I have a 71 Corvette and want to get a good fire extinguisher. Want to get a all purpose one for electrical and gas fires, any thoughts?

 

BCF
Best fire extinguisher ever made. Trouble is the stupid uniformed greenies outlawed them years ago, I have two and unless I have a fire I will never part with them. I have no idea what is as good as them today though.

Dennis.

 

This is an Amerex halotron 2 1/2lb good for A-B-C fires. It does not leave a corrosive chemical residue when used.

 

Hi lvj,
I'll also encourage you to check out the capacity of the extiguisher.
I've only used an extinguisher once (a kitchen fire in the house next door) and I was stunned how quickly the extinguisher ran out.
My 2 1/2 lb Halon lasts 6-7 seconds and the 5 lb Halon lasts 13-15 seconds. Not much time if the fire has any head start.
Regards,
Alan

 

Besides a normal fire extinguisher I carry a can of Cold Fire, is some really good stuff, great for car fires, you should check into it.



A few links:

http://www.firefreeze.com/

http://www.coldfire.biz/racing.htm

 

Thanks for all the replies i think i will get a 2.5lb halotron and a can of fire freeze also. Found mounting bracket Paul74 has at (nice install Paul74) www.speeddirect.com thanks again.

 

The Halotron is a great fire extinguisher (rated BC) but does not put out an "A" rated fire, meaning that if your interior carpet or seats catch fire this extinguisher will not put it out. Unfortunately you would have to carry at least an 11lb Halotron or Ansul Cleanguard to get an "ABC" rating or a 2-1/2 lb ABC dry chemical fire extinguisher.

I have been in the portable fire extinguisher business 18 years.

 

Sez here it's approved for A, B & C fires.

Benefits & highlights:
HALOTRON I is a "Clean Agent" HydroChloroFluoroCarbon discharged as a rapidly evaporating liquid which leaves no residue. It effectively extinguishes Class A and B fires by cooling and smothering and it will not conduct electricity back to the operator. Halotron is pressurized with Argon gas and is an EPA and FAA approved HCFC blend B agent approved for use on Class A, B and C fires. It has a low Atmospheric Lifetime (3½ to 11 years). Halotron is intended for use in areas (formerly protected by Halon 1211 hand portable extinguishers) such as computer rooms, telecommunications facilities, clean rooms, data storage areas, offices (for ...

List Price: $136.00 per EACH

 

There is an inconsistency in the ABC rating from site to site. I noticed that. But I understood that for electrical and gasoline automotive fires it will be fine and non-corrosive.

Alan has made a good point re the duration of the unit but for minor fires (carb top flames) it should snuff things out. I do have a 10lb extinguisher in my garage and a 5lb dry chemical version in the kitchen.

 

2 1/2 lb Halotron is definately the way to go. Here's a cheaper price and an $18.00 double strap mount if you find somewhere other than the seat track to mount it. The extinguisher must be mounted metal to metal for it to be "legal".


Keep in mind you loose your seat adjustment with the bracket and the seat must remain in the full rear position.
http://www.vetteworksonline.com/cata...products_id=77

 

Thanks for all the replies gave me some great info to go on.

 

Got mine from Dan @ vetteworksonline.

 

Nightprowler is right. Halon (halogenated hydrocarbon) is not very effective on class A fires. It works not by eliminating one of the components of the fire triangle but by inhibiting the actual chemical reaction of the fire itself. The big advantage is no residue such as from dry chemical.
Not all dry chemical extinguishers are rated as multipurpose either. Some are BC and some are ABC which leave a sticky residue on hot surfaces in order to seal the surface of the solid fuel from O2.
CO2 extinguishers are good for electrical (C) fires and flammable liquids (B) fires but are easily dispersed by wind and even the convection currents caused by the fire itself.
There really isn't any one best extinguisher. It's all about which type of fire you most want to protect against.
Terry

 

On the bottle you will notice that the "B & C" are the only symbols. There is no "A" symbol. Also, if you can find the UL Rating on the side, it would say 2B:C. There is no "A" rating. You would have to purchase an 11 lb Halotron to get a 1A:10B:C rating. Unfortunately the only way to completely protect your car is the addition of an ABC fire extinguisher.

I deal with this everyday. If a customer wants to protect their computer room and does not want to spend allot of money, one choice would be a 5 lb Halotron with a 5B:C rating with a 5 lb ABC extinguisher close by to bring that area up to code with the 2A:10B:C rating.

 

NightProwler.... when you say Dry Chemical - do you mean Sodium Bicarbonate? Or Mono Ammonium Phosphate? Just trying to learn here - my good friend (Safety Mgr at Tanking STorage Facility) said that Dry Checimal woulkd be route to go. I will have to reverify what he said on CO2.

Thought though - when the car is actually on fire - would you care of cleanup - or just poutting the damn fire out? I have to lean with putting the fire out.

 

I would rather have to cleanup and put new seat covers and carpet in it than watch it melt.the insurance company will be paying for the repairs but I would like to keep the damage to a minimum.

 

OK - my buddy came over and discussed.... he even logged onto his website (work) and made me talke some of the online fire safety courses... very informative.

Decision: I am not a betting man - not on this car. So if I was - I would simply not have an extinguisher.

Simple: why do we keep fire extinguishers - to address fires.... ALL probable type fires. And a materials fire is very probable.

Goal: Put out fire immediately to Minimize damage and Prevent Fire from consuming car. Clean up or aftermath just has to be secondary. Even if you think of corrosion to wiring.... btw - that happens if not cleaned immediately and thoroughly. And I know if that happened to me, I would be up all night inspecting damage, mitigating, cleaning, etc. Aside - the electrical harnesses damaged (generally in the engine compartment) can be replaced. - and probably need replaced ANYWAY !!!!!!

So B and C Classes do not cover everything... maybe 99.9% - hey - maybe 1%. Bit when my behind is puckered and I have minimal time to think, respond, aim and THEN limited by a 7-13 second squirt of chemical....I want the higher percentage - the lower is not an option for me.

and fyi - C02 is good but does not cover A Class. Best situation if dispensed from underneath with hood shut .

I ordered 1 for each seat front.... H3R MX250B. It covers Class A B and C. It is made by a very reputable company. Ordered from 4 Wheel Parts online and had no shipping and a discount. Total for 2 including tax was $132. Will address brackets later after I see what brackets come with the extinguishers.