TheSamba.com :: View topic

Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:48 am

Halotron is a Halon replacement that is EPA approved.

You can find a distributor at http://www.amerex-fire.com/

Wed Feb 17, 2010 9:33 am

I want to say a navy buddy told me this, but I can't really remember. When you need to use a fire extinguisher, not neccasssirly in a car, you grab it from the rack/holder w/e, and bump it off the ground, get your butt to the fire and spray. The bounce off hte ground helps break up anythign that may have clumped due to poor maintenance.

that said, the poweder still do need to be shaken from time to time to avoid clumping, and I think storing it horizontally or upside down was supposed to help, so that when you bump it right side up all the poweder falls to the bottom and you can give it a shake, or some thing like that. google it, I am sure there are standardized practices published by firefighter organizations, race clubs, extinguisher mfrs, etc.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:36 am

fusername wrote: I want to say a navy buddy told me this, but I can't really remember. When you need to use a fire extinguisher, not neccasssirly in a car, you grab it from the rack/holder w/e, and bump it off the ground, get your butt to the fire and spray. The bounce off hte ground helps break up anythign that may have clumped due to poor maintenance.

That won't hurt. More importantly we make sure to pull the pin and test the extinguisher before attacking a fire. A ship is basically a floating tin container full of fuel/explosives, so we take fire-fighting pretty seriously.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:21 am

Halotron is great as long as you're not putting a person out. Everywhere there's sensitive electronics were cleanup would cost more than a total loss the stuff is great. Have you ever walked through a cloud of that stuff?

all the air in the world, yet none you can breath.

Good idea on a bus just make sure no live beings are in the general area.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:46 am

Quote: BTW... ever see the aftermath of using a dry chemical extinguisher?
Yep... makes a real mess. But it got the fire out.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:58 am

"make sure to pull the pin and test the extinguisher before attacking a fire"

not sure if that is a good idea
I've been told that many fire extinguishers (the less expensive ones with plastic nozzles and plastic innards) are unusable after being tested

it may be that the plastic is affected by the agent over a period of time and for that reason they become unusable or it may be that you can press the trigger only once in its lifetime

they are called single-use extinguishers

I have rechargeable extinguishers with metal nozzles, more expensive initially, but more value. I got my info when I bought rechargeables from Joy Equipment Protection in Carpenteria CA

ok just called Rick Joy and he said no problem in testing the extinguisher on the way to the fire. The dry chemical contaminates the valve and they will leak and lose pressure if put back in storage. Rechargeable are refillable and rechargeable and single use are usable for a limited period of time after testing. Halon and CO2 are clean and are usable after a test. All need to have pressure to be usable.

any extinguisher is better than nothing

Aloha
tp

Wed Feb 17, 2010 12:03 pm

I think he meant give it a test as you are running towards the fire. Testing it any other time gets powder on the valve seat and allows the propellant to escape over time, that would be a big letdown when you actually needed it.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 12:54 pm

Glenn wrote: This is not something you should cheap out on.... and you don't have to spend a fortune.

I paid about $100 for a Halotron I in a steel can with a aluminum nozzle, its USCG, DOT, EPA and FAA approved.

Is you're vehicle worth $100?

BTW... ever see the aftermath of using a dry chemical extinguisher?

I did! 3 Days after I got my bus I was driving down the freeway
and smoke starts to come out from my dash. Cut across 3 lanes of
traffic and kill the ignition. Tear open the box of one of the 3 fire
extinguishers I had just bought and sprayed under the dash from
below. Wire had come loose on the instrument lights (end that goes
to hazard switch) and shorted out. :shock:

Lots of smoke but little damage. :!:

After checking things out drove home with windows open to let the
powder blow out. Ended up using the leaf blower later to get the
rest of the powder out from behind the dash. The neighbors thought
I was nuts and were laughing thier ass off as all that white powder
blew out. :lol:

Years later I still find some powder residue when working
on Tiki.

Wed Feb 17, 2010 12:56 pm

Exactly what I'm saying, thanks.

and btw Go Canada!

Wed Feb 17, 2010 1:21 pm

fusername wrote: ... When you need to use a fire extinguisher... you grab it from the rack/holder w/e, and bump it off the ground, get your butt to the fire and spray...

It really does work. All it took was that bump action & about 3 seconds of spray from my extinguisher, to put out a pickup/camper fire that the driver & highway patrol officer were just watching burn away. Driver (had just borrowed rig from the owner!) said that he'd 'emptied' the truck's extinguisher trying, but "it didn't do anything". Found his extinguisher to be full of (caked) powder: he'd just emptied out the compressed air propellant.

The CHP officer said he didn't have room for even a small extinguisher on his motorcycle! Guess he had to leave room in his luggage pods for extra citation pads! Gotta have our priorities straight, I guess. Kinda wonder how he wrote up the incident report. (No conflicting report was turned in, since I wasn't on duty.)

Post-fire powder cleanup on mechanical stuff? IMHO a small price to pay to avoid a total meltdown. If you can just put out the fire with the powder, and apply no water, compressed air will clean off most of the powder residue. (Sure agree with the Halotron for electronics, however.)

Wed Feb 17, 2010 9:49 pm

WestyPop wrote:
Post-fire powder cleanup on mechanical stuff? IMHO a small price to pay to avoid a total meltdown. If you can just put out the fire with the powder, and apply no water, compressed air will clean off most of the powder residue. (Sure agree with the Halotron for electronics, however.)

Wait, what happens if you use water? Just makes a big mess or worse?

Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:26 pm

You never know...

Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:10 pm

vwwestyman wrote: WestyPop wrote:
Post-fire powder cleanup on mechanical stuff? IMHO a small price to pay to avoid a total meltdown. If you can just put out the fire with the powder, and apply no water, compressed air will clean off most of the powder residue. (Sure agree with the Halotron for electronics, however.)

Wait, what happens if you use water? Just makes a big mess or worse?

Baking soda soup on nice hot surfaces = messy, crusty deposits, killer waterspots & the water seems to drive the powder into places it wouldn't go if just allowed to fan out dry & smother the flames. A b***h to clean up, but still better than losing the engine... or the whole bus.

BTW when you pull the pin & start your spray routine... start by spraying the edge of the fire nearest you, then work the smothering action back & forth, away from yourself. Do the reverse & you could drive the fire toward you... ouch!

Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:37 pm

How to use a fire extinguisher

Just remember P.A.S.S.

Pull the pin
Aim
Squeeze the handle
Sweep from side to side

Fire Extinguishers should have a maintenance performed on them every six years. This includes releasing the pressure and taking them apart to do an inspection on the internals. Every 12 years, they should have a hydrostatic test performed on them.

I'm a Fire Inspector at my second (part time) job. We visually inspect, shake and tag extinguishers on an annual basis. Take' em out of service every six years and replace them with current ones. However, I deal with extinguishers that are in a static location not dealing with the bumps that go along with one riding in a car (especially a ACVW). I'd suggest visually checking and shaking them everytime you change your oil.

Once a fire extinguisher has been depressed, even for just a second, the extinguisher will continue to lose pressure. So even if you use one for a second, replace it with a new (or serviced) one. Unless you know someone in the business of servicing extinguishers, it'll most likely be cheaper to purchase a new one rather than have an out of date or slightly used one serviced. I use my old extinguishers for camping duty, extra in the garage or for training. Just because they turn six years old doesn't mean they won't work.

There are five classes of fire:
A: Common combustibles (wood, paper, etc.)
B: Flammable Liquids (gas, oil, etc.)
C: Electrical
D: Flammable Metals (MAGNESIUM, etc.)
K: Kitchen Fires (mainly dealing with deep fryers)

Make sure you have a fire extinguisher suited to your needs. Most common are Class ABC extinguishers. They do make Class D extinguishers and they are expensive. I've seen an ABC put out a small flammable metal fire. Dry chemical is messy but it does work well. Halotron works well also and is clean. Just take a deep breath before you use it and get out/away after you do use it.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:02 pm

And when I was in the Navy, they taught us to put out oil fires with water.
But do not try this at home.

Tue Mar 02, 2010 2:22 pm

about 3 weeks ago I actually had to use a fire extinguisher. Its funny, those things take up space and need cleaned off all the time and just feel, "in the way". that is, until a gas fire erupts in the shop, then you are dang glad you have that bulky thing around. :lol: We would have been FOOKED without that thing, and man I mean it.

Thu Mar 04, 2010 12:55 pm

Glenn wrote: Get a Halotron I... problem solved.

Ditto!

Wed Dec 21, 2011 8:48 am

Madtat wrote: Glenn wrote: Get a Halotron I... problem solved.

Ditto!

Back to the top!

Do you have to recharge these or just toss them after a few years and get new ones?

Wed Dec 21, 2011 9:16 am

We rebuilt them good as new at Redding Fire Equipment back when. They are dated for rebuild in commercial use in CA.

Wed Dec 21, 2011 9:16 am

Will baking work in an open space? It's supposed to pull all the oxygen from the air and so extinguish the fire. In an enclosed space this works but does it also work in an open area like an open decklid?