The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Fire Extinguishers

Spring is here and time to hideout in the shop. We need to make sure we're safe and one way is check fire extinguishers. I checked mine and one says recharge and the other is close.
A couple years ago I was quoted as much to refill as to buy a new one......which fills the landfills.

What is your experience?? Refill or buy new?
Either way, be safe.

It depends on the size. However, if you've never had to use a fire extinguisher to put out a real fire, you will be surprised to learn how fast those average sized extinguishers you see under people's tires at car shows last when needed in an emergency. You get about 10 seconds of use from those. If you can't put out the fire in that amount of time, you're in deep sheep dip.

In the shop you should have more than one LARGE extinguisher - like the 2 or 3 foot tall ones.

The dry powder type extinguishers are throwaways- - - -the old fashioned CO2 types are much more effective, work on a wider variety of combustibles, and can be refilled repeatedly. "Buy once- - - -cry once!" No matter what a good extinguisher costs, it's cheap insurance!
Jerry

If those are Kidde fire extinguishers with plastic nozzles and handles, there is a recall on them and they'll either replace them (I did a bunch a few years ago), or send money to replace them (last batch less than a year ago, they sent bags to discharge them into and had me e-mail a certificate that I'd done that.)

You just need to check the Kidde recall website and go from there.

If you missed this in the News Corner about the Tech Tip on Shop Safety, here it is again. In the middle of that TT, is a whole section on Fire Extinguishers.

That was St. Patty's Day ... not that long ago. Might as well read the whole TT again since folks are waking up to spring Stovebolting. (Except those getting a second winter. )

Yes, I got about a half dozen free fire extinguishers from Kidde. In a couple cases they sent me bigger and better ones than those I sent back.

Very important subject, and as Otto says, a small extinguisher doesn’t go far in a real fire.
2 years ago I lost a 1982 GMC 2500 to fire, when I made a series of stupid moves, involving hand priming the
carburetor with the air filter off, driving a few yards, and went in the house without checking or replacing the air filter.The truck was fortunately outside not near any structures. As I have reconstructed after the fact,
Evidently a carburetor backfire ignited the carburetor , it sat and burned for a while , heated up the float bowl, which
then continued to spew fuel into the fire until things ignited around it, and once the rubber items start to burn, it really gained momentum. A neighbor walking past came to the door and said ,Hey, there’s smoke coming from your truck!.
A brief try with a small extinguisher, and then a long garden hose with only a trickle of water, and it was the local volunteer fire department got the fire out finally with a big water hose. But things were so badly burned I parted out the truck and it was scrapped.I didn’t mess with an insurance claim.So, an embarrassing bunch of things done wrong.
But a critical thing that happened is: when the engine compartment was fully afire and the wiring was melting
the starter started to turn and the truck, being in bull low was motoring forward under starter motor power and trying
to climb a steep bank it was parked against. It only stopped because it got too steep to climb. Imagine if it was parked
in front of your garage and drove itself fully in flames into the garage ………….
So I’ve been thinking about how , if you have a small fire while working on a truck, a regular spray can of CO2
could be very effective without making the mess of a powder extinguisher.
I haven’t seen this for sale , but I am still looking.
Still, the small extinguisher is the most basic necessity around car work.
And a big one as well!
C

Just went the the required fire extinguisher training.

Check your fire extinguisher. How often? Check what? Where I work, it is a state requirement that they are checked monthly and signed off. Along with the eyewash stations and showers. You probably don't have to be as intense. What are you checking? It is good to know the type of extinguisher you have. As mentioned elsewhere, Halon and CO2 act by removing or replacing oxygen from the fire. Something to consider as you need that oxygen stuff to breath. Dry chemicals coat. That's why they are so messy. One thing I think everyone checks is the gauge. Anything outside of the green, the extinguisher should be replaced. Is the pin in place? Or did someone use it and leave you a useless unit? What is the condition of the hose if it has one? If it is cracked, it could break off when you go to use it. That would make it difficult to aim. Make sure a spider or a wasp hasn't made the hose their home.

Remember, you are only trying to stop the starting stages of a fire. If the truck gas tank or the room is engulfed, don't be a hero. There are people ho get paid to be a hero. Call them and let them do their job.

Speaking of being a hero. Resist that urge to run right up on a fire. If you look at the label on the extinguisher, it will tell you the optimal distance to be when using that extinguisher. I know, I know, we all do that "dad" thing where we throw away the instructions. It's in our genes. But, that fire extinguisher label has some really great information we should all be familiar with.

If you run up and get too close, not only will you feel the heat, you might blow all that extinguisher material right through the fire making your efforts negligible. Most extinguishers will show the P.A.S.S. method. Pull the pin, Aim the nozzle, Squeeze the trigger and Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

I like old extinguishers. I use them for practice. Used to be we could extinguish a live fire. These days, I guess the state is not to keen on that. So, no fire and we have to use a compressed water extinguisher for training. I miss the old days.

The school buses in our little rural county used to carry 5 pound CO2 extinguishers. When a lot of them turned up empty on routine inspections, an investigation finally discovered that one of the maintenance shop workers on the evening shift had figured out that they were just the right size to cool down a 6 pack of beer in a metal trash can! They switched to dry chemical extinguishers shortly after that!
Jerry

If you have the dry powder type extinguisher, on a regular basis turn that buddy upside down and bump it with a rubber hammer until you can feel the powder shifting around inside. If left alone for long periods of time, the powder (basically baking soda) will settle to the bottom and compact into one solid lump. Trigger the extinguisher and all you get is the propellant. Been there, done that and learned from it.

Good suggestion.

I still have a small Halon fire extinguisher, but those aren't available anymore. One was sacrificed along with a dry chem extinguisher on a van that I flagged down with flames coming out the right front wheel well. They pulled over and I did a safe distance away with my small Halon and dry chem extinguishers. Others did too. Both of my extinguishers were used up as well as a couple more from others who stopped to help. We managed to get the fire out while the occupants were bailing out the tools, etc that were in the back. I don't think the vehicle survived the episode, though.
[on edit] Just found THIS No idea what the agent is, but might be worth a try. Says it works on nearly all fire types.

X2, You should be on the phone to the Fire Department at the same time as you're getting out your fire extinguisher.

TexasJim50's suggestion is a good one as well. I do that every 6 months or so. Especially on boat and truck fire extinguishers. The vibration helps them get packed down pretty tight.

The State facility I work at has 10 lbs extinguishers. I check and record each one at the first of each month. The hydrostatic test is required every 6 years. In the past we had a local company complete the tests and repair as required, now it is cheaper to just replace the extinguishers. Our Fire Chief told me to just use the old extinguishers for fire training, he said it's just a date, as long as it still has pressure it will work. His way of looking at it is" Even an out of date extinguisher is better than no extinguisher.

I have 2 10 lbs extinguishers in my shop.