Have carried a 5 pounder in the car for thirty years , only had to use them twice, on other vehicles.

My gauge said it was time to recharge.

While going by a neighbors house , five doors down I see a Fire Extinguisher service vehicle in the drive way , and he's outside as well.

So I pull over and ask him two questions, ( really nice fella)

chatted briefly , he asked if I lived in Tiny town , I said sure. he said wait here.

Gave me a 5 lb. extinguisher and took mine in trade

No Charge ! Christmas came early woo hoo !

additionally he shared a fun fact.

A B C extinguisher's are great for putting out car fire, they do the job , and then some.

But.

if you ever have to use one on your own vehicle

pressure wash it twice , to get all of the retardant off of everything electrical ,under the hood and get rid of the car within two weeks.

the electrical charge and the retardant interact and corrode all of the connections badly .

it's parts car now.

I would have never guessed

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,

So either way, the car is a goner. Might as well let it burn the claim the insurance...

Every so often, pick up the extinguisher and give it a slap with the butt of your hand and shake it up. The powder inside tends to settle and needs to be shaken.

So he gave you a fire extenguisher with no charge? Sounds just about useless to me.

You could avoid the whole cleanup with a Halon extinguisher. They are a bit pricey, though.

I keep a dry powder extinqisher on the inside drivers side door of my work van... my 'employee' Beauregard has managed to set it off twice... what a mess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrNd3x2MFV0

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
You could avoid the whole cleanup with a Halon extinguisher. They are a bit pricey, though.

That's why you have two - one for me and one for thee.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LS1 GTO,

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
You could avoid the whole cleanup with a Halon extinguisher. They are a bit pricey, though.

he told me that Halon is what they use for air craft,
I rarely get more than 12 -15 inches off of the ground

On the discharge in your ride thing: BTDT. Resulted in a trip to the ER.

the retardant did not com out of my 5 pounder,
just the gas propellant .

He told me that there is a valve inside that goes bad , eventually.

so I got that going for me

I once had an extinguisher break free from its mount in the trunk and discharge itself... as I was on the way to a job interview.

Just as an FYI, I had an ancient ABC kitchen bottle in the house I bought a few years ago, it had to be 40+ years old by my estimate.

Asked a firefighter friend on how to dispose of it and he told me to hold it inside a contractor size/weight trash bag in the yard and discharge it then put the empty bottle in the trash.

That sucker discharged like it was brand new!

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
You could avoid the whole cleanup with a Halon extinguisher. They are a bit pricey, though.

There is no cleanup with a BC fire extinguisher, it is carbon dioxide and used on things like oil/grease/Wood fires and such. The A in ABC is for putting out fires of things like carpet and upholstery.

The manufacturing of Halon was outlawed in 1994, so good luck finding one that is still good. That being said, there are several new fire extinguishing agents that took Halons place such as FM-100, FM-200 and 3 different ones from Dupont.

Friends and I had a shoot a few years back and the guy hosting it new a buddy that ran a fire extinguisher company.. he got about a dozen dry chemical ones that were outdated and I presume could not be refilled.... most said they needed recharging.... they still threw dry chemical all over the place when hit. It was fun.

I carry a halon extinguisher in my truck. It’s actually an expired one from our office server room. But, its a great deal friendlier on electrical components than the chemical ones. Granted, it may be moot point depending on severity of fire.

quote:

Originally posted by mjlennon:
I carry a halon extinguisher in my truck. It’s actually an expired one from our office server room. But, its a great deal friendlier on electrical components than the chemical ones. Granted, it may be moot point depending on severity of fire.

Can't those things kill you? I was told if they leaked or accidentally went off, they can quickly displace the oxygen in a closed area and suffocate you in no time flat.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:

quote:

Originally posted by mjlennon:
I carry a halon extinguisher in my truck. It’s actually an expired one from our office server room. But, its a great deal friendlier on electrical components than the chemical ones. Granted, it may be moot point depending on severity of fire.

Can't those things kill you? I was told if they leaked or accidentally went off, they can quickly displace the oxygen in a closed area and suffocate you in no time flat.

Yes, if they leaked quickly or were discharged in an enclosed space

"High concentrations of halon can create an oxygen-deficient environment. This can cause people to suffocate.
**Interruption of the Central Nervous System**
Large amounts of halon gas that are inhaled can interfere with the proper function of the central nervous system. This causes symptoms of dizziness, a tingling sensation in the extremities, and in some cases a victim with go unconscious."

spectrumfx.net/blog/the-multiple-dangers-of-halon