Fire Extinguishers ?????

[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.

View attachment 487102

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