Please install Fire Extinguishers in your car and garage

another thread got me thinking about fire extinguishers, I have a large unit in the garage, a small grease one under the sink in the house, and one in each running car. they dont cost much and once youve seen a guys favorite ride burn you wont be caught without one.
Please spend the $ and get a fire extinguisher for your rod.

 

I actually just picked one up for my work shop. WIth all the sparks that fly and chemicals in there it was an accident waiting to happen.

Last summer I was welding some trim holes shut on my Comet when I accidentally set the rubber gasket between the fender and the nose of the car on fire. Looks pretty funny tring to throw water through some small ass access hole to put it out. Luckily it was very minor, but without an extingisher I got lucky.

 

Yep,

I was tuning carbs one day and had to remove one of my carbs and in the process I bumped the hot lead on my brake light switch. Lets see the carb full of gas in my hand, gas dripping for the line just dis-connected, a rag soaking up the little drip from line, and touching the hot lead was all it took to start a nice gas fire. The carb in hand, fully engulfed in flames flew 30 feet across yard. Kicked the car in neutral to roll away from garage. Dripping gas had made a small puddle on driveway now in flames. Car rolling across lawn on fire, drive way on fire, carb in the middle of yard on fire, NO EXTINGUISHER, Fuck.

Run for garden hose, close by, turn on water and chase car across the yard.

Put fire out, finish assembly, tune and time, drive to autoparts store buy extinguisher, install and drive 300 miles to show.

One hell of an eventful day, to say the least.

BUY AND INSTALL AN EXTINGUISHER IN YOUR CAR, I agree.

 

ONE FOR THE CAR!!!

I carry two in mine. I have lost count of how many times I have had to stop on the highway and come running to help someone with underhood smoke and flames.

Once it was me. Many years ago. I lost a good Avanti to a carb fire when the pressure regulator leaked.

 

The woodie has a fire extinguisher right under the front passenger side seat. All of our hard work and the value of this old tin makes it mandatory!

 

Wow! Where's a video camera when you need one.
Glad nobody was hurt.

 

Would never be without one.Very cheap insurance

 

One mounted on the floor between the seat and my door. I can reach it with my left hand without even taking off my seat belt or opening the door. Second one in the truck for backup.

I have lost a 47 Chevy to a shop fire. It was a lightening strike so a fire extinguisher wouldn't have helped BUT still makes you stop and think. I have also been driving down the highway when my alt shorted out and started my fuse panel on fire in the passenger kick panel. Hence wanting extinguisher very close at hand and not buried in the trunk.

Scary stuff

 

Very similar story to the above....

Pulling the Q-jet to do something, and I disconnected the fuel line. Fuel sprayed everywhere and, for no apparant reason - ignited.

Oh shit! so I grabbed the extinguisher that I had in the car and doused it - great fire is out... for about .00001 seconds and then wooosh up in flames again. Hit it again, same shit - and then the extinguisher is done (burning fuel on ground was re-igniting the fuel that was still coming out of the line)

Thought fuck, I see what is happening here - throw the car in neutral and start it rolling down the driveway while I run over for the hose. got back to the car with the hose, but all it was really doing was pushing the fire around and keeping it from really damaging anything.

I finally realized that fuel was STILL coming out of the damn line, so I stuck my soon-to-be hairless arm in their and plugged the line with my thumb (covering myself with my hose).

Then I got the fucker out. So three lessons learned here - one, always have a fire extinguisher, Always use it ALL on the first shot to make SURE the fucker is out, and always have a vented gas Cap.

Fuel was pressurized slightly in the tank, and kept flowing.

 

I almost burned up my '34 coupe and my new garage three years ago because of a cheap glass fuel filter and no extinguisher.
The filter was mounted right behind my alternator.When I started the engine the glass in the filter broke and sprayed gas into the back of the alternator.Fire started, burned thru my plastic oil gage line dripping burning oil onto the carpet under the car.
Just as I killed the engine and jumped out of the car to find an extinguisher,my son-in law came out of the house with one in his hand and put the fire out.

I got rid of the filter,carpet and plastic line and bought one BIG extinguisher for each bay in the garage. Plus we have three in various spots in the house now,too.

 

Around 1980 (remember gas shortages and long lines at the stations?) I saw a Cadillac on the freeway shoulder up ahead with smoke rising. I pulled my old truck over, grabbed my extinguisher and ran over just as the Caddy driver was lifting the hood. I put the fire out but the guy didn't seem very appreciative. After I left I kinda got the feeling he wanted it to burn to the ground. At the time people couldn't sell low-mpg vehicles and were letting them get stolen, burn up or otherwise have their insurance company pay for them.

 

WOW, it's strange how you mention the carpet portion. Half my garage is carpeted, basicly where Big Olds sits and I've often wondered if it was "safe" what with all the little oil soaked spots and all. Funny in fact, I was just thinking about this Friday evening as I was pumping Big Olds trying to start him for the first time in months. I'm having some serious thoughts now about rolling it up and hauling that carpet to the curb tonight.

Certainly food for thought.

 

What kind of extinguisher?

I've got 'em: a mid-sized one in the garage, and small ones in each car, but I just got what they were selling at Costco without knowing if it is really right for my purposes.

 

Several years ago some of us in the FD were scheduled to take a state sponsored fire training course on flammable liquid fires.
One of the guys opted out to stay home and work on his RoadRunner.
The short story is that he was under the car with a trouble light, disconnected the fuel line and the cold fuel hit the bulb.
The bulb blew and stated the fuel on fire which torched the car and the garage and his sister's Cougar that was in the garage too.
He got out with some 2nd degree burns on his arm, bu no car(s) or garage and a VERY mad sister.
Guess he should have gone to the school.

 

What kind of extinguisher should one get for there car?

 

One that says ABC should cover it. I got mine at Costco and they're a little small, but otherwise fine. Good advice on using the WHOLE thing, too. I'll buy another $10 extinguisher...

Class A Extinguishers will put out fires in ordinary combustibles, such as wood and paper. The numerical rating for this class of fire extinguisher refers to the amount of water the fire extinguisher holds and the amount of fire it will extinguish.

Class B Extinguishers should be used on fires involving flammable liquids, such as grease, gasoline, oil, etc. The numerical rating for this class of fire extinguisher states the approximate number of square feet of a flammable liquid fire that a non-expert person can expect to extinguish.

Class C Extinguishers are suitable for use on electrically energized fires. This class of fire extinguishers does not have a numerical rating. The presence of the letter “C” indicates that the extinguishing agent is non-conductive.

 

fire extinguishers are good especially if you mount them where they are easily accessible(not real handy locked in a trunk when the trunk gets rearended and you're on fire and you cant open the trunk// i've got 2in my truck 3in the shop and i also make a habit of having a garden hose close by and turned on when im working in the shop

 

Odd question but I'm wondering what affect sub-freezing temperatures have upon fire extinguishers. In the Northeast we spend many months below 32 degrees and aside from wanting an extinguisher that will be functional I'd also want one that would not be dangerous in the cold weather because of the temp change. Any thoughts?

 

Have a friend whos dad always had carpet in the garage. Not a good Idea.

 

In '74 I had a 68 Javelin. My brother owned it before me. He had one of those clear plastic fuel filters on it. One morning I started my car, while it was warming up I noticed the paint on the hood bubbling. I popped the hood and it was on fire, gas pumping out of the filter. I killed the car. I got the fire ex. out of my dads boat but it didn't work. i hollered at my sis to call the F.D. which was only 2 blocks away. My mom came running out with a quilt and I threw it over the engine. Too late, all the wiring under the hood was burnt. I was getting shipped to Germany on the weekend. I sold the car while I was in Germany.
I tell everyone I see, if they have one of those clear plastic filters to get rid of it and buy a good metal filter.

 

Coincidence?

Check the safety chapter in the old mopar perf engines manual for their comments on these pieces of shit.

 

I just thought I would offer some advice. Buy two instead of one for your car. Those little extinguishers for your car are just enough to almost get a seriouse fire out. Especially if its gas. Its just another little insurance to cover you, just incase.

 

It's funny how a fire PROMPTS people to buy extinguishers. I'm guilty of this too...BTW...

GO CHECK YOUR FIRE DETECTOR BATTERIES in your house! YOU DO have them, DON'T YOU? Simple, cheap life insurance. Please, if you don't have at least three in your home...invest $21 bucks to save your loved ones!

I have one extinguisher in my garage, (well, two now but one is old), one in my daily's trunk, and one in the house. I also have a spare I keep in the Cougar, but it's in storage.

I always felt bad for those guys on the side of the freeway watching their car go up in flames helplessly while they watch and wait for the firetruck.

"Costco" has an awesome deal on a "two pack" of A-B-C type extinguishers that I have bought a couple times now. When my originals show they are almost expired, I just buy new ones... Just did a couple weeks ago. For $17.99, you can't complain. They last about 4 years.

A friend's NEW detached garage went up several years ago. They lost everything in it, around it, and it messed up the house too. Faulty wiring was the cause there I believe. New F250 GONE, Newer Caddy GONE, Jet skis GONE, tools- GONE, etc. BIG loss.

Just 8 months ago, another friend's house went up and was completely destoryed by an attached garage fire, somehow the $17 bucks for extinguishers seemed like a drop in the bucket compared to the rebuild cost ($140,000 for the house) plus ($100,000 for the contents) and (the cost of a newer Cadillac in the garage) and almost a year's worth of rebuilding, fighting with insurnce companies, etc. Basically, if you have a good job, and a good insurance company- if you have a whole house fire you will be out on your ass for at least a year to rebuild. They have been living out of a camping trailer on their own property while the house is being rebuilt from the ground up.

My friend, (A HUGE Red Wings fan) had quite a lot of money and gifts tied up in Red Wings collectibles, one offs, signatures, etc. that were all lost due to their proximity to the garage.

Sparks from a bench grinder in the garage were determined to have set off the blaze.

Shame. Be careful guys.

 

I have a smallish ABC extinguisher in my van and three at home. I've never lost anyting to fire except for on purpose (bonfire) and have no plans on doing so.

 

This will always get my vote! In my garage, I burnt half a sheet worth of sheetrock and the dresser me and my dad built when I was about 12 years old. Fire Extinguisher (took the garage one and the kitchen one both) saved my whole house and my 35 PU!

I have replaced both and carry one in the 35 PU and one in the 34 Sedan.

 

this thread got me thinking about the dangers of keeping your car in the garage (old car), . Ive often thought about fumes in the garage that can be ignited by a pilot light on your water heater etc.. I guess Good ventilation would be important.

 

Almost all extinguishers you can get through walmart, auto-zone, lowes, ect will be a dry-chem type. The dry chem is a very fine powder. Since there no liquid to freeze, you shouldnt have a problem.

 

Might want to look into a CO2 ex also. The dry chem ones make a big mess and are corosive. I keep the dry chem ones for the shop and home and a CO2 by the cars for any small engine fires ect.

 

This is the best also because,you don't have to discharge the extinguisher fully if it's not needed.Plus if you get the dry chem inside your engine,you pretty much need to take it apart to clean it out.

 

Good info!