Featured Folks Of Interest SPOKANE CAR FIRE

Please correct me if I am wrong here.......
I think the glass 'bowl' filters are ok. Isn't it the glass/plastic inline ones that are a bit of a gamble?

 

IMO, big difference between OE glass bowl filters and aftermarket inline glass filters

 

@carbking with due respect to you too, I am not lumping in the factory glass sediment bowls, although they did go away. Myself and others are talking about these


not these


EDIT: too slow finding pics, I guess. It's already been covered.

 

The inline cylinder shape type, no bueno, bowl type are fine when installed correctly.

 

Had 2 just like those on my '39 p/u with a flathead. One before the electric rear mounted fuel pump and another between the mechanical pump and the carb. Noticed the one in the engine compartment was leaking so I checked the rear filter and it was also leaking. Dodged a bullet for sure. Replaced both with metal ones.

 

Sorry guys - I didn't know those little things existed. The ones I used, and use, are the factory cast housing with the glass bowl. To be quite honest, I have seen a number of these attached to carburetors sent in, that had chips out of the top of the bowl. I believe some folks were less than cautious in tightening the bowl, thus causing a chip.

I can see where those little ones could be dangerous.

Jon

 

I have a Diesel pickup in the house garage with 50 gallons of fuel sitting in the tank . Don’t think I don’t think about it daily . I told my wife if possible get away from the house wait 15 mins then call the foundation savers

 

you weld up the leak in a cat fuel tank by watching when the flame goes out!

 

I have one of those threaded inline glass ones in the Edelbrock package yet, and it's going to stay there. Maybe it'll be a future collectible, the infamous filter of death.

 

Stuff catches fire, sometimes it is no one's fault. We all know the dangers of linseed oil on rags and spontaneous combustion. I would be uncomfortable with a Tesla or any EV sharing my roof plugged in overnight while I sleep. I have a friend who is a fireman, and he responds to a lot of garage fires. Surprisingly many are caused by battery chargers for power tools, I guess they make fireproof cabinets just for them.

I am fortunate to have built my home to hold my old cars in separate garages from my house. I don't plan on a disaster, but I do plan against them. Using those dial regulators, glass filters with the screw ends and such may never lead to a fire, but why chance it when there are better, safer items on the market?

I tried to find follow up on that car fire that "sparked" [sorry] this thread but I have found nothing. Like this guy on Hill Street Blues said

 

Had a friend whose Tri Five caught fire and burned from running a bunch of 3/8" rubber hose from fuel pump to regulator, to twin carbs. Probably 10 ft. of hose and it started leaking one day while warming it up and ignited. Burned everything from the dashboard forward before fire dept. arrived to extinguish it.

 

I’ve bought myself one of these fire sticks, lives in the glovebox for easy access.

 

on the fire extinguisher. i was told to turn them upside down every 3 mo to keep them working. i had 2 in my shop about 2 yrs old and neither one worked

 

I've seen the ads and videos, but a friend bought a couple and we tested one out on a fire we built and got hot (using gas, oil, rubber, paint...basically any car material we had on hand that was disposable) and I wasn't 100% impressed. Better than nothing without a doubt but I suggest buying one for a test, so you know their limitations and how to use them. We found you have to be closer to the fire than an ABC extinguisher to be most effective. We built our test fire in an old BBQ kettle to simulate an engine bay, not exactly science but kinda close. They are a third or more less than the price though of halon extinguisher (which was too expensive to test so I don't know how it would have coped under the same test situation).

We did test an ABC extinguisher on the same fire, it put it out from a greater distance but made a mess doing so. I had to use my ABC I carried in the trunk of the Olds at the local watering hole one afternoon. I put out the fire in a very nice, brand-new build, 57 chevy PU, but I made a mess doing it! I will never put an ABC extinguisher in one of my cars. It will save it but it you will be cleaning and polishing and re-painting for months!

I own a couple of these Element sticks, $90 on Amazon with free delivery. But I have halon units in 3 of the cars ($360 for 2.5 lps). Very not cheap! And like I said, I have never tested one, but they say they don't leave a mess. Kinda going off faith there.

Moral of the too long post? Have something on-board to put out a fire. Or make sure you have marshmallows and a stick.

 

I might try one then. Halon was banned except under certain licences so you can’t get them here or pretty much anywhere in the world, I’m surprised you can still get them there. They work really well but have a nasty habit of killing people too! The ABC/foam extinguishers do need regular servicing though and the bottles have a ten year life. Mate of mine had an incar video of him at a race and his incar extinguisher ruptured and filled the car with AFFF.

There’s also a new water based type that’s apparently safe for use on anything as it forms a kind of mist but I’ve not seen one in use. They’re supposed to leave no residue.

 

I'm assuming the driver got out in time. Trust me, there are worse things than the loss of a car.

 

I have heard that too. I copied this form the internet, so you know it is true
Safe for brief human exposure
Halon fire extinguishers are safe for brief human exposure. Both Halon 1211 (a liquid) and Halon 1301 (a gas) leave no residue and are remarkably safe for human exposure. Halon only destroys fires and does not damage sensitive equipment or valuable assets

It does go on to say that in a confined space, prolonged exposure will prove fatal. I know in Terminator everyone but the cyborg had to wear masks. But that movie was pre-internet so I don't trust it.

 

Element not legal in CA per the State Fire Marshall

 

The CA law doesn't state you can't own one, but curious why they are not legal.

 

I guess the sticks and CO2 extinguishers would have the same issue as they both work by removing oxygen

 

someones feelings got hurt, so not legal in Ca ?

 

You would have to be an attorney to read and understand all of the laws of any state especially when it involves safety equipment in the litigious world we live in. Businesses must have portable fire extinguishers for employee use in an emergency. Element style extinguishers are not a legal substitute for them. That may be the cause of the confusion. I would doubt that they are illegal for personal use at home or in your vehicle. But I am not an attorney, and I am only offering my opinion.

 

I have 5 extinguishers in my 720 foot garage, and will have one in every car that is over 10 years old. I really dont care if the daily drivers burn, they are insured and easy to replace. The 60 Lincoln convertible my wife grew up in, the 50 chevy truck I have put thousands of hours rebuilding are not so easy to replace.

 

Halon isn’t manufactured any longer (at least in the U.S.) because it depletes the ozone-layer.
When I went to turn-worker training, I was surprised that they didn’t use halon. The extinguisher they used was Purple K, a potassium-based dry chemical. It’s used in refineries because it can handle larger quantities of flammable liquids than halon. It leaves a mess, but the powder can be vacuumed up. Just don’t get it wet. It forms a corrosive crust that is difficult to remove.

 

The extinguisher guys who come around our office said you can whack them on the bottom with a rubber hammer to jostle the solids.

 

Shit! I think I’m running one of those before my electric fuel pump. Inspection tomorrow!!

John

 

I had a brand new one in the package in my toolbox when my other one leaked. I threw them both in the garbage. If they're around, they can be used.

 

I’ve seen YouTube videos where the Element fire extinguishers don’t put out the fire no matter how many you use at once. (Fire in 55gallon steel barrel.) The guy even threw them in the fire in the barrel and it did not extinguish it. He went through about 25 of them. Halon or Purple K for me.

 

I have several in my tool box that I removed from different cars over the years. A fire ready to start & destroy.