Fire Extinguishers ?????

[kebo]

Several years ago I bought a class AB dry powder fire extinguisher from Lowes (cost about $50) to keep on my tractor. I got one that was is about 5-6 lbs and is all metal (metal valve and handle) so it could be recharged, I had read somewhere that the cheaper plastic units typically can't be recharged (is that true?), they are essentially disposable. Well, now my FE is showing no charge on the gauge so I called a couple places to see what it would cost to get it recharged, one place said $25, the other place said $27. Both places said it would be extra if they had to do the hydro test to see if it would hold the charge to start with. One place said that would cost $55, but that price included charging it up as well.

So now I'm thinking it might be better to just go buy a new FE after every few years. What do you guys do for a FE to carry on your tractor??

(And yes, I am aware that you need to shake them up every so often because the powder inside them can settle and be like a chunk of frozen snow)

 

[Wagtail]

The very first 'modification' I did with my 4105 was mount a fire extinguisher on my ROPS.

I'm on my second, disposable, unit now... not because I've had to use one of them but because tree-limb damage or simple tractor vibration has damaged the gauge. The gauge is the least robust part of an extinguisher.

Due to my Naval career, I have fire extinguishers everywhere around my house and property. 2 in the house (kitchen & wood heater), one in the ute, 2 in the workshop and one on the tractor. The only one that I've had to replace was the one on the tractor... and I suspect that the replaced one is still good so it's my second one in the shop.

When I mounted he extinguisher on my ROPS, I used a cut-up neoprene koozie(?) - I think that's what you would call them - to act as a vibration buffer.

 

[blackdog2086]

I bought a 6 pack of these on Amazon for just over $100.

Kidde FA11 Multi Purpose Fire Extinguisher 1A1BC, 1 Pack - - Amazon.com

They come with a mounting bracket for the house, barn, garage and I got two of these for mounting on the tractor and UTV.

Amazon.com: Badass Moto Gear Adjustable Roll Bar Mounted Fire Extinguster Holder for Jeeps - Now With Improved Stitching.: Automotive.

 

[WM75Guy]

I did fire extinguisher service on my days off from the fire department before I retired. The hydro test is required every 12 years. Every 6 years you have discharge and refill extinguisher. Annually you inspect for damage and fluff the powder. That consists of turning it upside down and tapping with a rubber mallet till the powder was loose. There should be a date stamp somewhere on the extinguisher showing last hydro. The 6 year service will be a label.

When we discharged an extinguisher the powder is reclaimed in the hopper we used to fill extinguishers, so essentially you are buying your own powder back. There is a valve stem that seats against an O-ring in the valve body. The metal valve bodies do seem to hold up better over time, the plastic valve bodies tend to leak after discharge and recharge.

For $20 the small Kidde 1A, 10BC plastic extinguisher is basically disposable. Most extinguisher services will not or can not service them. After refilling the powder you attach a hose for the nitrogen where the discharge hose or nozzle screws in. If it has the nozzle molded into the valve body you cannot recharge it. I buy them at Lowes and scatter them all over the property. If it leaks down or gets used I buy a new one. I do have a nice CO2 extinguisher for the kitchen and a couple of old pressurized water extinguishers I refill myself. They are great when welding on fence in case you get a little flare up.

 

[buickanddeere]

Several years ago I bought a class AB dry powder fire extinguisher from Lowes (cost about $50) to keep on my tractor. I got one that was is about 5-6 lbs and is all metal (metal valve and handle) so it could be recharged, I had read somewhere that the cheaper plastic units typically can't be recharged (is that true?), they are essentially disposable. Well, now my FE is showing no charge on the gauge so I called a couple places to see what it would cost to get it recharged, one place said $25, the other place said $27. Both places said it would be extra if they had to do the hydro test to see if it would hold the charge to start with. One place said that would cost $55, but that price included charging it up as well.

So now I'm thinking it might be better to just go buy a new FE after every few years. What do you guys do for a FE to carry on your tractor??

(And yes, I am aware that you need to shake them up every so often because the powder inside them can settle and be like a chunk of frozen snow)

Dry Chem extinguisher? You would be better off carrying a six pack of beer on the tractor . A 2-1/2 gallon pressurized water extinguisher treated with AFFF will knock down and extinguish a fire that 100lbs of dry Chem can't entinguish.

 

[RjCorazza]

Dry Chem extinguisher? You would be better off carrying a six pack of beer on the tractor . A 2-1/2 gallon pressurized water extinguisher treated with AFFF will knock down and extinguish a fire that 100lbs of dry Chem can't entinguish.

While true, no way I am carrying a 2.5g can on my tractor. I have 1a10bc extinguishers scattered in locations around the house and garage, one on the tractor, and a 2.5g can in the house. For a fire inside the house I would definitely walk past several dry chems to get to the water can.

 

[ohmyback]

Heard on Toby Tobin show last weekend about "Cold Fire" in a spray can. Hardware stores in KC area had them on sale for $7-$8 dollars a can. Their description sounded perfect for Tractor or Auto.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have some old water extinguishers that I love, just have to keep them from freezing. You fill them up and put an air hose to them. Nice to have at the brush pile. A great hit with small boys too.

I also have a few Carbon Dioxide extinguishers that I would try and use, before resorting to dry chemical, on account of the mess. They also don't need to be recharged after one slight use.

I set off a dry extinguisher in a Canadian Tire, when I was five. I just remember all of a sudden everything was yellow. That must have been some mess for them to clean up.

 

[Argonne]

Halon is the sweet setup if you can find a used one. It won't be economical to refill if you empty it, but on the other hand, one extinguisher will put out many small fires, and they are reusable till empty.

Did a quick search and here is a reasonably priced one. 9lb Halon Amerex fire extinguisher | eBay as an example.

 

[Toyboy]

What people don't realize is that the powder is very corrosive and a BEAR to clean up if discharged in house. I have CO2 extinguishers in the kitchens and a Halon in the computer room. I also have a bunch of dry powder units scattered throughout the house & shop/garage area. But CO2 is the first choice. If I can't get it out with, that I'll start unloading the powder extinguishers. Any port in a storm so to speak.

 

[Clay45]

I've heard if you discharge Halon in an enclosed area you can asphyxiate yourself.

 

[Toyboy]

Yep, hit & run.

 

[Toyboy]

I don't know what anyone else does to remember to "fluff/loosen" the powder in the dry extinguishers, but I do mine when we go on and off DST. Which means today I get my rubber mallet and go on a tapping spree. :thumbsup:

 

[crackerjack222]

I have dry-chems around the house; kitchen, garage and upstairs closet. In my shop I have at least four re-chargeable dry-chems hanging by the doors. When I am welding or torch cutting, I have a couple of "red-neck" extinguishers around (plastic jugs filled with water and with a 1/8" hole drilled in the cap). I have a halon that I had in my plane but it is now buried in the stuff I cleaned out of the hangar. I will have to find it and put it where I can grab it.
Years ago we had a small fire in our co. warehouse. Dry-chems were used to put it out. After that we had to dump a large number of electronic pieces that were corroded by the dry-chem.

 

[drizler]

Good idea to keep the tiny sticks and bush pieces from building up on your engine areas and keep an extinguisher on board. I know a guy whose ford 4000 caught fire from tiny bush buildup on the area below the leaky valve cover gasket. Once it got going he ran and got 2 big extinguishers from a nearby facility and dumped them both with no luck. Burned it right up .

 

[davesl708]

I've heard if you discharge Halon in an enclosed area you can asphyxiate yourself.

Same with CO2. You are displacing the oxygen so not a good idea to hang around after discharging either. You must vent the area before going back in.

 

[drizler]

Good idea to keep the tiny sticks and bush pieces from building up on your engine areas and keep an extinguisher on board. I know a guy whose ford 4000 caught fire from tiny bush buildup on the area below the leaky valve cover gasket. Once it got going he ran and got 2 big water extinguishers from a nearby facility and dumped them both with no luck. Burned it right up .
.
As for halon I always wondered about that stuff in a closed area. We had those rigged in the V100 armored cars while I was in the Army. I guess they planned on you unassing the vehicle rapidly in the event of a fire.

 

[buickanddeere]

I've heard if you discharge Halon in an enclosed area you can asphyxiate yourself.

CO2 will also displace oxygen and drop people .

 

[Argonne]

CO2 will also displace oxygen and drop people .

Halon doesn't displace oxygen like CO2, but it does have a property where it will produce some phosgene gas when it comes in contact with heated material. If I remember correctly, the temperature to start producing phosgene is north of 900 deg f. The phosgene containing plume has a very distinctive odor, so if you are outdoors get out of the plume, and indoors, exit the area until it clears...the fire will not come back indoors anytime soon once Halon is applied, so you don't have to stick around much until the fire department arrives.

Halon is astoundingly effective. When I was a firefighter, we were doing a controlled/training burn on a 2 story frame farmhouse. We trained most of the day by lighting small fires in the house and extinguishing them. Towards the end of the day, it was time to let it burn and drop into its foundation, and I asked everyone if they wanted to risk staying a little longer to see how effective a Halon extinguisher would be on a big fire. They said sure, so we did it.

We started the fire a 3 points on the main floor and let it get rolling. When flash over occurred, there was flame shooting out the top 1/3rd of all of the (tall) windows on the first floor. I approached a central first floor window and applied a sweeping ~8 second shot from a 20# Halon extinguisher into the bottom of the room. The fire went out within about 10 seconds...all of it.

Astounded, we watched as the fire re-established itself fitfully over the next 10 minutes or so. Since I still had 2/3rds of that extinguisher left, I could have kept dosing that fire periodically and kept it suppressed for a long time, perhaps even long enough to let the heat dissipate and totally extinguish it. I did not do so, however, because I had 30 hot sweaty firefighters behind me that were dreaming of that first beer.

That was probably 15 years ago, and I still have that extinguisher, ready to put out another fire.

Nothing comes close to Halon as an extinguishing agent, and that includes it's "replacements". CO2 is good but it has to be very carefully used indoors due to it's oxygen displacement properties, and a CO2 extinguisher ends up being big and heavy if it has usable capacity which makes it problematic to store in vehicles.

 

[oosik]

About locating your extinguisher. A Jeep caught on fire at a 4WD rally I attended. His extinguisher was neatly mounted on the vehicle roll bar. He rapidly exited the vehicle, turned around and realized that there was NO WAY he could possibly go back and retrieve the extinguisher.

The fire started in the engine compartment but very rapidly there was black smoke & flames in the passenger compartment.

Very few will have the where-with-all to grab the extinguisher as they exit a burning vehicle.

Think about this as you decide where to mount your extinguisher.

I GUARANTEE you will not go back inside a burning vehicle to retrieve an extinguisher and it does no good sitting there on your roll bar as the vehicle burns.

I have a little bit different take on fire extinguishers. Generally speaking I don't worry so much if my tractor catches fire and burns - I seriously doubt I would be able to contain the fire anyhow and who wants a half burned tractor. I have insurance.

My concern is if the tractor catches fire it could very easily be the starting point for a wide spread wildfire. Wildfires are a major concern/problem most all of the year in my area - except after snowfall.

To that end and because most of my operations out on the property are single location based - I have a 125# Amerex A,B,C dry chemical extinguisher that I take with me. Its mounted on a hand truck and is about the best I can do to stop the spread from a burning tractor. I purchased it thru a friend and got a good deal on it.