Fire Extinguisher Info

[n8n]

Sorry about the delayed reply. I haven't been keeping up with this forum much lately.

You should be able to get that hydro'd no problem. We have hydro'd several cylinders that are over 100 years old.

The chrome may get damaged though, as you said. Great looking extinguisher though.

Maybe get a good strap wrench & try to unscrew the top yourself without horking up the chrome?

 

[creep]

Maybe get a good strap wrench & try to unscrew the top yourself without horking up the chrome?

I didn't see any other hydro stamps on the cylinder, so I'm worried with the valve being in there for so long plus chrome plating, it may be really difficult to remove.

Our guys in the shop use pipe vices with large chains and often use 6' cheater bars to remove valves from cylinders. Sometimes there just isn't an easy way to do it.

 

[Chukster]

Passing on a story from a FF friend of mine. And he recommended that any dry chemical extinguisher be flipped upside down a couple times every month or so to keep the powder from settling. He then told about a training class his dept. had, one unit that had been sitting in the cab of an engine for weeks, and the powder was nicely caked; they put it right in the middle of the pile. Trainee who grabbed it, pulled the pin, aimed, squeezed & got {thbp}. Nada. Zilch. Boy learned real fast to grab the next one at hand and keep fighting!

 

[PeterT]

I picked up a dozen or so 'top tier' extinguishers from a university auction, most of the show charged, but its just on the verge between the green and red.
What would i expect to pay to get all 12 of them recharged? I did reach out to one of them, and they gave me the brush off like they only worked with commercial / industrial customers. So is there a key phrase to search for, to find a company that would charge my 12 extinguishers, I bring them to them?

 

[creep]

I picked up a dozen or so 'top tier' extinguishers from a university auction, most of the show charged, but its just on the verge between the green and red.
What would i expect to pay to get all 12 of them recharged? I did reach out to one of them, and they gave me the brush off like they only worked with commercial / industrial customers. So is there a key phrase to search for, to find a company that would charge my 12 extinguishers, I bring them to them?

12 is more than most businesses we do, so if they are brushing you off, they have no business being in the extinguisher business.

It's tough to say what they would cost since I don't know what size they are, whether they need to be hydro'd, 6 year maintenance, and what parts they may need to have replaced.

Are you using these in a commercial setting or for personal use?

 

[tjpavlov]

Does anyone have a good source for the little breakable zip ties that fire extinguishers have on the pins? I broke one recently and can only seem to find 50 or 100 packs online.

 

[Bugeyed Earl]

Sorry about the delayed reply. I haven't been keeping up with this forum much lately.

You should be able to get that hydro'd no problem. We have hydro'd several cylinders that are over 100 years old.

The chrome may get damaged though, as you said. Great looking extinguisher though.

Thanks, that's encouraging, I'd really like to put this unit into service at home. I haven't had a chance to visit any of the local service shops yet, but will probably get to it soon.

 

[slickgt1]

There are lots of different sizes and types of extinguishers. Different ones are better for certain applications than others.

A Class A pressurized water extinguisher in a concrete block building with nothing but flammable liquids is no good, but a 20lb. CO2 would be.

A 20lb. CO2 extinguisher is not a good fit to put in your wife's car, but a 2.5lb. or 5lb. ABC would be.

If you have a Halon extinguisher in your server room, don't replace it with an ABC extinguisher, as I heard a customer want to do this week.


Tell me what you need extinguishers for and I'll do my best to help steer you in the right direction.

Perfect, this is just what I wanted to ask you. Can you please tell me what I need. I have a hard time wrapping my head around this entire thread.

1. Kitchen.
2. General living area
3. Garage, I do stuff in there, woodworking and whatever else. Including parking my car. I have gas service running through it, including electrical panels and gas meters
4. Basement. Finished, but has boiler and water heater in a closet.

Thank you.

 

[David C]

Thank you Mr. creep, you just cost me $215. Special thanks to Mr Pavlov for the zoro reference.

I needed to do this and your post was the impetus.

 

[bgarrett]

I didnt read every post so this may have been covered, but the Location of your extinguisher is critical! First, put it near an exit door and dont block it. It needs to be visible.
Second, it seems that most people put the mount at eye level. That means you gotta lift that heavy thing over your head height. Its also not to code. Put the mount between 3 and 5 feet off the floor

 

[creep]

Perfect, this is just what I wanted to ask you. Can you please tell me what I need. I have a hard time wrapping my head around this entire thread.

1. Kitchen.
2. General living area
3. Garage, I do stuff in there, woodworking and whatever else. Including parking my car. I have gas service running through it, including electrical panels and gas meters
4. Basement. Finished, but has boiler and water heater in a closet.

Thank you.

Here is what I recommend:

1. A 5lb. ABC under your sink.
2. Maybe a 5lb. ABC in a hall closet.
3. 10lb. ABC will cover it all. A 2.5 gallon pressurized water extinguisher would be good for the wood working. Maybe a CO2 if you do a lot of work on cars and are worried about damaging them with a dry chemical extinguisher.
4. 5lb. ABC somewhere accessible. In the closet does you no good if either of them explode.

 

[creep]

I didnt read every post so this may have been covered, but the Location of your extinguisher is critical! First, put it near an exit door and dont block it. It needs to be visible.
Second, it seems that most people put the mount at eye level. That means you gotta lift that heavy thing over your head height. Its also not to code. Put the mount between 3 and 5 feet off the floor

Agreed. Most anyone can lift a 5lb. extinguisher over their head. Very few can lift a 20lb. extinguisher above their waist.

 

[slickgt1]

Here is what I recommend:

1. A 5lb. ABC under your sink.
2. Maybe a 5lb. ABC in a hall closet.
3. 10lb. ABC will cover it all. A 2.5 gallon pressurized water extinguisher would be good for the wood working. Maybe a CO2 if you do a lot of work on cars and are worried about damaging them with a dry chemical extinguisher.
4. 5lb. ABC somewhere accessible. In the closet does you no good if either of them explode.

Thank you. Perfect shopping list. Now how much for you to ship all of this to me in NYC? I am serious if you can do this.

 

[creep]

Thank you. Perfect shopping list. Now how much for you to ship all of this to me in NYC? I am serious if you can do this.

I'll be at the fire station tomorrow and Monday, so I won't be back at the extinguisher shop until Tuesday to get you a quote. Have you tried anybody local? Shipping might be pretty expensive.

 

[slickgt1]

I'll be at the fire station tomorrow and Monday, so I won't be back at the extinguisher shop until Tuesday to get you a quote. Have you tried anybody local? Shipping might be pretty expensive.

I will give this a whirl. But my feeling is that prices around here are jacked up. I will let you know what they want, and can you please tell me if I am getting screwed.

I also have a UPS acct. I will get back to you. Ty creep.

 

[White 99]

Creep,

What are your thoughts on "special use residential cooking media fire extinguisher" to have in the kitchen? White bottle.

I believe it filled with baking soda, is that correct?

Does it have some sort of lower pressure to not spread fire?


Thanks.

 

[creep]

Creep,

What are your thoughts on "special use residential cooking media fire extinguisher" to have in the kitchen? White bottle.

I believe it filled with baking soda, is that correct?

Does it have some sort of lower pressure to not spread fire?


Thanks.

Marketing ploy. It is simply a BC dry chem extinguisher. I have seen a lot made by Kidde, especially in apartments. They are absolute garbage.

You are correct in that it is filled with baking soda, since the BC chemical agent is basically just that. It may have a lower pressure, like 100psi versus the typical 195psi, but that won't do anything to prevent the spread of fire.

My advice is to stick with ABC in your home's kitchen. If you happen to have a fire where the cabinets are burning, BC won't do you much good. If you have a commercial kitchen, a Class K extinguisher is the way to go. They are too expensive and bulky for residential use, though.

 

[White 99]

Thanks

 

[slowzuki]

Something of note too, it you have a BC fire that has been burning a while perhaps with some metal sticking out of it that has gotten hot or the fuel itself has gotten hot, be careful with using CO2 only. Yes the expanded gas is cold coming out but it has very little mass and the metal or fuel that remains over the autoignition temp will relight the fire once the CO2 drifts away.

Also, ABC dry chem is bad for electronic circuit boards and electrical contacts yes, but on anything that you can flush with water asap you can prevent most damage. Wet powder is terrible for corrosion so you need to flush it away.

Also not mentioned, some european countries have water mist extinguishers, they have high pressure nitrogen charge and work on BC fires as well. Not very common in North America but with distilled water found in some semi-conductor labs and server rooms.

 

[Leoruiz]

There has to be some FireFighters here. TALK TO US....
I've got 2 at the houese that a company recommended. One in the kitchen and another type in my garage-shop. I guess I need to go look and see what they are composed of at lunch. I trust the guys. They supply dozens in this district from chicken joints to welding shops.

 

[rlitman]

Also, ABC dry chem is bad for electronic circuit boards and electrical contacts yes, but on anything that you can flush with water asap you can prevent most damage. Wet powder is terrible for corrosion so you need to flush it away.

Also not mentioned, some european countries have water mist extinguishers, they have high pressure nitrogen charge and work on BC fires as well. Not very common in North America but with distilled water found in some semi-conductor labs and server rooms.

While the chemical in an ABC extinguisher is bad for electronics, it is not as bad as the byproducts of the fire itself. Soot is quite corrosive.

Deionized (not just distilled) water mist extinguishers are pretty specialized. The most useful wet extinguisher you'll likely encounter is a type K.

 

[creep]

There has to be some FireFighters here. TALK TO US....
I've got 2 at the houese that a company recommended. One in the kitchen and another type in my garage-shop. I guess I need to go look and see what they are composed of at lunch. I trust the guys. They supply dozens in this district from chicken joints to welding shops.

I am a professional firefighter.

How may I assist you? What questions do you have?

 

[maxpower_hd]

I have a couple of the older ones myself. In addition to turning them upside down on occasion, if you can feel that the powder is caked you can rap on the side of the extinguisher to loosen the powder up. You will feel it release and become loose again.

I also have a water filled one you can add compressed air to which is good for certain things like welding and a rag or grass catches fire. Don't ask me how I know that but I'm glad I had the extinguisher right next to me.

I always have an extinguisher right next to me when I'm welding or using torches.

 

[creep]

We had to throw a customer's brand new Buckeye extinguisher in the trash today after showing him the bad weld in the cylinder that kept it from holding a charge.

It's a piece of life safety equipment folks. You may never have to use it, but if you do, you'll be glad you paid a few more dollars and got a quality extinguisher instead of a shiny red doorstop.

 

[Jlarson]

We had a bunch of buckeye's in our shop and engineering building, I moved them across the street into our office and shipping/receiving area where they'll get smashed by the forklifts so I can get rid of them.

 

[dave89iroc]

I have a pair of Amerex units, not sure on size, ill have to look again, they were last certified in 2008, so not too old, but one has a few bubbles of rust popping through the paint along one weld, would it be safe to keep? should I clean the rust off and repaint?

 

[creep]

I have a pair of Amerex units, not sure on size, ill have to look again, they were last certified in 2008, so not too old, but one has a few bubbles of rust popping through the paint along one weld, would it be safe to keep? should I clean the rust off and repaint?

If it's a commercial application, they are probably due to be taken in and serviced anyway, based on the date you provided. I'd let an extinguisher company look them over.

Edit: My experience has been that unless it is very extensive rust, it is probably not hurting anything on an Amerex. Pretty thick cylinder walls and very good welds. I've only seen a handful of Amerex or Ansul get trashed due to rust, and they lived brutal lives in extreme conditions.

 

[351cmach]

great info

 

[dave89iroc]

If it's a commercial application, they are probably due to be taken in and serviced anyway, based on the date you provided. I'd let an extinguisher company look them over.

Edit: My experience has been that unless it is very extensive rust, it is probably not hurting anything on an Amerex. Pretty thick cylinder walls and very good welds. I've only seen a handful of Amerex or Ansul get trashed due to rust, and they lived brutal lives in extreme conditions.

Residential garage use, thanks you the info, I will be having then serviced when I can



I wish I had had more money on me when I found them, old single guy estate sale, last day so everything was 50% off, they were asking 15, so I got the pair for 15

 

[sh4pka]

Dear Mr. Creep,

I'm a licensed tech as well, though I work for a company that isn't too keen on training. I trained for exams, passed exams, and understand the material quite well, in a theoretical sense.

Practically speaking, I despise extinguishers-- even the very best of them-- made within the last 10 years. The reason for this has to do with leaky valves.

When I service an extinguisher, for either 6 year, or hydro, I replace everything. O-ring, spring, and valve stem. I clean the siphon tube, threads, and everything else quite rigorously, with the appropriate brushes, designed specifically for the purpose of cleaning out extinguisher valves. When I refill, I do it (now) the way you're supposed to; depressing the valve while filling, and doing so very carefully-- filling it the same way as you-- to the back-edge of the green-zone, and yet...

2/3 of them leak.

Always.

And always from the valve. Never the O-ring. Never the shell. Never any other part-- just those stupid valves.

And it is always a very slow leak, oozing out tiny little bubbles.

Whacking with mallets doesn't help, nor does any other countermeasure I've tried-- within the allowances of NFPA-10 (although it is nearly impossible to find anybody else who has this problem on the Internet, I've seen evidence of other people's frustration on units I've serviced; dents and chipping on the bottom of the shell, and lube applied to the stem where it shouldn't be, etc.).

It's aggravating, man.

Is there a secret to solving this problem that doesn't violate Code?

 

[plow]

Dear Mr. Creep,

I'm a licensed tech as well, though I work for a company that isn't too keen on training. I trained for exams, passed exams, and understand the material quite well, in a theoretical sense.

Practically speaking, I despise extinguishers-- even the very best of them-- made within the last 10 years. The reason for this has to do with leaky valves.

When I service an extinguisher, for either 6 year, or hydro, I replace everything. O-ring, spring, and valve stem. I clean the siphon tube, threads, and everything else quite rigorously, with the appropriate brushes, designed specifically for the purpose of cleaning out extinguisher valves. When I refill, I do it (now) the way you're supposed to; depressing the valve while filling, and doing so very carefully-- filling it the same way as you-- to the back-edge of the green-zone, and yet...

2/3 of them leak.

Always.

And always from the valve. Never the O-ring. Never the shell. Never any other part-- just those stupid valves.

And it is always a very slow leak, oozing out tiny little bubbles.

Whacking with mallets doesn't help, nor does any other countermeasure I've tried-- within the allowances of NFPA-10 (although it is nearly impossible to find anybody else who has this problem on the Internet, I've seen evidence of other people's frustration on units I've serviced; dents and chipping on the bottom of the shell, and lube applied to the stem where it shouldn't be, etc.).

It's aggravating, man.

Is there a secret to solving this problem that doesn't violate Code?

I've been in the fire protection business for quite awhile now. I suspect your technique is wrong when pressurizing. Your regulator needs to be set at 200 or 205 psi. NEVER use the gauge on the ext to determine the internal pressure (what if the gauge is bad???)

That being said, when your set up and pressurizing, are you still depressing the handle when you relieve the pressure from the ext? I suspect that's your problem. It only takes a very little bit of chemical between the valve stem and the seat to cause a leak.


I sold Buckeye for years and they were a bear to service. Amerex and Ansul are much better units. I prefer Amerex as the design of the valve body is such that it will fit most other manufacturers mounting brackets (that means you don't have to change it when you sell them a new one)

Where are you located and can you post a pic or three of your pressurizing/refilling set up? If you get in a jam you can call me. If your close, you can come fill out an application. We start helpers at 13 an hour, more if you have licenses. Company truck after we find out if you're a serial killer or not.

 

[D. Patina]

This has been a great thread. I found a fire extinguisher that I had long forgot about and came here to see if it was any good. Wasn't actually in service but buried in the back of a storage cabnit. After reading this thread I plan on replacing my two Kidde, that have to be 10 years old.

Extinguisher I found was a 1979 Super 6. Learned its next to worthless outside of some VW Bus fans who like them for display at the shows.

 

[Kennybill]

Thanks for bringing up this subject. I've been meaning to get more/better fire extinguishers. I have three Kiddes. I also keep a 3 gallon backpack sprayer ready. Thanks again

 

[skipnay]

Do I need anything more then halotron/halon in my garage? Also what size would you recommend? I have 2 2.5lb bottles. I have been thinking about getting a 5 or 10 pound but would like someone more knowledgeable to help me out. I have a local fire extinguisher place here but getting help on what I need or should have is like running in circles. I was told I was kinda wasting my money on the halotron/halon stuff. If I have to put a fire out I don't want a mess later on to clean up also.

 

[rlitman]

A 2.5 lb halon is enough to put out a frying pan. Not much more.

I'd suggest a minimum of a 5lb ABC as a backup.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I picked up at Amerix at a shop going out of business, I remembered this thread and came back to find out if this was one you had said that was good. It is a big one it stand up to about my knee, Was professionally serviced in the last 12 months. Paid 10.00 for it. I am sure I could not even of gotten my cheap ones serviced for that. Thanks for posting.

 

[nickelmore]

Wow great post, wish I had seen it sooner. I never thought about having them serviced. I always thought that it would be too expensive to have one brought up to date.

I have to go check at the shop to see if they got scrapped out and check out the brands.

 

[plow]

Do I need anything more then halotron/halon in my garage? Also what size would you recommend? I have 2 2.5lb bottles. I have been thinking about getting a 5 or 10 pound but would like someone more knowledgeable to help me out. I have a local fire extinguisher place here but getting help on what I need or should have is like running in circles. I was told I was kinda wasting my money on the halotron/halon stuff. If I have to put a fire out I don't want a mess later on to clean up also.

If you have the presence of mind during an actual fire event, yes. Try the Halon first followed by your ABC FE.

MOST people don't have the presence of mind to do that. Is ABC a mess? Yep. However, how much is the **** worth in the garage? Is your house connected to the garage? I don't know but in my garage, I have two 10 pound ABC's. I don't bother with 2.5's. At a minimum 5 pound units are what I would recommend.

 

[plow]

A 2.5 lb halon is enough to put out a frying pan. Not much more.

I'd suggest a minimum of a 5lb ABC as a backup.

Grease in a pan will have to be cooled below it's auto-ignition temp to prevent reflash. 5 pound ABC at a minimum. They make a K class specifically designed for the kitchen. Pricey, But like I said, What's your **** worth and how much insurance do you have?

 

[plow]

Guys, this aint rocket science here. I sell new 5 pounders for 50 bucks all day long. These are top of the line exts with an aluminum valve. Not the cheep **** plastic head stuff. Not that the plastic head wont work, just trying to make a point that these things aint that expensive. I charge 5 bucks to do an annual inspection and most of the time I do it for free as I don't want to fool with the paper work for a five dollar bill.

Get the right equipment and maintain it. fire ext companies will give you a few so you and family members can shoot it off to get an idea of what to expect. women and kids need to know this.

Another thing to remember is that a portable fire ext is your first line of defense in a fire situation. Your second is the fire dept. No need in putting your families lives in danger cuz you wanted to save a few bucks.

Be safe.