fire extinguisher

[shnozz]

does anyone carry one of these?

I know Ted had some interesting moments in the past when a bag in the boot was turned to smoulders! am thinking of installing one before any european tours? anyone put one in, if so, where have they mounted it? it seems pointless to put it in the boot so somewhere fairly hidden in the cockpit???

[jvaughan]

does anyone carry one of these?

I know Ted had some interesting moments in the past when a bag in the boot was turned to smoulders! am thinking of installing one before any european tours? anyone put one in, if so, where have they mounted it? it seems pointless to put it in the boot so somewhere fairly hidden in the cockpit???

I have mine on the rear shelf.

[Podie]

I've been considering this myself... theres a thread on here somewhere which details the best type to get... and I seem to recall that someone mentioned you should get one with an elastic clip to hold the cannister in place (save it flying about).

Been thinking about mounting it on the rear parcel shelf... anywhere else would make it too difficult to get to with any speed...

[John Mac]

Probably a sensible idea to have one. To relate a quick story, I was competing in a Trial recently and a fellow competitors car caught fire when he ripped off the exhaust system and carbs, and the petrol ignited, of the fifteen or so cars there mine was the only one fitted with an extinguisher and it was used to good effect and saved the car from a complete burn out.
The downside was that my extinguisher was charged with Halon which is now apparently not allowed and therefore cannot be refilled.
If you do get one make certain it is suitable for "car" fires.
I would think the best position would be on the carpeted back of the boot bulkhead, most come with fixing brackets and spring release clips.

[John_Kenyon]

Our S3C came with a BCF fire extinguisher fitted on the back shelf between the seats for easy reach. It has a quick release bracket which allows the extinguisher to be put in the boot at car shows (just in case). Would recommend anyone having one.

[brioss]

I have thought about fitting a fire extinguisher but I have 2 concerns.
1 I try to leave the hood down as much as possible, will having a fire extinguisher be at risk, to be stolen if installed inside ?
2 Having it in the boot is fine, but the boot lid is realeased electricaly so to open in the event of a fire I will need to have the ignition ON to open the boot. If the fire is under the bonnet and the loom starts to melt all manner of strange electrical things happen, my point being will I be able to open the boot in the event of a fire?. (I have had experience with a mark III cortina some years ago)

[haggishead]

Dry Powder extinguishers work best in cars - they put out fuel fires, can be used on liquids and electricals, and also upholstery / clothes etc...

downside is - they make a terrible mess that takes ages to clean up afterwards - but at least you have something left to clean!

I had a halon extinguisher too - I used it to put out a neighbour's bin store that some hoorays had set alight against his front door - now i can't get it filled...

so it's bcf (dry powder) for me...

[dougs]

What about fitting a fire trace under the bonnet - this would solve the problems of where to fit the fire extinguisher - however, not much use I don't imagine if its an electrical fire in behind the dash. Worth a thought though, and I think 'The Bible' covers how to install one.

Cheers
DT

[GreenV8S]

Dry powder ones are horrible to use though, you pretty much write off the interior. AFFF are a better bet and also from what I remember they're better for liquid fires. You need to ensure that the cannister is mechanically mounted strongly enough that it can't break loose in an accident, a simple push-in clip isn't good enough. Ideally bolt the mounting onto something structural and use an over-centre clip so you can release it easily but it can't come loose on its own. Mine is fitted sideways under the drivers knees. So I can get at it while I'm driving if necessary, and also get at it from outside the car without having to climb in. It isn't completely hidden there, but it's pretty well out of sight unless you're looking for it.

[johno]

I used to have a dry powder one in the same place as Peter ... sometimes had it in front of the passenger seat as well.

Better safe than sorry. I am deciding on type and location for the Griffith.

[Le TVR]

At one time in past I used to test car fire extinguishers for BSI. All sorts of types on standard petrol fires.
I can assure you that after a few 'incidents' there was always a 2Kg dry powder in the other hand - just in case.
Yes it will require a lot of vacuum cleaning afterwards but you can use it on anything, even people (its just baking powder). Knock down ability second to none, the gas type extinguishers were almost useless on a motor fire by comparison.


Oh yes, passenger foot well under the fuse box.

[shnozz]

wow - didnt realise so many people had an opinion on this matter! I assumed with a lot of S's as second/weekend cars that no one would have one. So any suggestions where to buy one and not get ripped off?

and on the mounting point, I too like to leave the hood down as much as possible. Its bad enough having to put stereo front/Road Angel/sunglasses/CD's etc in the boot every time. Dont want to have to stick something as big as the extinguisher in there too. Like the idea of bolting it to the footwell but not quite sure how you mean. Any chance of photos?

[tvrgaas]

Mines in the footwell, placed there before trip to Munich years ago.

See www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=13033&f=11&h=0&hw=foot+well+fire

Also had a note through from the VSCC that "... MSA rules say .... AFFF . Discharging Halogen illegal under Montreal Protocol."

www.msauk.org/admin/news/ViewNews.asp?NewsId=1080

I guess I should check mine is still okay!

[rude girl]

I witnessed an accident on the M62 years ago where a man was trapped in a burning car. They didn't get him out.

I have an extinguisher in both my cars now. It's a no-brainer. Go out and buy one now, today.

[gbgaffer]

Hi Shnozz

I too carry a fire extinguisher which lives vertically behind the drivers seat, trapped between the backrest and the centre console. This works for me because of the seat setting I use, but it wouldn't be secure enough for track use. Fairly quick to deploy, just lift seat back adjuster and pull.

As to Halon, I once had a run away diesel engine on my boat, which was running on petrol vapour from a split fuel can (very scary) and wouldn't stop. Fired off a 1301 extinguisher into the bilge, and it stopped then! Wouldn't have liked to try that with AFFF or dry powder!

Cheers

Graham

[GreenV8S]

Le TVR said: At one time in past I used to test car fire extinguishers for BSI

I've been told one problem with powder extinguishers is they tend to compact if left in the same position for a long time - is there any truth in this?

[shnozz]

ok, not too worried by motorsport regulations (only track days) and would like to get whatever was going to get the bloody fire out sooner rather than later. Have seen these AFFF ones...

www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/catalogue/product_detail.asp?CLS=MSPORT&TLGRP=M003&CODE=LIFLLH&PGRP=MC028&GRP=MC028&PCODE=LIFLLH001

any thoughts?

Would have to try and mount in the footwell i guess. Would rather stick it on the parcel shelf but too easy to nick so footwell (around the base of the seat maybe?) it will have to be.

[tvrmark]

I've got one mounted infront of the passenger seat I can reach it from the drivers seat.

Mark

[Le TVR]

I've been told one problem with powder extinguishers is they tend to compact if left in the same position for a long time - is there any truth in this?


Hmmm, no doubt a possibility if you left it hanging untouched on the wall for 5 years or more.
I somehow guess that the inside of a TVR could be a little more agitated, mine is
But whatever you fit, do at least an annual check of the unit and see if it would still work if needed.