JKlad

So what type of extinguishers are you guys carrying; foam, powder? Thinking of installing one on the rear roll-bar

JKU Rubicon

My extinguisher Kidde is made especialy for the SUV's (around 25$)

Sahara_Maverick

Problem with those is that they use a powder that messes-up everything besides needing a lot more to stop a fire than the halon types. I think I saw some in a marine store. Not cheap, though.

RckyMtnGoat

If I remember correctly they used it in a lot of electronics production facilities(server rooms, microchip factories....) as it doesn't damage or form a barrier on what your extinguishing. Halon is no longer in production and is illegal to use(contains CFC, you know those bad things that put holes in the ozone) as its is essentially freon. Its not recommended to be used without respirator equipment i.e. SCBA(self contained breathing apparatus) due to you breathing it in, then since its heavier then air(displaces oxygen) you will not be able to expel it very easily, being in a well ventilated area would help so if your out wheeling should be fine but then how well will it work if its windy?? If your looking for something comparable think CO2 extinguisher, it displaces oxygen and not as lethal although if you breath just CO2 your going pass out and eventually life will cease, but back to the same point if you use CO2 in an open area its gonna disperse. The powder extinguisher ABC which is a common one you will see works on the principle removing oxygen by covering everything with a fine layer of powder(kinda like putting sand on a campfire)which in turn separates oxygen from the triangle of fire and you extinguish the flame. In my experience and past training a dry chemical i.e. ABC would be the way to go when your out jeeping due to the fact that CO2 and Halon would disperse way to quickly unless your discharging it inside a closed area. I know I have had to clean up a extinguisher mess and it ain't fun but if I ever do need to use the extinguisher its worth the time spent cleaning if I can save my Jeep or a larger fire

just my 2cents

youngblood75

x2, best bet is your typical ABC.. hahah youtube water on magneisum car fire. awesome!

youngblood75

Said like a pro!

swaug-dog

Just had my extinguisher training at work, coincidentally. CO2 not a good choice, you've got to get closer to the fire to effectively put out the fire. ABC is the best bet for any fire/around the house. Stick with one with a metal top (not plastic) and a 5lb one at that. The little ones run out too quick. And as far as halon, im PRETTY sure the guy said a lot of the ABC extinguishers have halon in it. And the dry chem is good for any electrical fires because they're non-conductive.

Sahara_Maverick

I still go with Halon. It's not illegal.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher

Be aware that the chemical powder has different types and some are corrosive. You may save the Jeep but may have to change a lot of stuff.

In the training I took, halon beat the chemical types hands down, even in open air. I also saw people losing their cars because their chemical extinguishers were too small and emptied before controlling the fire.

Take two of them. If the chemical does not work you can always use the spare halon. ;-)

RckyMtnGoat

Your right on the legal part I was mis-informed sorry about that, I still wouldn't use the stuff though (I respect your opinion that you will use halon and thats your choice to use it). Whats the next section for?? Well to save you all the time of tracking the info down that I was researching due to my incorrect knowledge really. The decision to use a ABC or Halon extinguisher comes down to you, make a decision to use one then know how to correctly use it.

After doing a fair amount of research (I know wikipedia can be useful with information but remember its not always correct, I will post my links at the very bottom) and what not. I understand what they use halon for now and understand why they still use it for certain applications. From what I have come across it is no longer in production and hasn't been since January 1, 1994 clean air act. Now this doesn't mean that it cannot be recycled and resold, which is still is with a hefty price tag to match you can do a google search for it and see for yourself.
Whats the reasoning of using a halon extinguisher if we know that it puts holes in the ozone??

1. We have this stuff around its already been produced why not use it to save people. According to a study done in 2002 by 2030 there will still be approximately 3748 tons of this stuff.
2. Its does extremely well at extinguishing fires of the ABC nature (Halon being sold today is most likely in a mixture of liquid/gas Halon 1211 and Halon 1301, most devices when deployed are good for 9-15ft and give off 85% liquid stream and 15% gas.
3. It doesn't harm or corrode electronics or metals, it is referred to as a "Clean Agent" for this reason. Here is another area of my incorrect knowledge, it doesn't work by replacing oxygen as a CO2 extinguisher would (a good replacement for Halon but can cause sensor temperature shock a big concern if your flying a plane thats on fire and your avionics go out due to a blast of cold CO2), instead halon disrupts the chemical reaction of combustion (Yes its not good to breath but if your in a plane and need to put out a cabin/cockpit fire its better than breathing Carbon Monoxide from the fire and you don't have to worry about passing out due to Carbon Dioxide levels being high from the discharging of CO2 extinguisher).
4. Classified to work on ABC type fires but not to be used on solid metal fires i.e. magnesium(ABC doesn’t cover this either and very doubtful would put it out but it doesn’t say or at least I have yet to see that you shouldn’t) so don’t try to put out a older VW beetle or if you jeep does catch fire and starts your mag alloy rims I won’t work there but at that point I don’t think I would be worried about trying to put it out as worried about getting help there to contain the fire from spreading.

ABC/BC extinguishers are what are most common that you see. I use an ABC for the Jeep and yes this is the one that can be corrosive. Am I worried about corrosion, no I am not. Why am I not worried about corrosion? Corrosion occurs everywhere right? Yes if I left the powder on the vehicle for an extended period of time with the presence of moisture it would corrode. How do you fix this issue, you clean/scrub the area that has the agent on it. Why are they worried about corrosion? The main concern is that it is highly corrosive to aluminum, which is used in planes for its strength and low weight. If a ABC is discharged in a plane it is pulled apart and re-rivited as well as cleaned thoroughly. Yes the 3.8 has aluminum involved in its workings, and if a fire were to break out in your engine compartment you have far bigger problems to worry about than corrosion. Even down the road if you manage to save a vehicle from an engine fire using either type of extinguisher I would imagine you are looking at extensive work. So why use an ABC/BC extinguisher vs a Halon?? That is up to you decide, I made my decision based on the effects its has on the environment i.e. it puts wholes in the ozone.
Do I sound yuppy for saying that...I probably do...I drive a Jeep that gets poor fuel efficiency...I should try to save where I can I figure.
I still like to get out and go places most people never dream of traveling in a vehicle and if my rig or a friends catches fire well then I know I will be able to extinguish the fire. I understand personal experience with extinguisher completely having worked in the fire service, we never used Halon we used AFFF which is a foam and cut the battery cables(very effective). I have a hard time believing that if you don’t knock it down with ABC your gonna have better luck with Halon on a vehicle and if you do extinguish a fire chances are you probably won’t be driving it very far or at all without finding out what caused it and why and then replacing it. If you have never used an extinguisher then of course you are gonna see longer times on extinguishing fires as well as how many times you have practiced on the fuel your using.

If your worried about your extinguisher leaking or it has leaked the powder and this just ticks you off there might be something wrong with your extinguisher. The safety pin has to be pulled to squeeze the handle and this is the same with both Halon and ABC. Check your extinguisher regularly it does not matter the type here, if it ain’t charged then your screwed. If mine leaks I have a white mess, if a halon leaks i have a gas and liquid that I may or may not notice.

There are pro’s and con’s to both, if you have a vehicle fire which i hope you never do just make sure you PASS i.e. Pull Aim Squeeze Sweep.

Sorry for being so long winded but theres the info.

On a side note how many car fires have you seen you seem to be around them a lot (Are you setting cars on fire, just kidding). Can't be a fire fighter as the fire service from what I can tell from information on the web states they have made the conversion unless your an ARFF which I would imagine would carry them.

Links
http://www.h3rcleanagents.com/support_faq_2.htm#q3
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/fire/status.pdf
http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/agents.html

twcanuck

Buying a fire extinguisher time now!