Fire Extinguisher

[BatleyBoy]

Any suggestions for best type of fire extinguisher, and where best to fit it in me Chim?

[spend]

I fastened mine to the carpet just in front of the seat. The footwell mat keeps it nicely in place. Its easy to reach & doesn't get in the way. It is just a standard clip in one (they are required by law in certain parts of EU BTW, like first aid kit in the cubby & triangle/jacket in the boot wheel arch). I know what I want sprayed first in the case of a fire.... My precious jewels

Dave

[Bunglist]

Surely you would have to be carefull what fire extinguisher you squirt onto a hot engine, if your engine bay was on fire, as i heard a while ago from a mate of mine that the V8 in his off road racing land rover burst into flames and someone squirted a CO2 extinguisher onto it, which thanks to the heat of the block and the coldness of the CO2 the engine blocked cracked.

Now there could well have been a small crack already which got bigger thanks to help from the extinguisher.

But it does sound feasable a hot engine and cold CO2.

What does anyone else think?????

[GreenV8S]

spend said:

I fastened mine to the carpet just in front of the seat. The footwell mat keeps it nicely in place.

Sideways under the driver's knees is the ideal place for it IMO, but you must make sure it's secured. That means held by a secure over-center latch not just a spring clip, and the mount must be firmly attached to the car. AFFF is probably the best sort to go for, but if you're mounting it on its side you must make sure it's one designed for that. If you keep an ordinary domestic fire extinguisher on its side the fluid can get under the lining and cause the lining to come off before or during use. When that happens the extinguisher stops working.

[steve-V8s]

If you plan to do any sprints, or any sort of regulated motorsport it is worth spending a bit more and getting an extinguisher that complies with MSA regs. A lot (in fact most) of the units you can buy on the high street are dry powder which is specifically excluded. Even if the regs don’t call for an extinguisher you won’t be able to take part with a dry powder unit in the car. As Peter says AFFF is a good choice.

[JonathanT]

so to save me doing any homework, any specific brands/models that are recommended (and where to buy from!)

[steve-V8s]

Try somewhere like Deamon Tweeks or Merlin motorsport. They both have web sites with lots of info.

[medieval]

The right extinguisher must be used as all are designed under classification of fire types to address each specifically eg carbonaceous fires, burning liquids, metals, fats etc and as a result I would probably suggest that all FEAs fitted to vehicles should be of the foam type as this does not have thermal contraction complications, will not aid burning liquid spread and will suffocate most fires in a vehicle effectively with less after effect than other media used.

The issue often is that the size of the extinguisher unit is the issue for fitment into most vehicles and specifically TVRs as the larger the size, the more capactiy and if used correctly the better the chance of extinguishing the ignition but fitting a 9 litre water or 6 litre foam is not practical but smaller versions are available.

Its possibly also worth noting that realistically, any FEA is really only a means of defending ones escape from a fire situation or in dealling with fires really close to the point of their occurence. Any blaze in full heat will overcome an extinguisher and the dangers of opening a bonnet from which flames are emitting is onerous as additional oxygen will be admitted and encourage fire development and spread.

The best, although possibly impractical, location of an FEA is the cockpit of the car within reach of the driver for immediate use if required. This will deal with electrical or interior fires etc and the most suitable method of dealing with engine bay fires is a fire trace type of system which is far more efective than a hand held FEA.

Just my thoughts though and I would highly recommend that all cars carry an FEA for life preservtion and safety reasons at least. From memory, Halfwits I think have an offer on the little hand held car FEA at the present time (£10.99)and this may be a palce to start.

Regards all.

[steve-V8s]

medeval said " From memory, Halfwits I think have an offer on the little hand held car FEA at the present time (£10.99)and this may be a palce to start"

They probably do but I suspect it will be a dry powder one.