Fire Extinguishers ?????

[prichard]

After you discharge it.

So it holds pressure forever if not discharged?

 

[ultrarunner]

I don't know if forever... guess it is more like a tire.

Mine have gone years and held...

 

[4570Man]

So it holds pressure forever if not discharged?

Forever is a long time, but they'll hold for years.

 

[prichard]

Cool, thanks

 

[Toyboy]

Mine has held for over 28 yr. Amazing

 

[daugen]

Mine has held for over 28 yr. Amazing

the problem is your unit might not work at all if the contents have solidified. You may shake up your extinguisher but most of us
don't...

I look at some of those gauges in the green and wonder if they are fooling me...
It's sad when even a nice Amerex or similar extinguisher is heaved because it's cheaper to buy a new one than run around and get the old one filled, potentially due to age of the bottle. Or as they call them, pressure vessels.
Biggest problem I've had is spiders crawling in the nozzle and setting up home.

remember, if you use it at all, even a little, you have to get it refilled.

 

[SpringHollow]

You are thinking of powder fire extinguisher. Those are some of the advantages of a water fire extinguisher - nothing to solidify (except it can freeze which is a negative) and you can recharge it yourself.

Ken

 

[daugen]

You are thinking of powder fire extinguisher. Those are some of the advantages of a water fire extinguisher - nothing to solidify (except it can freeze which is a negative) and you can recharge it yourself.

Ken

yes, sorry, I misread that, thought referred to ABC

 

[4570Man]

the problem is your unit might not work at all if the contents have solidified. You may shake up your extinguisher but most of us don't... I look at some of those gauges in the green and wonder if they are fooling me... It's sad when even a nice Amerex or similar extinguisher is heaved because it's cheaper to buy a new one than run around and get the old one filled, potentially due to age of the bottle. Or as they call them, pressure vessels. Biggest problem I've had is spiders crawling in the nozzle and setting up home. remember, if you use it at all, even a little, you have to get it refilled.

It still might not work though. I recently discharged one of my water fire extinguishers, and the gauge remained on green. It was still charged which is all that matters, but the gauge was stuck. I've discharged it a couple of times since then and the gauge started working again.

 

[TractorGuy]

Not up for reading all the FE Tech in this but Auto Zone sells an ABC unit that comes with a METAL DOT rated hanger for $25.
Shield ABC rated fire extinguisher 13315DAUT- Read1Reviews onShield #13315DAUT

 

[ray66v]

If the gas in an ABC extinguisher is 100% dry like it is supposed to be, the powder is not supposed to cake up on the bottom.

The problem is, there is no way to know if the gas is 100% moisture free.

When I was young, I had to use an extinguisher that was so old it sprayed almost nothing, because it all caked up in the bottom.

As a precaution, we started to turn them over and give it a few good hits with a rubber mallet, once a year.

 

[ultrarunner]

We empty, sift and refill every 12 months for dry chemical

 

[daugen]

We empty, sift and refill every 12 months for dry chemical

I would think that hospitals would try to avoid any dry powder extinguisher due to the mess it creates, but replacing hundreds of extinguishers in a hospital with Halotronic or whatever they call it now would be a huge expense.
But no sifting....

 

[ultrarunner]

Yep... could never get Admin to sign off on conversion.

I do have old fashion Halon on the Surgical Floor... those bottles date from 1995 and inspected monthly and re-tagged annually.

In 21 years only one discharge for a fire and it was in a landscaped area where a patient family member tossed a cigarette.

 

[SpringHollow]

One manufacturer's site said their extinguishers met NFPA regulations and did not require turning over and pounding etc. But I certainly have heard of people having problems. I do not know if they were ones that had been refilled by a local company or were still as is from the manufacturer.

We use a lot of CO2 extinguishers at work with some water extinguishers in the hallways in case there is a "paper fire".

Ken

 

[daugen]

all this discussion of fire extinguishers made me rethink my own situation, with at least five extinguishers, three five pounders in the house plus two more 5 pounders in barn. I'd go for the hose first likely in the barn anyway. But nothing on my Massey and nothing on my UTV. So I decided to get two inexpensive 2.5 pounders plus the rollbar straps, and will mount the two new ones on the ROPS of the tractor and Kubota RTV400.

Seems to be a choice between twenty bucks and forty five. I went cheap, name brand, not refillable, good for six years or until a bug clogs the nozzle. Looked longingly at the Amerex, have several of them, serious fire extinguishers, but the actual cost of operation is higher, and getting extinguishers refilled is not inexpensive. Will put a dymo label on it with install date and then use it as a spare when the date expires. I don't think you can ever have enough, particularly a decent one in your truck. I've put out several engine fires as a "civilian", after years of fire company training, and having the thing actually work when you pull the pin is a great feeling. I prefer the ones with a hose.

 

[daugen]

sometimes the simplest means is the best...garden hose nearby?
and a friendly instructional plaque labeled:
For Extinguishing Landscaping Fires
You Should Not Have Caused!

 

[ultrarunner]

Can't keep anything out on the Hospital Grounds... it will disappear... even plants have been dug up.

One of the problems is the increasing population of street people... they use the Hospital Entrance as an outdoor latrine... every morning the area gets washed down to disinfect... never had this problem when I started back in 1991.

A few are regulars and they have been arrested but in 72 hours are right back... costs a lot to arrest someone and one of the guys says with a smile he be back in 3 days...

All the Brass and Bronze backflows are now in steel cages... parking lot smash and grabs are on the rise in broad daylight.

Locked Dumpsters are pried open... sometimes to scavenge and other times to dump paint and construction materials... cardboard makeshift shelters spring up overnight... there is a shopping mall adjacent and trash from the Mall and Supermarket tends to migrate with shopping carts.

Law Enforcement says you have to have a Fortress mentality to protect what is yours... open is just asking for problems.

So far not a single fire extinguisher has disappeared which is rather remarkable.

 

[RNeumann]

I carry a 5 pound dry chemical fire extinguisher in the truck. My favorite and most useful fire extinguisher are my 2.5 gallon user rechargeable fire extinguishers. I use them several times a year and they will put out a pretty big fire. I'm sure if you filled them with a real extinguishing agent they would work better, but water is free.

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We use these all the time except we add a cup or so of AFFF after putting water in. The other homeowner way to at a bit more effectiveness would be to add some liquid soap.

The AFFF (foam) acts as a blanket over the fire and the soap lowers the surface tension of the water and allows it to flow a bit better and the suds stick adding a little of the foam blanket type effect.

Plus who doesn't like something that can be refilled at home?

 

[aczlan]

We use these all the time except we add a cup or so of AFFF after putting water in. The other homeowner way to at a bit more effectiveness would be to add some liquid soap.
The AFFF (foam) acts as a blanket over the fire and the soap lowers the surface tension of the water and allows it to flow a bit better and the suds stick adding a little of the foam blanket type effect.
Plus who doesn't like something that can be refilled at home?

I wonder, would that lower the freezing point to where they could be left filled over the winter?

Aaron Z