Did you hit your fire extinguisher on the butt lately?

[femuse]

This is very important, I don't know if it was mentioned before, but it is worth repeating.

I just posted a link from the RV forum, about the danger of fire to the tow vehicle, when trying to pull a trailer heavier than the load rating.

Somebody's van took fire, and his extinguisher did not work.

Fires can have several reasons, one being transmission fluid igniting on the manifold. Sometimes, it won't be your fault, but shoddy work done by a mechanic.

Somebody on the RV forum posted this warning about fire extinguishers:

< It turns out that even if you have good pressure in the extinguisher the Dry powder they use can pack down inside from the vibration. It is recommended that you turn the extinguisher upside down and hit the bottom of it with your fist or palm of your hand.
< If it feels solid the powder is packed. If you hit it hard and several times you will feel the bottom start to feel and sound like a drum. You can also shake the extinguisher and feel the powder moving. >

OK: now is the time for all of us to go and beat our fire extinguishers on the butt before traveling.

[davidz71]

Good enough reason to carry a fire extinguisher in the vehicle as well as several in the trailer.

[femuse]

As long as you make sure that at least one of them is working.
The packing of the powder should be a problem in the tow vehicle as well as the trailer.

It would be interesting to find out how many of us faithfully carry non-working fire extinguishers.

With the exeption of the "I just bought it, never really traveled with it yet", I am ready to bet that most are temporary non-operational. I will check mine. Soon.

Same subject: in our 1990, it is right by the door. In our 1974, Mike never remembered where it was (under sink). I move it then in open cabinet by the door.
In the truck, it's next to the driver seat, visible every time we open the door. Good reminder.
If you spend several minutes looking for it......

[john hd]

perhaps a halon extingisher would be better.

or better yet a co2 unit. no powder to settle.

john

[River Rat]

Halon is no longer available. I have a halon system on the boat but I bought it about 10 years ago. Turns out that its very hard on the ozone layer in the atmosphere so the EPA banned it. Mine is still legal but if it ever fires I can't get it refilled. I don't care much for co2 in a vehicle. They're heavy and if you get in an accident they can be dangerous. I saw one droped once. If it had fins to stabilize it would have gone a long way. Just spun around in circles. Nobody knew which way to run. We laughed about it later but I don't want one in the cab of my truck. My opinion dry powder is the best choice and that is excellent advice about shaking them once in a while. I do mine but should do it more often. Don't forget the ones in the house and garage. The one in the garage is the only one I ever had to actually use. Makes a mess but it saved a car and a garage. LOL


Mike

[femuse]

We tried a low-teck way years ago, may have been our first trip. Our #1, around 1992, & the van, in the moutain in Massachussets. A toll taker had sent us to a State Park. "Yes, sure. No problem." Good thing it was only a 25' AS. Barely made it in the first (and last for us) loop, between trees, accross wooden brigdes. Saw mostly tents in that campground. A real nighthmare. Out of the Park in a hurry.
Never thought they had mountains in MA.

Brand new brakes on the van. We had asked for high temperature pads. Small road, winding down slowly for ever.
When we were finally able to pull up off the road.... the van brakes were smoking badly. And where there is smoke....

I rushed in the trailer, got the spray bottle from the bathroom, our old trusted "turd shooter".

Spraying water on the calipers was enough to extinguish what was a very small fire.

Talk about a maiden voyage.

[Chas]

I still have a couple of halon extinguishers from an old computer room we had at work. Halon has the extreme highest ODC (ozone depleting chemical) rating as far as damage to the ozone. I keep one on my boat and the other on my tow vehicle. Hope I never have to use them but if I do I assure you I will do so responsibly. As a licensed handler of freon I am well aware of the ill effects of freon and halons.

Chas

[davidz71]

Didn't they come out with a halon replacement called halonite? I remember seeing several of them in our computer rooms at work within the last several months.

Just did a search and found that they are no longer manufactured. I guess it was just another name for halon.

[Chas]

I do believe there is a version that is somewhat more ozone friendly replacement, similar to R-134 replacing R-12 in mobile refrigeration. I serviced a building in Livermore CA that had a giant pot of halon which was piped into the various computer rooms, it is still in use with what I believe the newer version of halon.

Chas

[59toaster]

Primary tow vehicle has a Haylon bolted to the floor. I have powder ABC in the 4x4.
Thanks for the heads up. I beat on mine tomorrow. Going to a B-Day party at a freinds and riding their axle snapper trail for the first time. I get all my friends to beat their fire extingushers as well. Hmmmmmm Maybe I should bring the video camera for this LOL.