TheSamba.com :: View topic - Mounting Fire Exstinguisher on Front Heater Tree

Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:31 am

Howdy folks,

I have seen several people that mounted a fire extinguisher on the heater tree, and I like the location (easy to get to when you need it). My questions are:

1 - Is there anything inside the tree that might be damaged if I screw in sheet metal screws to secure the holder?

2 - Any other suggestions on how to mount it?

3 - How big (how many pounds) of a fire extinguisher will fit down there (what does everyone else have)?

4 - Any risk of these things failing when kept in the Mid-West elements (extreme cold and heat)? As long as the pressure guage is in the normal zone, am I OK?

THANKS!!!

Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:44 am

My extinguisher just used plastic straps to attach to the heater tree. No screws needed.

Troy was able to grab it quite fast when I started a fire in the garage... 8)

Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:07 pm

I just strapped mine on with a bungee cord wrapped around the pipe. That makes it easy to yank out should the need arise. It was a 5-lb extinguisher.

Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:24 pm

I mounted a small one on the steering column, it's not in the way and easier to get to than on the heater tree.

Phil

Wed Jan 25, 2006 3:09 pm

Great idea on the steering column! I mounted mine right behind the driver's seat on the bulkhead...just make sure you 're seat won't interfere with it.
Gary

Wed Jan 25, 2006 3:17 pm

or you can mount it on the e-brake shaft going down to the floor...

Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:10 pm

Here's my location. It's a 5 lb A-B-C (2-A, 10-B-C).

Recently there was a thread about having to "smack" the bottom of an extinguisher every once in a while to break up the chemical inside so it would eject uniformly. I can't remember the keywords or topic (well, "extinguisher" would probably work :lol: ), but Steponmebooom contributed to it.

And yes, that is an old style interior handle on my sliding door.

Wed Jan 25, 2006 5:22 pm

I had one back in the living quarters as well, but I really got peace of mind knowing that the extinguisher was within arm's reach while I was driving. If a fire happened, I would not want to take the time to open the sliding door and go for that extinguisher.

I worked at sea for several years, and the engine room on the ship was equipped with an alarm system and about 20 big bottles of CO2 set to flood the entire room in case of fire. I toyed with the idea of doing the same to my bus engine compartment, with a couple of drop-down dampers in the vent wells, and a CO2 canister set to flood the engine compartment. That would be a cool setup!

Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:37 pm

I had seriously thought about adding an extenguisher system in my engine compartment for a while but never have gotten around to it. You can buy them at marine shops like West Marine and BoatUS. You can get various length cables to activate it and/or have an automatic system.

Currently I keep one extenguisher mounted to the rear seat in the typical location as well as one under the passenger seat in that storage space.

Thu Jan 26, 2006 4:12 pm

We use Halon engine fire bottles in our helo's... The only problem is that when they are deployed they "eat" all the oxygen in the surrounding air so... if you deploy them while someone is opening up the rear hatch... well... death can occur :shock:

Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:03 pm

I'm with jtauxe on this.

The last time this came up I posted a link to pictures of a guy VW in the UK and he'd installed an automatic system. Speed shops sell them too.

In a panick situation, I don't think you can have an extinguisher too close to you. The real problem of course is that by the time you know you're on fire, your engine room could be well engaged and then you're going to open that hatch to get to the flames.

I've read too many times about people not knowing their engine was on fire. It's behind you, and the "ears" are getting great gobs of air IN. By the time you're aware, you could be in real trouble. Not to mention my kid rides in the back. :shock:

Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:42 pm

the problem i had when my engine caught on fire a few months ago was that i heard the problems, started to stall, pulled over and ran to the back, lifted the lid and introduced a gust of air into the engine compartment causing the fire. no way around it really, i quess i could have let it cool letting gas pour onto the road.

All is well now though and the bus is starting to run very nicely as i continue to tune it.

david a.

Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:55 pm

I really like the steering column idea along with the big one inside the slider. My 72 Rivi had an engine fire before I bought it, man what a mess.

Replace your fuel lines kids!

Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:41 pm

galexander wrote: Great idea on the steering column! I mounted mine right behind the driver's seat on the bulkhead...just make sure you 're seat won't interfere with it.
Gary

I did the same thing:

Fri Jan 27, 2006 10:20 am

Since we are talking fire extinguishers, I thought I would mention:

http://www.fireadesource.com

I bought the 2-pack, one for each of my vehicles. They don't
weigh much.

Darren

Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:40 pm

That's where I keep mine. Yep I drilled two holes, my poor molested bus.

Fri Jan 27, 2006 1:48 pm

jtauxe wrote: I had one back in the living quarters as well, but I really got peace of mind knowing that the extinguisher was within arm's reach while I was driving. If a fire happened, I would not want to take the time to open the sliding door and go for that extinguisher.

Okay, you guys convinced me. Went out today and bought a 2 lb extinguisher to mount on the steering column, so now I'll have two.

Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:14 pm

Coming from someone who watched his 1970 Westy burn to the ground on the side of interstate 95 (just outside of Richmond VA). You're better off safe then sorry. Evey bus should have 2 fire extinguisher. =D>

Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:48 pm

Best setup I've seen was an extinguisher mounted in a small tube behind the driver's seat. It had no straps , but was retained by the tube and by the door when it was closed. The rationale was that if you have a fire you will be exiting the bus ASAP or will need access to an extinguisher as far from the fire as possible, so this location was ideal.

For westy folks, you'll need another bottle inside the living space, as the behind seat extinguisher is only available when the door is open.

Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:34 pm

I don't think that this should apply to most of us here but I feel that I should pass this on anyways.

I work offshore in the oil industry and a fire extinguisher notice was recently sent around to everyone. A small fire broke out and an employee grabbed an extinguisher off of the deck. This fire extinguisher was bracketed to the bulkhead, but was physically resting on the deck. All of the saltwater washing over the deck also washed around the base of the extinguisher, causing some rust. This rust proved to be a week point and when said employee discharged said extinguisher, the bottom blew out, turning the body into a missile. He was struck in the head and ended up passing as a result.

The extinguisher was a gas cartridge type. I don't know too much about fire extinguisher types, so this may not even concern smaller, bus-sized ones. That and I would hope that after all of this fighting of rust on our vehicles, no one would let a potential bus saving device rust out.

Just thought I would share.

Phil