Emptying fire extinguishers

[RonMar]

Well you might be able to push the bulk chemical out easier with a little shot of air.

If you take a large garbage can and cut a small hole in the lid, like they do for can recycle bins with a hole only big enough for a soda can, and you make up a blow gun with a bent tube that goes down into the can and comes back up thru the center hole into the bottle. Once you purge the gas and remove the top/valve, you invert the bottle onto the pipe and give it a little shot of air. This should force the powder out in bulk thru the larger opening and into the can. If you put a bag in the can, you can haul it away by the bagfull. Maybe even recycle it into new fire extinguishers if you keep it clean and dry.

Something like this:

 

[MikeD74T]

AlanB, I maintain 1200 fire extinguishers at a nuclear power plant. Each undergoes annual maintenanace so many get emptied. I'm talking 20LB dry chemical extinguishers. Most are CO2 cartridge operated & we charge them with an adapter fitting from a nitrogen bottle. The pressurized ones use nitrogen anyways. We discharge them into a cyclone seperator with a bag filter on the outlet. Search for "cyclone seperator" on the dreaded ExxY site & you'll see a similar system from a vendor in NY state. We reuse the powder so it may have resale value in your area as long as you maintain type seperation. MikeD74T

 

[dbdartman]

I'd build a three-wheel cutter: 2-powered rollers & a circular cutter (like a pipe cutter) on a screw or pneumatic cylinder. Build it vertically, spin the bottle & cut the "cap" off the body, then dump the contents in a manner you choose.

 

[AlanB]

Big Shovel, I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a unit, nor the actions of a unit

But I have heard that it creates a pretty white cloud

To the others, I love it, please keep the ideas coming, so far it is tracking on what we have been looking at and trying, but as more people come into the discussion, I am sure there is always a new way of going about it.

Just spent an hour at a scrap yard watching the big machines handle the materials. Some of it is incredible, some is just downright scary.

 

[AlanB]

AlanB, I maintain 1200 fire extinguishers at a nuclear power plant. Each undergoes annual maintenanace so many get emptied. I'm talking 20LB dry chemical extinguishers. Most are CO2 cartridge operated & we charge them with an adapter fitting from a nitrogen bottle. The pressurized ones use nitrogen anyways. We discharge them into a cyclone seperator with a bag filter on the outlet. Search for "cyclone seperator" on the dreaded ExxY site & you'll see a similar system from a vendor in NY state. We reuse the powder so it may have resale value in your area as long as you maintain type seperation. MikeD74T

Mike, I am searching but not following, could you PM it too me? I am familiar with Cyclonic filter seperators (we use some) but have not seen them in the FE field yet.

Thanks Al B

 

[hazmat]

Mike, I am searching but not following, could you PM it too me? I am familiar with Cyclonic filter seperators (we use some) but have not seen them in the FE field yet.

Thanks Al B

This is the "popular" vendor in NY Oneida Air Systems - Cyclonic Dust Collection usually used for wood dust collection - perhaps a call to them to discuss your application.

 

[hazmat]

AlanB, I maintain 1200 fire extinguishers at a nuclear power plant. Each undergoes annual maintenanace so many get emptied. I'm talking 20LB dry chemical extinguishers. Most are CO2 cartridge operated & we charge them with an adapter fitting from a nitrogen bottle. The pressurized ones use nitrogen anyways. We discharge them into a cyclone seperator with a bag filter on the outlet. Search for "cyclone seperator" on the dreaded ExxY site & you'll see a similar system from a vendor in NY state. We reuse the powder so it may have resale value in your area as long as you maintain type seperation. MikeD74T

Wow, 1,200 fire extinguishers at the plant! Oh and thanks for the calendars you guys send out each year with my evacuation instructions...

 

[chucko]

what about a wet vac?

 

[AlanB]

We thought about a wet vac with a drywall filter in it, have not tried it yet though.

 

[MikeD74T]

Wow, 1,200 fire extinguishers at the plant! Oh and thanks for the calendars you guys send out each year with my evacuation instructions...

Hazmat, You're quite welcome for the calendar ! ...and the electricity as well for most of it heads to Tewksbury for distribution.

AlanB, Hazmat's link was correct. Our unit is very similar to the Dust Deputy. MikeD74T