Fire extinguisher recommendations ? Car and Home

[MikeInWimbledon]

A friend had a minor engine fire in his forty year old car recently.

This has prompted me to think about putting a fire extinguisher in the car and house.

Can anyone recommend one to fit in the under-seat storage position ?

Obviously I can just grab one from Amazon, but a recommendation would be good.

I'm not trying to "save the car," rather to stop it becoming a hazard for the people around it.

And does anyone have thoughts on the size and spec of one for home usage? I'm guessing a two kilo extinguisher mounted near the internal doorway into my garage. (Which is just by my kitchen)

 

[Deleted member 126251]

What ever you get be careful that they are not fakes. Also bear in mind that many extinguishers need servicing (you don't want a sense of security with something that does not work when you need it). Now I'm off to check mine.....(kitchen unit).

 

[ToeKnee]

Also think what kind of the you'll be trying to suppress, if it's electrical then water wouldn't be much good even if the extinguisher was cheaper to buy.

 

[markjay]

The widest range of fires is covered by powder fire extinguisher.

The issue with powder is that while it is very effective it is also destructive. If you spray it on electrical equipment for example it will destroy it. For this reason, other types of extinguishers (e.g. CO2) are usually used for electronic equipment.

Around my home and in the car I keep 1Kg powder extinguishers. In the kitchen you might also want to keep a fire blanket.

Home fire extinguishers are pretty much maintenance-free, but the pressure gauge needs to be checked regularly. And check them carefully for corrosion - any sign of corrosion on the canister, discard it.

That said... while I do keep fire extinguishers everywhere, I don't really rely on them. Sadly in the majority of cases a 1Kg extinguisher won't put out the fire. By all means, use it if you can, but don't take any risks when attempting to put out a fire with an extinguisher.

The fire brigade advice is that if you can't safely get close enough to source of the fire and use the extinguisher, the fire is too big for it anyway and you should leave and alerts others instead of trying to tackle it.

 

[whitenemesis]

Generally accepted that dry powder extinguisher is best for in the car. It can be used on all types of fire. Keep in mind that the car is likely to be a write-off if you use the extinguisher as one just cannot get rid of the powder.
For the size you'll get max 10 sec use and it will need regular servicing and it should be removed and shaken weekly otherwise the power can cake due to vehicle vibrations.
Personally unless one is a dangerous goods carrier I wouldn't bother, just leg it from the car should a fire ensue ...

 

[flowrider]

These ones seem to get mentioned a lot for cars....

www.elementfire.com

 

[R129mine]

Plenty of Ferrari owners carry fire extinguishers. Ratarossa on YouTube recommends them. I guess they are quite a bit more expensive than the average car and write off amount is much higher which makes it worthwhile repairing in case you use your fire extinguisher

 

[Neiltodd]

Some european countries insist you have one in the car, cant remember which but extinguisher is in when we tour over there.

 

[219]

A friend had a minor engine fire in his forty year old car recently.

This has prompted me to think about putting a fire extinguisher in the car and house.

Can anyone recommend one to fit in the under-seat storage position ?

Obviously I can just grab one from Amazon, but a recommendation would be good.

I'm not trying to "save the car," rather to stop it becoming a hazard for the people around it.

And does anyone have thoughts on the size and spec of one for home usage? I'm guessing a two kilo extinguisher mounted near the internal doorway into my garage. (Which is just by my kitchen)

I have 'GLORIA' 10Kg powder extinguishers in each of my cars - these were the ones MB sold as accessories , also available as Hella accessories through caravan shops etc .

Both of mine are a few years old now , TBH , time I got newer ones .

Also had green halon extinguishers for vehicle use before they were outlawed .

You have t catch the fire very quickly , before it develops , for them to be any good .

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I have 'GLORIA' 10Kg powder extinguishers in each of my cars - these were the ones MB sold as accessories , also available as Hella accessories through caravan shops etc .

All understood and agreed about the caveats on use. These are just things to be used if you're quick and lucky, otherwise best just stand well clear.

These would be 2kg extinguishers if they're under the seat, surely? Are you using 10kg in the boot of the car ?

 

[zipdip]

Plenty of Ferrari owners carry fire extinguishers. Ratarossa on YouTube recommends them. I guess they are quite a bit more expensive than the average car and write off amount is much higher which makes it worthwhile repairing in case you use your fire extinguisher

The biggest thing for the owners is the fire extingusher is the same colour as their car

 

[Deleted member 6183]

My Dad had one and ended up using it to put out a small fire in some other bloke's car who didn't even offer to replace it.

 

[Chrishazle]

don't know if they still do it (or even exist) but years ago I had a supply and service agreement with Chubb Fire for extinguishers in our house, we had a number of "dead ends" where extinguishers were placed to give you a chance of getting to an exit - whether an external door or a flat roof from which you could reach the ground. I'm also "fortunate" to have had a number of fire fighting courses as part of my work, starting with a 4 1/2 day course at Montrose Fire Training College - where I found out what real sadists are!! As a result I've used fire hose, powder, CO2 and foam, but those were in carefully controlled conditions. I've had 2 occasions to use extinguishers in the old house - a washing machine went up in flames, CO2 put it out, I killed the electrics (luckily in the cupboard right next to them machine) then cooled it with water - then the fire brigade arrived and had a good laugh! The other was a chimney fire in the living room, traditional salt did nothing so I started using my water extinguishers in bursts, was getting nowhere so called the fire brigade, finally tried the powder one - which was supposed to stop when you released the trigger, but did not! - and after initially going up the chimney and killing the fire, the rest came back and spread knee deep across the living room, including the £3000 Parker Knoll 3 piece suite that had been delivered the previous day. Then the fire brigade turned up and had a really good laugh at me! Once they'd gone, the earache from SWMBO was epic.

 

[m80]

Sometimes it's better to know what not to do.

Keep water extinguishers away from the kitchen. If you see what that can do on an oi fire it's truly scary.
Mind even blowing pressure at a chip pan could be wore than letting it burn and getting clear.

Learn to use a fire blanket to protect your arms as you deploy it.
For a chip pan, that we don't have any way, it would be preferable.

You should be aware of not allowing a new supply of oxygen to the source . A fire starved of that can pretty much explode into an inferno again.

Them's just a few quick thoughts.

 

[markjay]

Some years ago I witnessed a lady quickly stepping out of an Alfasud and running away, there was thick black smoke bellowing from around the bonnet.

So I got the fire extinguisher from my car, and walked over. Pulled the bonnet release lever, but knew better than to actually lift the bonnet (and feed the fire with fresh oxygen). I was trained to crack the bonnet open and use the extinguisher through the gap, which was what I did. But my training was a desktop exercise... in real life it does not work.

Peeping through the gap I could see nothing but black thick smoke. I aimed the extihgshuer in the general direction of where I remembered the carburetor and fuel line were (I had an Alfasud when I was younger), and squeezed the trigger. About half a minute later the extinguisher can was empty, and the fire was still raging under the bonnet just as it was before my pathetic attempt to put it out.

A few minutes later the fire brigade showed up, and in seconds covered the car in foam. Needless to say it put out the fire.

 

[louwdj]

A few years ago, a local church's VW Kombi with 1.8 petrol engine was saved from a fire, with a dry powder extinguisher. It made a holy mess of the interior, needing serious vacuming afterwards and several cables were damaged but nothing a patient, retired home mac could not fix.

I rather keep an extinguisher in each of my vehicles.

was restored

 

[219]

All understood and agreed about the caveats on use. These are just things to be used if you're quick and lucky, otherwise best just stand well clear.

These would be 2kg extinguishers if they're under the seat, surely? Are you using 10kg in the boot of the car ?

Yes , apologies , 2Kg under the seat . My bad !

 

[219]

A few years ago, a local church's VW Kombi with 1.8 petrol engine was saved from a fire, with a dry powder extinguisher. It made a holy mess of the interior, needing serious vacuming afterwards and several cables were damaged but nothing a patient, retired home mac could not fix.

I rather keep an extinguisher in each of my vehicles.

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It may , or may not , work , depending on the circumstances - if you have an extinguisher at least you have the choice .

If in any doubt at all - get everyone to a safe distance - call the fire brigade - stay at a safe distance .

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Reviving an old thread. I've just bought a car with an immaculate 14 year old fire extinguisher under the driver's seat.

Is it now just an attractive red paperweight, or could it be trusted in a moment of need?

What is the life of a fitted from new fire extinguisher?

 

[whitenemesis]

See post #5