Fire extinguishers

RoyJ · 2007-05-08T02:13:08+00:00

What kind of fire extinguishers do you use in your shop?I went to the fire extinguisher service place to get some advice on upgrading the fire extinguishers to deal with 102 octane race fuel. I got a serious earfull. Things that went against what I thought I knew or did know and ignored:-CO2 is not used much, gives a quick snuff out of fire but reignition is a big issue-dry chemical ABC rated has ammonimum phosphate which melts on the surface of wood and paper to avoid reignition but also is highly corrosive to aluminum and electronics.-you can get dry chemical rated only BC which is supposedly better for engine and shop firesSo I'm thinking of swapping out the ABC rated extinguishers in the garage and replacing with BC rated. Then move the ABC rated ones to the wood shop to sit along side an old fashioned pressurized water unit.Comments?

May 08, 2007 46 Replies

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Gunner 19 years ago

A lot of computer centers have gone to water flood and fog. A couple seconds before the water is released, main power contactors kill the power. CO2 flood tended to make chips and components pop like popcorn due to thermal shock.

All because of the Halon ban.

Gunner

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Grumman-581 19 years ago

The Navy pretty much uses water on everything... They have pretty much an endless supply of the stuff around the ship and any damage that it might do to whatever it is being sprayed upon is secondary to the damage that could occur if the fire got out of hand... Even for Class D fires, we were taught to use salt water... OK, technically, it was to use the force of the water stream to knock the burning metal overboard.. If the burning item wasn't on deck, you were to try to catch the burning item in a bucket of sand as it melted through the decks... And *then* throw it overboard... Otherwise, it melts its way through the ship and still ends up in the water, albeit with hole for the damage control party to repair... Fuel oil fires work pretty good with the low velocity fog nozzles...

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Doug White 19 years ago

Long ago, they sold "automatic" carbon tet fire extinguishers. Each one had a glass ball about 4" in diameter full of carbon tet and they were mounted up near the ceiling. There was a small spring loaded striker held back by a soldered joint that would release when it got hot enough, breaking the glass. My grandmother's house on Cape Cod had 6 or 8 of them scattereed throughout the place. Someone (plumber?) who was also a volunteer firemen came over to work on something and spotted them. He instructed us in no uncertain terms to take them all down before he left.

Doug White

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Bruce L. Bergman 19 years ago

I've watched the Fire Department put out a fully involved engine fire on a VW Beetle (Magnesium alloy engine block, makes an unmistakable bright white fire) on the freeway, no hydrants.

They did it of course, but they had to drown the hell out of it. Took the water tanks of two pumpers to do it, and they had already called in a second alarm to get two more trucks and more water...

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Grumman-581 19 years ago

Did they actually put it out or did it just run out of fuel?

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Martin H. Eastburn 19 years ago

That is a scream! - Most know better - likely didn't have foam.

I bet they were chilling the blacktop or cement to keep it from burning up! Let the VW burn, but pour on the water to chill the freeway.

Having the right stuff is expensive. Having the right equipment and the right material and pump is more than most cities can handle. You see it used on airport fires and Airbase fires.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net TSRA, Life; NRA LOH & Endowment Member, Golden Eagle, Patriot"s Medal. NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member.

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Bruce L. Bergman wrote:

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