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Fire Extinguisher/Fire Suppression Discussion Thread

bunk said:
So 5 pounders are too hard to package? I dread using a 2.5 pounder again as i still have the image in my head of when one stopped spewing chemical, and then all i saw was fire all around me.
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Probablya mixed bag withno perfect answer. Packaging was not reaIly a consideration. had 2.5 that still had a little life left. Since once they are used they lose pressure, if I had a 5 pounder it would basically be throwing half the chemical away.
I’m good with having 3 2.5’rs.
 
white-rhino said:
Probablya mixed bag withno perfect answer. Packaging was not reaIly a consideration. had 2.5 that still had a little life left. Since once they are used they lose pressure, if I had a 5 pounder it would basically be throwing half the chemical away.
I’m good with having 3 2.5’rs.
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fwiw i went thru 2 2.5's on kens car to no effect. That lends itself to the comment you made about when you start fighting it. I had to run 50 feet to get to him, and it was still another 15 seconds before i started using a fire extinguisher. Multiple 2.5's is probably a better idea as you have more control with them.
 
arse_sidewards said:
Yeah that's the thing I'd be most worried about in an off road race environment. On a track they'll have a fire truck on top of you by then.
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Not the majority of the tracks I race on. Next year 2 out of 7 tracks will have full course safety coverage. The other 5 courses you are on your own if you are more than a mile from the start line.
arse_sidewards said:
Trail rig probably shouldn't be wheeling that hard.

At some point you have to draw a line between reasonable preparedness and fear peddling circle jerk and simply make reasonable preparations because money and time are not infinite and going all in on one thing because some fuckwits on the internet told you to will leave you wide open on another and going all in on all the things will leave no time and money for winning.
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All we’re trying to discuss is the fine line between worrying to death and prepared enough. No clip board orange vest or circle jerk. In case you missed it. I’ve already said that I don’t like suppression systems for an open body car. They don’t work and IMO give a false sense of security. A top fuel funny car for instance I think is the place for those. A open air full tube chassis crawler, literally pissing in the wind.
arse_sidewards said:
I've got a big fire extinguisher in the floorboard of my "not for sale gonna build it some day" project and a small one in each daily. Box checked. Good enough. Might add another one to the garage or the front end loader. IDK. If I had a race car I'd consider putting a proper system in it but I don't.
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we ran this year with one element and 2 2.5 pound ABC’s on both cars. The elements are getting shelved and the 3rd ABC going back in their place for next season. The powder sucks to clean up but it is by no means the end of the world on anything. It pressure washes off just fine. All 3 of our 4500 cars have had underhood fires put out with regular ABC extinguishers and right now you’d never know it.
 
Dry chem residue is by far the least of my concerns.

Re timing, we have been trying to figure out how long before I got there. Take a look at this pic. John’s car is where it caught fire. Then a vehicle winching him and then another blue roof beyond that. My car is behind that out of sight. Guessing 150-200 ft. When he erupted, I had to climb out, grab an extinguisher off each side of my rig and then waddle my 240# fat ass to him. Only then did I join the fight. How long? Certainly 30 seconds or more.

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We were lucky because nothing solid had caught fire. Seats, tires or other fluids would have been far worse.
 
RadialDynamics

Sorry to try and drag you back into this thread, but, perhaps you could address AFFF and other options for cold weather.

I currently carry two Ansul Redlines, a 20lb and a 5lb with purple K solely because I live in the land of -40, and have had them since the 70s. i am not opposed to updating if it's worth it,

I just priced replacement Redlines:eek:
 
Bondage said:
RadialDynamics

Sorry to try and drag you back into this thread, but, perhaps you could address AFFF and other options for cold weather.

I currently carry two Ansul Redlines, a 20lb and a 5lb with purple K solely because I live in the land of -40, and have had them since the 70s. i am not opposed to updating if it's worth it,

I just priced replacement Redlines:eek:
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-40° replace your extinguishers with some logs and throw them on the fire to keep warm
 
What Hydro said.

Honestly, Fireade Climate Control has a freezing point of -40 so that is the closest option, any other AFFF will be frozen solid by then. A gaseous agent like Novec will not freeze until far lower, however, it is only rated for fire protection down to -40 because it works by pulling heat out of the fire to extinguish it and at -40, it won't pull any more energy out of a fire than the ambient air already is. For your conditions, a dry chem like purple K may not be a bad idea to stick with or Novec which will have limited effectiveness at that temp but won't freeze on you.
 
JR4X said:
I might add, to practice at least once a year. Time your self getting out as fast as you can in good conditions, one might be surprised at how long it takes when the car is sitting still, upright.
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i know the dust junkies had timed practice blind folded when they were racing jeep speed.

also grab your kid, have them pull the extiquishers off the car, time them and see how long it would take. it would be a real eye opener as to how hard it is to get them off. the pin ones gets gummed up with dirt and debris.

hands down the best mount ive seen/used is the safecraft ones. additionally they leave no residue when you spray them. not sure what the chemical is but from the people ive talked to it works.

safecraft-inc.myshopify.com

Quick Release Billet Bracket

Safecraft’s Model PB3 / PB5 portable units are designed to mount on roll bars or be flat-mounted in various motorsport vehicles. This quick-release bracket is custom-designed to offer versatility of placement and ease of use. Just FLIP the lever, GRAB and GO. Parts for the quick-release brackets...
safecraft-inc.myshopify.com
 
This has been a good read for sure. Time to check all of my gear and pick up some new ones.

I got 2 of the Fire Sense + 5 lbers on the way for the tow rig and the Truggy. I need to go beat my dry chem ones with a mallet to make sure they haven't settled.

I've only had one small fire (due to a ruptured PRV on a PSC TC pump) It was enough to scare anyone.
 
RadialDynamics said:
When it comes to gaseous agents, Halon is what most people refer to and this is a CFC that has been banned due to eating holes in the ozone layer. The better options available now are non-halon alternatives and the best of those is a 3M product called Novec 1230. Novec doesn't suffocate occupants because it isn't displacing oxygen. It is stored in liquid form and vaporizes almost instantly upon being sprayed. It's the cooling effect caused by rapid vaporization that extinguishes the fire, and quite effectively at that. It's non-conductive, you can literally dip your phone or computer in a bucket of the stuff without issue, hence why it has largely replaced Halons for protecting sensitive electronics.
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While I have at least 1 5# ABC in each of my rigs and on each trailer I also have 3 5# Halon extinguishers, when/if I use them can they be refilled with Novec123 or do I need to buy a prefilled extinguisher with the Novec in it?

I'd appreciate any advice from you.
 
64Trvlr said:
While I have at least 1 5# ABC in each of my rigs and on each trailer I also have 3 5# Halon extinguishers, when/if I use them can they be refilled with Novec123 or do I need to buy a prefilled extinguisher with the Novec in it?

I'd appreciate any advice from you.
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I'm not sure you would be able to find anyone to refill halon bottles with Novec but if you do, it probably would not be certified to any standard so if you are competing and need an SFI or FIA rating, then you would really need to start with a new Novec-specific bottle. I also can't comment on whether there are differences in the nozzles between the two agents. So my best advice would be to simply get Novec extinguishers if that's the type of agent you want to use.
 
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