds.  

Agree wholeheartedly.  Consider the panel under the dash, forward of the door for a smaller one, or two.  Maybe near  the radiator under the hood, behind the grill?  for a bigger one. 

 

I just had a fire event last evening.  Home, but still instructive.    Lit the propane grill, went inside to get a platter and as I walked back outside there was a b i g soft 'poof'.  Explosive, but not contained so softer sounding.  I think that was the popoff valve on the 15Lb cylinder rupturing.  Huge, very hot fire while all that propane (new tankful) burned.  Popped the top layer off the concrete under the grill, warped every panel on my big grill, ruined some of the deck railing as it was pvc over aluminum, ruined a miniblind for my back door which was nearby, (not installed, removed for painting) and smoked up the cedar deck roof/ceiling.

 

Point is this, I had just a few seconds to get it out and cooled off so it wouldn't ignite.  Didn't make it so it got so hot so fast that a 10bc and garden hose wouldn't cool it so it wouldn't reignite.  Thank God it was only 15 lbs!

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Plymothy....Thank you...Good point...I'll probably re-think my positioning...Chuck...

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Pretty important to have the right one too, or to understand what different flame retardants can do. Dry powder seems ok because it doesn't leave a lot of goo to clean up afterwards but they can be problematic.

Dry powder extinguishers operate by smothering the fire and choking it of oxygen. However, if windy it quickly disperses and flames can quickly reignite. Also, if left sitting in one position for a long period the powder can settle and solidify in the base of the extinguisher. When needed they don't work unless shaken vigorously first.

Foam type don't have these issues but can leave a very messy and corrosive residue after. If sucked into the engine they can cause a lot of damage.

Still, better to have one than not......personal experience talking here.....totalled a tractor once that shorted out and ignited debris under the cowl. Lucky I didn't turn a paddock of dry unbaled hay to ash

 

Edited by sidevalvepete
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On 8/30/2020 at 2:54 AM, sidevalvepete said:

Pretty important to have the right one too, or to understand what different flame retardants can do. Dry powder seems ok because it doesn't leave a lot of goo to clean up afterwards but they can be problematic.

Dry powder extinguishers operate by smothering the fire and choking it of oxygen. However, if windy it quickly disperses and flames can quickly reignite. Also, if left sitting in one position for a long period the powder can settle and solidify in the base of the extinguisher. When needed they don't work unless shaken vigorously first.

Foam type don't have these issues but can leave a very messy and corrosive residue after. If sucked into the engine they can cause a lot of damage.

Still, better to have one than not......personal experience talking here.....totalled a tractor once that shorted out and ignited debris under the cowl. Lucky I didn't turn a paddock of dry unbaled hay to ash

 

That's why I let my dry chemical fire extinguisher roll around on the back floor :)

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I keep my extinguisher onthe floor in the back seating area onthe driver side of the car. So if a fire i just open the front door open the driver side rear door and grab i

 

The best thing to do is turn the extinguisher upside down and then tap it lightly with a hammer to loosenup the powder. Do this every six months. This is what a members of my local club told us to do and he is on their volunteer fire compnay.

 

Keep the extinguisher in a place that is eacy to reach not in your trunk. Need to be able to get to it in a matter of seconds not a minute or more.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

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I've mounted them under the dash in my P15 and B1 horizontally.. Easy to get to, out of the way. I would avoid the trunk as I had one go off when a piece of cargo hit  it. Big mess.

I also use CO2 around the house, lot easier clean up if you use them. Also good for calming down pissed off rattlesnakes?

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DeSoto & p15....Good ideas....You've changed my opinion on putting it in the trunk...Thanks much..Chuck...

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It was a part of the original equipment in all vehicles in Brazil.  (And required by law.)  We had one in the 80 Datsun my wife bought new before we married, but I haven't had one here since.  Should, though. 

 

A couple of stories about needing one: 

My brother bought a 61 Olds (I think he paid like $12.50 for it), and drove it home w/o an air cleaner (I think it was gone already).  Caught fire, and the only way to put it out was to throw a bunch of mud onto the top of the engine, some going into the carb.  Another time he was helping a stranger get his car started that had stalled along the road down a piece from our house.  He put some gasoline in a tin can, and told the guy to pour a bit in, then stand back while he (my brother) tried to start it.  The engine caught a bit, and the guy steps up and starts pouring more down the carburetor.  It back-fired, and caught the can on fire.  The guy threw it away into the pasture along the road, and as I recall it burned off nearly a whole quarter section.

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Eneto-55....Good stories..A couple of years ago, I bought each of my kids and their kids

two fire extinguishers each...one for their house and one for their garage....My grandson, 

who has a shop with a couple of lifts built onto the back of his garage, the next spring,

went out to start up his John Deere mower and it caught on fire....He said you never saw 

him run so fast in your life...He used up one of my extinguishers, but he saved the tractor

and his shop and garage...Thanks, Chuck...

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  • 4 weeks later...

Location is paramount, regardless of the type.  Small fire extinguishers are not intended to put out a car fire, they are intended to get a driver/passenger out of the immediate fire danger, or for a good Samaritan bystander to use to get occupants out of a burning car, or even to put out a burning person.  Over the years when I was working, I pulled three people out of burning cars, but barely managed to do so even with a fire extinguisher (all our vehicles had at least one).  If I'd had tired to put the fires out before getting people out, there would be three less people in the world.  So if you're going to have one in your auto, have it where you can access it within the passenger compartment.  If you can use it quick enough to put out a fire and minimize damage, all the better, but it still needs to be where you can get to it quickly.   

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