Fire extinguishers use on farm???

[Soundguy]

I never suggested that.

this would seem to show otherwise:

A really hot fire, like an engine fire, is best put out with water

I expect to find fuel ( oil ) and well.. OIL in an engine..

If I had a fire hose or high volume hose.. that's one thing. I wouldn't want to use a low volume or bucket on something like that for fear of splash spreading the fire.

then again.. you use what you got. if it's a choice of burn tot he ground or water.. go with water..


soundguy

 

[ray66v]

this would seem to show otherwise:



I expect to find fuel ( oil ) and well.. OIL in an engine..

If I had a fire hose or high volume hose.. that's one thing. I wouldn't want to use a low volume or bucket on something like that for fear of splash spreading the fire.

then again.. you use what you got. if it's a choice of burn tot he ground or water.. go with water..


soundguy

No, there is a difference between an engine fire, and fire in some grease or oil.

 

[deereman75]

No, there is a difference between an engine fire, and fire in some grease or oil.

Well except for the air cleaner, and the plastic, basicaly all that can burn on an engine is oil.

 

[ray66v]

Well except for the air cleaner, and the plastic, basicaly all that can burn on an engine is oil.

Yes on a tractor, but the kind of engine fire I was referring to was an automotive vehicle fire.

Under the hood there are lots of plastic things that will burn when the temperature gets high enough, including the paint. You have an air box, heater box, fan(s), wiring, battery covers, engine covers, hoses, belts, etc.

I occasionally saw vehicles with these kinds of fires, or vehicles that nearly had these kind of events, working in the automotive repair business. These engine fires were usually the result of either the exhaust overheating due to the catalytic converter(s) being blocked, (I won't explain how that happens here, but it is easy for this to happen if you have a problem with your engine), or an electrical short. Yes, there can be other causes, but these are the most common. Both of these events can produce temperatures that result in red hot glowing metal. I personally have seen about a half a dozen glowing hot catalytic converters over the years. These vehicles were minutes away from going up in smoke.

Because of the extreme temperatures involved, you will find you probably cannot put one out with a fire extinguisher. The firemen who eventually put the out fire I attempted to extinguish, agreed. This is because you probably won't be able to get the hood open, and the extreme heat will keep reigniting it until you run out of extinguisher.

 

[jonyyuma]

There might be some MAGNESSIUM under that hood? The stuff really is hot, bright. and persisitant when on fire. halon? Hard to come by now, a refrigerant variant, and as usual not real good to breathe, it smothered the fires. I like powder and co2 myself..

 

[dodge man]

I've got a couple of the larger fire extinguishers in my garage and house (10lbs?) and a couple of smaller ones.

I once lived in a apartment building that had a cloths dryer catch fire. It was in a commons area and I put the fire out with one of those smaller ones. Like Ray66V said, they won't put out much of a fire. I pretty much emptied it out with a 2 or 3 second burst, and like he said, I got up pretty close to the fire to make it work. The fire was in the lint and socks behind the drier, it if hadn't been out in a fairly open area, the extinguisher would have been pretty worthless. Like he said, you can't really get to big.

 

[Soundguy]

The 3 vehicle fires i have been present at were a suv of some sort, had an unspecified fire at / under the engine onthe side of the road, a car in a parking lot that had a shorted alternator causing a fire, and a semi truck that had an electrical short in the wiring from the truck to the trailer.

In all 3 cases a dry powder extinguisher put the fire out, including the burning grass under the suv engine compartment.

fire in the car would start back up untill we knocked the wire off the alternator, and same with the semi.. a bolt cutter was quickly applied to the hot cable to kill it.

2 of those were 10 BC extinguishers, as they were out of my truck, and that was what I was carrying when i pulled over / in.. I don't know what the 3rd was, as I grabbed it off the wall while heading out the door when i saw the burning semi pull into the shop yard...

Fire Extinguisher: 101

This backs up what I've always heard, especailly growing up with a father that was / is a fireman / fire inspector.

class A extinguishers are pressurized water, and are not reccomend for oil and grease fires.. or electrical fires ( C ).

There are also specific K type ratings for cooking oil fires.

A vehicle fire, is likely going to be a B/C IE.. dry chemical ( B ), and non cunductive media ( C )

soundguy

 

[deereman75]

Yes on a tractor, but the kind of engine fire I was referring to was an automotive vehicle fire.

Under the hood there are lots of plastic things that will burn when the temperature gets high enough, including the paint. You have an air box, heater box, fan(s), wiring, battery covers, engine covers, hoses, belts, etc.

I occasionally saw vehicles with these kinds of fires, or vehicles that nearly had these kind of events, working in the automotive repair business. These engine fires were usually the result of either the exhaust overheating due to the catalytic converter(s) being blocked, (I won't explain how that happens here, but it is easy for this to happen if you have a problem with your engine), or an electrical short. Yes, there can be other causes, but these are the most common. Both of these events can produce temperatures that result in red hot glowing metal. I personally have seen about a half a dozen glowing hot catalytic converters over the years. These vehicles were minutes away from going up in smoke.

Because of the extreme temperatures involved, you will find you probably cannot put one out with a fire extinguisher. The firemen who eventually put the out fire I attempted to extinguish, agreed. This is because you probably won't be able to get the hood open, and the extreme heat will keep reigniting it until you run out of extinguisher.

Thats why I like the CO2 extinguishers, because they have a huge cooling effect, and why they are best for a fire with supplied O2 (like an O/A torch), because they bring it below ingition temprature.

 

[jonyyuma]

Co2 is used on aircraft and we used to have them all over the Ammo dump at camp.

 

[Branchchipper]

Great topic! I have carried extinguishers on most everything for years, and have received a lot of blank stares/quizzical looks as a result.

Here's the bottom line, based on 3 decades in the fire business;

You need an extinguisher capable of preventing a small fire from becoming larger, in whatever fuel type it is likely to occur...

That's why a 2A10BC extinguisher is so common in a typical business- it is rated for A-common combustibles (paper, wood); B- flammable/combustible liquids (fuels); and C- energized electrical devices.

There are automotive-oriented extinguishers that are better suited for use on a tractor (see you local auto supply or fire extinguisher dealer), as they are geared towards the most likely fires therein (wiring, other electrical components and fuel)

You will not be able to extinguish a large fire in a tractor, BUT, your extinguisher may keep a small fire small, or, at least keep a "loser" situation from spreading to vegetation, vehicles or buildings.

Finally, how many have considered carrying a shovel and water with them in the woods/fields (in addition to an extinguisher)? As was mentioned by an earlier poster, it is required in commercial operations in the woods, but seldom thought of on farms until after an event.

I carry a shovel and a hand-pump device with 5 gallons of water during the summer and fall. Even if a machine fire results in a total loss, these tools can prevent said loss from spreading. In the mean time, you may encounter grass/brush fire as a result of saw work, brush cutting, or some hapless neighbor with a shortage of common sense.

Like wearing seat belts, carrying an extinguisher is not an infallible strategy, but the odds are good that you'll be able to make a difference.

Otherwise, its a pretty bad feeling to stand by and watch something burn because you were not equipped to take action!