rajsid

Guys,
Just wondering what the difference between Halon and Halotron is. Which one is the best for our cars?
Also another side question. I am thinking of fitting a 5 lb fire extinguisher in the car. Where's the best place to keep it. Not sure if a 5 pounder will fit in front of the passenger side seat.

vettedan

Halon can no longer be manufactured due to the effects it said to have on the Ozone, so all the Halon left in the world has to be recycled to fill new canisters. Halotron 1 is the replacement gas for Halon. It has about ½ the efficiency to Halon. For example, a 2.5LBS Halon bottle has a UL rating of 5; where as, a 2.5LBS Halotron 1 has a UL rating of 2.
To understand the UL rating view this Halotron video:
http://www.vetteworksonline.com/videos/Amerex_WS.mov

Halon is still the granddaddy of the no mess fire extinguishers, and it is the choice for most racers, but it is more expensive then Halotron 1.
I use Halon in my Corvettes. Put it in the front passenger seat using the Vetteworks C3 bracket. A 2.5LBS extinguisher is sufficient enough size. A 5 LBS is a bit big in a Corvette.

http://www.vetteworksonline.com/cata...products_id=77

t3project

that's not necessarily a good thing. hope you can get out of the car before you discharge the halon system or you will suffocate as it displaces all the surrounding 02 and suffocates the fire

vettedan

You will run into this no matter what agent to use. Have you ever been a room when a chemical extinguisher (The white stuff) has been set off? It's not pleasant. Who stays in their vehicle during a fire anyways?

rajsid

I am starting to realize that...
I bought a 5lb halotron fire extinguisher off of eBay and the only place where it fits is the passenger seat

I have heard several stories about the small ones, especially halotron ones with less than 7 seconds of discharge time not being able to put out an engine fire.

vettedan

Amerex Halon extinguishers will give the same 10 secs discharge time weather it’s a 5 LBS or a 2.5LBS. What you gain with a 5LBS extinguisher is about 2’ in range and usually a better UL rating. The UL rating between a 5LBS and 2.5LBS is the same. Both have a 5 UL rating. Halotron 1 extinguisher specs are almost the same as Halon, except they have a lower UL rating.
The key to putting out an engine fire is getting to it ASAP. This means quick access to your extinguisher. Gas agent extinguishers like Halon and Halotron 1 can be used to extinguish an engine fire through the grill. Opening the hood of a car with an engine fire can make the fire worse due to the increase exposure to oxygen.

tnovot

This is not entirely accurate. Halon does not displace all the O2 in order to put out a fire. It does not smother a fire to extinguish it as does Carbon Dioxide. Halon works by interfering with the chemical chain reaction of the fire itself and thus a much lower concentration is needed.
Halon is often used instead of CO2 in areas where people work where they might have to breathe it before they can evacuate.
The decomposition products of Halon, after being exposed to heat, are somewhat toxic, similar to Phosgene, so a person should not (and presumeably would not) stay in a fire situation if for no other reason than the fire itself. Halon is clorotrifloromethane and thus produces the heatlh and environmental hazards when it is broken down into its components.
Terry

vettedan

This is how the Amerex engineers explained it to me years ago.

rajsid

10 secs?.. Not sure where I heard about the 7 seconds discharge time from. You are right.. what you said is what the Amerex website says.

phclub

So so suggest that a fire under the hood should be extinguished by discharging the Halon through the grill. Which grill are you referring? If it this front grill it would be blocked by the radiator.

t3project

unfortunately yes, kinda what i do for a living.