I have put off getting a fire extinguisher for some time so I need to get on this. Can someone suggest one? I understand that fire extinguishers come in one of several grades: A,B, C so, am I thinking that I would need one of each? Thanks for all the input in advance.
Can someone suggest the right fire extinguisher for a van?
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highdesertranger
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get a combo ABC, very common.
as a side note the extinguishers with the plastic head and nozzle are non-refillable, which makes them disposable when you use it or it dates out.
highdesertranger
as a side note the extinguishers with the plastic head and nozzle are non-refillable, which makes them disposable when you use it or it dates out.
highdesertranger
Trebor English
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The powder filled dry chemical extinguishers really do work. They do make a mess. In the engine compartment there are many electrical connections that can be messed up. In addition to the real extinguisher I keep several 1 liter seltzer bottles. Unscrew the cap, put your thumb over the opening, shake, and spray. It's just water so no powder mess. Don't expect the same performance as a real extinguisher.
The date on a dry powder extinguisher matters. In a vibrating vehicle the powder can pack. Turn and shake often.
Size matters. 1 A 10 BC means size1 for a class A fire, size 10 for class B or C fire.
The date on a dry powder extinguisher matters. In a vibrating vehicle the powder can pack. Turn and shake often.
Size matters. 1 A 10 BC means size1 for a class A fire, size 10 for class B or C fire.
Go to Walmart, get the white canister Kidde version, rated for auto/marine and of course works for a kitchen fire as well. Comes in several sizes. They are not super expensive.
Refillable is OK but when dealing with these smaller sizes it cost about as much to get one refilled as to buy a new one. However of course Eco wise is is good to save the materials that it takes to make the canister and valve. Remember than when you do want to get it refilled there is likely to be a situation where you drop it off and then pick it up several days later. You will have to find a place that does refilling and not all smaller towns have those. So you will have to plan the fill time to coordinate with your travel time just ahead of the expiration date on the extinguisher. So that is something you need to take into consideration when making your first purchase as to do you want to go with refillable or non refillable.
Refillable is OK but when dealing with these smaller sizes it cost about as much to get one refilled as to buy a new one. However of course Eco wise is is good to save the materials that it takes to make the canister and valve. Remember than when you do want to get it refilled there is likely to be a situation where you drop it off and then pick it up several days later. You will have to find a place that does refilling and not all smaller towns have those. So you will have to plan the fill time to coordinate with your travel time just ahead of the expiration date on the extinguisher. So that is something you need to take into consideration when making your first purchase as to do you want to go with refillable or non refillable.
I really hate dry powder extinguishers. Know how to use one and understand they are meant mainly to allow you to escape the vehicle, not put out the fire. Most modern vehicles will be totaled or have tons of problems later on if it is used in the engine compartment or dash area as the powder will destroy most electricals over time. I much prefer CO2 extinguishers with no mess and will cool a can of soda with a couple squirts as well as makes bearings just about fall into hubs if you do your own mechanics. I would also highly recommend you carry a second old water extinguisher if you can find one ( lots of schools used to use them as they are refillable from any clean water source and rechargeable with almost any air compressor). I have used mine for all sorts of things besides putting out wood or paper fires and I think I paid 50 cents for it at a garage sale. My grandkids made the mistake of squirting me with their squirt gun, my extinguisher puts a super soaker to shame even 25' out!
Spaceman Spiff
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It depends on what you are wanting it for. Vehicle fire or 'house' fire.
Standard dry chemical extinguishers are for living space fires. They use ammonium phosphate as the suppression agent; very corrosive to any reactive metals it comes in contact with, including electronic connections. And it is very hard to clean up; gets into every crevice, nook, and cranny. They are cheap.
Halon extinguishers (Halotron 1) are used for vehicle and electrical fires; don't damage electronics.
Expensive.
Vehicle fires spread fast so you only have a few seconds to put an under hood or under dash fire out. Vehicle fires get very hot very quickly.
A 2.5 lb extinguisher will give < 10 seconds use.
A - ordinary solid combustibles like wood and paper
-- 1A = equivalent to 1.25 gallons of water.
B - flammable liquids and gasses
-- 1B = 1 square foot of class B fire
C - energized electronics
-- C = does not conduct electricity; its just a class A or B fire with electricity added
D - combustable metals
-- very specialized, usually targets a specific hazard (magnesium, titanium, or sodium).
K - oils and fats
-- found in commercial kitchens, another unique specialized extinguisher.
For dry chemical extinguishers in mobile applications you should invert the extinguisher and hit the bottom a few times with a rubber hammer once a month. This will break up the powder before it clumps. Once the powder clumps the extinguisher is useless and must be replaced. For stationary applications twice a year should be adequate.
Standard dry chemical extinguishers are for living space fires. They use ammonium phosphate as the suppression agent; very corrosive to any reactive metals it comes in contact with, including electronic connections. And it is very hard to clean up; gets into every crevice, nook, and cranny. They are cheap.
Halon extinguishers (Halotron 1) are used for vehicle and electrical fires; don't damage electronics.
Expensive.
Vehicle fires spread fast so you only have a few seconds to put an under hood or under dash fire out. Vehicle fires get very hot very quickly.
A 2.5 lb extinguisher will give < 10 seconds use.
A - ordinary solid combustibles like wood and paper
-- 1A = equivalent to 1.25 gallons of water.
B - flammable liquids and gasses
-- 1B = 1 square foot of class B fire
C - energized electronics
-- C = does not conduct electricity; its just a class A or B fire with electricity added
D - combustable metals
-- very specialized, usually targets a specific hazard (magnesium, titanium, or sodium).
K - oils and fats
-- found in commercial kitchens, another unique specialized extinguisher.
For dry chemical extinguishers in mobile applications you should invert the extinguisher and hit the bottom a few times with a rubber hammer once a month. This will break up the powder before it clumps. Once the powder clumps the extinguisher is useless and must be replaced. For stationary applications twice a year should be adequate.
I have several handheld extinguishers around the station here, mostly dry chemical ABC units, a halon unit or two, plus a huge commercial built-in Amerex unit.
You probably dont want that!
Several of the extinguishers on location when I bought this place are small 2.5# Amerex and Buckeye units....they are made in USA and they look it...heavy duty and you can buy them on ebay and other online retailers.
I have had some fire suppression training: keep in mind that if the fire is bigger than a small wastebasket (thats a size of fire, not a location) your little handheld unit will most likely fail to extinguish the fire.
If that is the case, get everyone out and call 911!
You probably dont want that!
Several of the extinguishers on location when I bought this place are small 2.5# Amerex and Buckeye units....they are made in USA and they look it...heavy duty and you can buy them on ebay and other online retailers.
I have had some fire suppression training: keep in mind that if the fire is bigger than a small wastebasket (thats a size of fire, not a location) your little handheld unit will most likely fail to extinguish the fire.
If that is the case, get everyone out and call 911!
Spaceman Spiff said:
Thanks for all the great info Spaceman Spiff!
Obviously, like anyone else, I want to protect the investment in my van as best that I can. I also realize that in the event of an engine fire, the odds are that there might not be much that I could do about it except to ensure that I am able to get out and away from the vehicle safely.
All that being said, I really have two primary reasons/scenarios for purchasing a fire extinguisher. The first one is for a fire accidently occurring during the process of using a stove to cook. I do use an alcohol stove which does not use any kind of shut off valve. This small backpack stove simply shuts off when the brass cover to it is put on which takes away the oxygen. I have used this now for several years and it is very inexpensive to operate. Still, it could always be possible that I could bump something while cooking resulting in the stove being knocked off where I use it and that fuel could quickly ignite everything that it comes into contact with. I do keep a 2-gallon water container about 2 feet away so it is possible for me to grab it and dump it on the fire. At the same time, since it is an alcohol fuel stove (I use the HEET brand alcohol found in the yellow bottle for fuel) I am not sure if water would do the job or make things worse. This is where I thought that a CO2 fire extinguisher would work the best.
Secondly, now that I will be adding a solar system and battery charger to my van with the AGM battery being stored inside the van, I want to ensure that I could address a fire with that.
I hope that this makes sense so let me know what you think and would recommend.
Trebor English
Well-known member
With alcohol it is a unique burning liquid. Unlike oil and gasoline, alcohol and water do mix. You can use water to put out an alcohol fire. I only use my alcohol stove in a 9 x 13 metal baking pan. That will contain spills of fuel and scalding hot food. I keep a couple of bottles of seltzer, one on each side. I know that a fire will keep me from going to the other side to get water.
With batteries fires are best prevented. Since batteries store energy, unlike solar panels, there is the potential of overheating a wire. Put a fuse at the battery to protect every wire connected to the battery. Having the fuse six feet away leaves 6 feet of unprotected wire.
With batteries fires are best prevented. Since batteries store energy, unlike solar panels, there is the potential of overheating a wire. Put a fuse at the battery to protect every wire connected to the battery. Having the fuse six feet away leaves 6 feet of unprotected wire.
The most important thing is to have one! On our maiden trip last month I blew out both passenger side tires on my fifth wheel. It started a grass fire as well as my rim and remaining rubber from the tire on my home. Thank god I was able t get the fire out on my rig and the fire department got the grass fire out. Be sure you know how to use it and replace yours if old. Really amazing how much fire you can put out with a relatively small extinguisher. I will now always have at least two [emoji3]
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WalkaboutTed
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I don't worry about the specific types. I have three of them, one three (or two?) pounder tucked into driver side door pocket. Another mounted right inside the sliding door and a five pounder right inside the back door. I think being able to access the one(s) you have is the most important factor.
Ted
Ted
Having different types of needs means that some of them can managed differently rather than taking a one extinguisher for all solution.Van on 66 said:
So on that theme your engine compartment can have its own, easy to install, fire suppression system that comes on automatically. They seem to work well but have not yet reached the state of being commonly known about. The chemical that is released does not harm the engine or the electrical/electronic components. It has a gauge that you position so when you check your oil or other fluid levels you can see if the system is still properly charged. Here is a link to one for sale on Amazon, reference link to show the product. Amazon is not the only place you can purchase it. There are videos on youtube showing how it works and how it is installed.
https://www.amazon.com/BlazeCut-Automatic-Suppression-Automotive-Extinguisher/dp/B019ZZMXAA
Your kitchen area should have its own easy to reach extinguisher, it can be a smaller size. Then also have another larger sized extinguisher on hand if the smaller one gets used up. Of course you want to have a camping shovel as well, it too can be used to scoop dirt over a fire. And where it is appropriate you could use water (but not on an electrical fire)
As to having fires in your kitchen area, those are generally preventable by keeping combustible materials away from the immediate burner area and also by being there when you are cooking rather than going off to do something else outside of you kitchen space. Focus on one task at a time, don't go off and do multi-tasking when you have something cooking.
For your kitchen design you can put sheet metal an the wall surfaces around the stove and also a metal range hood or sheet metal over the stove. That will give you some extra time to put a fire out and reduce any damage to your rig should you have a small cooking fire event. For instance a grease fire in a skillet. Of course another choice is not to cook those types of foods unless you are out of doors away from your rig. Frying bacon would be one example of a meal that has some grease fire risk as would making french fries or fried chicken. Alternatively never walk away from the stove when cooking that type of item.
I forgot to mention that when cooking greasy foods keep a lid for the pot handy or a flat cookie sheet that is larger than the pan. That is the quick and easy method for containing and extinguishing a grease fire in a cooking pot. That reduces the oxygen source that keeps the fire burning. Then turn off the source of heat. Kitchen fire safety measures are well documented from fire department sources as well as other internet sources. I suspect you were even taught the kitchen fire safety during your school days as every school I went to had those types of safety lessons.
