OK, I have my new F-350 Supercab and am terrorizing the natives (especially when parking!).

I've been accumulating the usual gear (long-handled squeegee, ice scraper, flashlights etc) and its time for a fire extinguisher or two.

Here's what I think I want; a small Halotron type for minor stuff, particularly electrical problems, and a big honkin' BC extinguisher for engine fires. I plan to mount both to the back of the cab with vehicle brackets.

It looks like Kidde makes a decent Halotron type; its rated 2BC w/ bracket (spendy, though). They also make a 5 lb ABC 3-A:40-BC w/ vehicle bracket that looks alright.

1) is a 2BC Halotron really worth anything?

2) is a 5-pound ABC dry chemical unit capable of putting a serious engine fire out? or should I go for the 10-pounder?

3) how well do extinguishers last in vehicles (i.e. exposure to heat and cold)? Is it worth getting rechargables? the reason I ask is I had one of those little 1-lb halon units leak down to nuthin', which I found out when I tried to kill a fire in another motorists' engine compartment (started in the wiring I think, and got the belts & hoses going); put on my hero cap, pulled the pin and pthhht! Nothing came out.

Any suggestions or thoughts from you smoke-eaters would be most welcome.

 

From my own experience:

Anything you can't handle with CO2 or water - you should run like hell to get away from, man!

Your best bet is to install a main electrical and fuel cutoff switch, and ride with a 5 or 10 Lb CO2 bottle. If you go much beyond that, you might as well be driving a firetruck...

 

A 2BC extinguisher is probably only good for a fry pan fire. The 2 means it will cover a 2 square foot average fire. 2 square feet is not much. 1BC is for birthday cakes.

I would go 5BC minimum and if you have an engine fire that is really going, that may not do it. 10 and larger is better. 5 means 5 square feet and 10, well, you get it. It has been a long time but I believe A is for solid fuel fires like wood, upholstery etc, B is for oil and gas, and C is electrical. Easy enough to check many of the websites to make sure I don't steer you wrong.

Halon is great stuff, but it is heavy and will flow away from your engine like water. So if you don't get the fire out on the first squirt or two, you will be out of ammo, on flat surfaces or in holes it is OK. Also expensive to refill. Do they still sell Halon?

The Chemical extinguishers will usually stick to the fire but make a mess, still better than a fire. They also will usually control a larger area fire than Halon.

CO2 is good but bulky and also will flow downhill. Doesn't leave a big mess

One of the problems with trying to put out an engine fire is that when you pop the hood to get at the fire, more air gets to the fire and may cause it to blaze up real good. If you plan to fight an engine fire, try to figure out where it is first, top, bottom, sides etc. Then pop the hood only enough to get the spray onto the fire, be careful of flames flashing into your face. Be careful if you plan to open it up more, like I said more air sometimes means bigger fire.

Water isn't very good on an oil or gas fire, so the chemical will be better.

I have a Kidde Halon 5BC unit that I have kept in various cars in hot and freezing weather for about 25 years. I have used it twice in the past, but it hasn't been used since the 80s. It still holds it's charge according to the gauge and the sloshing sounds. But technically it is expired. I also have a Kidde 10ABC? or something like that, chemical extinguisher and a 5ABC? that have been in my truck and trailer respectively for 6 years and 4 years without being used or recharged. The gauges say they are OK.

I have used those disposable extinguishers and they are not a lot of use and like you found out, they often leak down to empty.

Fire in a car is no fun and can get out of control pretty quick, especially if it is gas. So make sure you and people around you are safe and that the fire isn't already out of control before popping the hood.

Wouldn't hurt to practice with the extinguisher if you can afford it. They don't always squirt where you think. I have had an occasion where I almost didn't have enough to kill a fire because I wasted the first second of spray which hit short of the fire.

Not that this is proof positive, but I have seen a car burn pretty good and when the gas tank went it didn't explode like in the movies, more of a Whummmphh. But this is only one example. I try not to be near burning cars if I can help it.

Good Luck, Bigger is better when it comes to extinguishers.

Jim Henderson

 

Couple of thoughts.... Any fire extinguisher (size) is better than none at all.
Like the others said, a car fire can spread quickly. Remember when attempting to fight a car fire that it is just a car. Your safety is worth much more than that vehicle.
I carry a 5lb A B and C rated unit in my truck. Mounting an extinguisher on the back wall could be a 'problem'. When something is on fire, you want to GO!. Taking time to turn around in the truck and grab for the extinguisher will waste valuable time.
My extinguisher is mounted between the seat and drivers door, on the relatively flat floor section. I used the clamp style vehicle bracket that came with it. There is plenty of room for it, and it does not get in the way of vehicle ingress/egress.

 

>
>Halon is great stuff, but it is heavy and will flow away
>from your engine like water. So if you don't get the fire
>out on the first squirt or two, you will be out of ammo, on
>flat surfaces or in holes it is OK. Also expensive to
>refill. Do they still sell Halon?
>

As it turns out, no. Like freon, its been accused of being an ozone-eater, so the eco-weenies outlawed it. The new stuff is Halotron, which seems to be a close relative of halon but hasn't been declared evil yet.

>The Chemical extinguishers will usually stick to the fire
>but make a mess, still better than a fire. They also will
>usually control a larger area fire than Halon.
>

That's why I'm thinking about a little Halotron unit and a big drychem unit; if its a little wiring fire, the halon can put it out without creating a $2000 cleanup mess, but if its a serious fire, I want to completely kill it no matter what the cleanup cost.



>
>Wouldn't hurt to practice with the extinguisher if you can
>afford it. They don't always squirt where you think. I have
>had an occasion where I almost didn't have enough to kill a
>fire because I wasted the first second of spray which hit
>short of the fire.

I did use one of my little 1 pound halon units on a kitchen grease fire. Definitely a surprise; the jet blast put out the fire immediately, from about 5 feet away, but it also blew most of the grease and burnt crud out of the pan all over the kitchen walls. I was taken by surprise by the force of the blast from that little thing; had I been dealing with something like paper, it would have been blown all over creation with the risk of starting new fires.

That's why I'm interested in rechargeables; you can go out and blast away at a practice fire, and only be out the cost of a recharge.

 

>Couple of thoughts.... Any fire extinguisher (size) is
>better than none at all.
> Like the others said, a car fire can spread quickly.
>Remember when attempting to fight a car fire that it is just
>a car. Your safety is worth much more than that vehicle.
> I carry a 5lb A B and C rated unit in my truck. Mounting
>an extinguisher on the back wall could be a 'problem'. When
>something is on fire, you want to GO!. Taking time to turn
>around in the truck and grab for the extinguisher will waste
>valuable time.
> My extinguisher is mounted between the seat and drivers
>door, on the relatively flat floor section. I used the clamp
>style vehicle bracket that came with it. There is plenty of
>room for it, and it does not get in the way of vehicle
>ingress/egress.

KNOBBY: Can you get some pictures of your mount? I have mine on the floor in the center hump between the driver & passenger. Because I need to move it out of there when I get a 3rd passenger in the middle of the bench, I mounted the vehicle bracket with Velcro (about 5 pieces of it) tape. It works OK, but I'd like to move it to a location like yours.

AMYONE WHO HAS AN OPINION: Is it safe to screw the bracket in? Are there any wires or things that should not have screws driven into them in that area? What exactly does the screw bite into; does the screw go through the metal floor & become exposed outside the truck? Sorry for so many questions; it always scares me to drill or put a screw anywhere in my truck. In case you guys need this info, the truck is an '02 F-250 Lariat with power everything (why I worry about wires).

 

Will try to get picture soon. Have to borrow brother's digital camera. The screws on mine pass through the rubber/vinyl floor covering and into both layers of sheetmetal on floor. I was worried about the screws sticking out exposed to hands and the elements. So far, after three years, no problem. I can't reach the screws accidentally with my hands, and the screws are coated with a little sealant to prevent rust.
Will get pics as fast as possible. Work tends to get in the way of my playing!

 

>Will try to get picture soon. Have to borrow brother's
>digital camera. The screws on mine pass through the
>rubber/vinyl floor covering and into both layers of
>sheetmetal on floor. I was worried about the screws sticking
>out exposed to hands and the elements. So far, after three
>years, no problem. I can't reach the screws accidentally
>with my hands, and the screws are coated with a little
>sealant to prevent rust.
> Will get pics as fast as possible. Work tends to get in
>the way of my playing!

What kind of sealant would you guys suggest using when screwing into your truck's floor? Are we talking the old standby (silicon caulk) or is there something better?

 

I fit 10 ABC extinguishers under my vehicle seats and hold them in place with bungie cords. That way I can reach down to the front of the seat and unsnap it in a hurry, while still in the vehicle.

I recently put out a fire in someone's GM under the hood and I tell you that size went quickly, though it put everything out. What they say is true, empty the whole thing and hope for the best. If you stop you do not have enough left afterwards to have much of an effect.

When off-road I carry two 10ABCs (one extra) just in case I start a brush fire or something with my exhaust.

 

There is a pick of the fire extinguisher in my gallery. I'm still not up to speed on this posting picture thing just yet... Let me know if you need a bigger and/or better pic of it

 

>There is a pick of the fire extinguisher in my gallery. I'm
>still not up to speed on this posting picture thing just
>yet... Let me know if you need a bigger and/or better pic of
>it

Looks good -- seeing yours makes me want to go do the same to mine. But first I need to ask what kind of sealant would you guys suggest using when screwing into your truck's floor? I HATE the thought of rust or things getting in where they shouldn't be (i.e. water). Thanks.

 

 

Use anything that will seal up the hole. I used an adhesive silicone caulk, but I'm sure any sealant will work. My brother used gasket adhesive on several holes passing through his Jeep's tub, and it has worked well for years. I looked at the Haynes manual to make sure no wires ran through the area, and then drilled carefully. Check the underside of your floor, they may have put something important there in your model!

 

I would suggest a 10LB Dry chem extinquisher. It should put out any type of fire encountered in a vehicle and is easy to take care of. About once a year tip it upside down and tap the bottom with a rubber mallet several times to make sure the powder doesn't settle. A dry chem will make a bit of a mess but it cleans up easily with water. 10 LB should be big enough for most vehicle fires, if you can't get it with that than run and call the big red trucks, vehicle fires are nothing to play with. Have seen several experienced firefighters get hurt when the fires have flashed, also tires will blow out so attack an engine fire from the front of the vehicle. Oh yeah, make sure the vehicle is shut down and secured, park or parking brake set.
T. Roberts
UFD Local 1147