What Is The Best Fire Extinguisher To Carry In Your Car?

.. the standard ABC, Halon or the HalGuard fire extinguishers? I know each has its place but I am going to a 2.5# extinguisher and before buying one I wanted to see which is the best for automobiles.

 

Best all around use and cheap is an ABC. Halons are really specialized and EPA taboo, found most in mainframe computer rooms.

 

ABC is what you want ,do not use Halon if you have to use it and your engine is still running it will absolutly destroy it inside very very corrosive ,puts out fires well but it also wont let you breath! Go with an ABC your coverd for all types of fires

 

I have seen firsthand a fire extinguisher in use. Happened 35 years ago, long story short, a guy saved my '58 Corvette. He refused to let me pay him for it.

I recommend ABC because it has a residual, in other words the chemical is there that will prevent a reflash. In my case (damned Holley carb.) flooded and a spark came from somewhere. In acutality, there were two fires to put out, one on top of the engine, the other underneath. I didn't have an air cleaner on at the time (was headed to the Navy base hobby shop to rebuild the carb.) it got hot enought to blister the paint on the fiberglass hool. Nothing got in the engine, I had the car towed the rest of the way and never opened the throttle until the carb was off. I now carry an ABC and am still looking to repay the favor some day.

 

Halon is NOT, I believe at all corrosive. I have set off the fire bottle twice in my race car. No clean up and no resadue. It's what we use on the wing for engine fires and in computer rooms because it will not corrode and damage the computer parts. It is a freon and so banned by the EPA for Ozone damage. I have 3 ten pound and 3 five pound bottles that I can't use anymore. What am I suspossed to do with the Halon?

 

I HAVE USED HALON!!!! It fucking WORKS!!

If your sitting there is a twisted mess to want things to WORK

No BS No Myth

 

like crusty nut said, halon is used alot where there are many electrical components like computer rooms, etc. your best bet is ABC, although in my firehouse we use good ole' fashion water because most of the time when we show up the car looks like a bonfire

 

We have halon systems in an archival section of the library...only downside to it is that it has to have an alarm to warn people to get out before it discharges. I don't think it is either corrosive or truly toxic--it kills just by displacibg air, and I doubt it could hurt you in the open.
It is no longer legal to manufacture but is available recycled (I suppose from big supressor systems) at a fairly high cost. We had a discharge caused by a defective valve about a year ago, and it was refilled with no great problem.
I think if you search you can get your bottles refilled.

 

The current NHRA rules REQUIRE Halon extinguishers for some classes. I carry 10 lbs of Halon hard lined on the car.

I HAVE used the ABC dry chemical extinguisher to put out an engine fire. Effective?? Yes - Messy?? Extremely!!! That stuff got EVERYWHERE - even had to clean out the inside of the distributor.

I'm a fan of Halon now. Tree Huggers be damned!!!

 

one that works, test it at different times to make sure

 

I was discussing this with the guy that re-certified all our dry chemical fire extinguishers last week.

If you want the fire out (maybe) use dry chem. If you want it out for good, Halon is it.

Neither one works for long, maybe 10-15 seconds. Halon wont screw up your engine like dry chem powder everywhere. You ever take a lung full of that shit??

He also said the halon extinguisher is multi use..meaning that if you need a squirt to knock down something small, the pressure wont bleed off after you put it to rest. A dry chem is one squirt and its done.

He said he could get me a 2.5? or 5lb halon for about 100 bucks. He can fill your emptys too.

 

I asked the fire inspector guy for a Halon extinguisher a couple of years ago to hang next to our computers ... he brought me a "Halotrol" unit. Its supposed to be the apporved Halon replacement.

I've got an old halon and an ABC in the car.

 

Anybody that has been through any legit fire extiguisher training has heard the montra...."COOL THE FUEL". The first job of most exingishers is to interupt the combustion process. The second thing that is almost as important as the first is whatever is burning needs to be cooled as there is a good chance it could reignite once the chemical, CO2, etc is itself displaced or depleted.

Halon and C02 extinguishers are clean but the do little to cool the fuel. The dry chemical extinguishers help to coat the surface with material that does two jobs, interupt the combustion process and coat/insulate the surface to prevent reflash.

Any extingusher is better than none....and just as important as making sure you have the correct type of exinguisher for the job is to make sure you have the biggest one your able to lug around. If you've got room in the trunk consider a 5lb ABC or Halon/Cold-Fire, etc in addition to the 2 pounder you would normally carry in the interior of the car.

-Bigchief.

 

I used a halon extinguisher on a oil stove on a boat one night, it knocked it down right away but make sure you take a deep breath before you pull the trigger cuz all the oxygen is gone instantly

 

Good information, thanks for all the input. I hate to post a thank you because I have found my responses seems to kill the post but wanted to thank you anyway.

Vergil

 

Having been through a great deal of fire training you all can do what you will with the Halon. I have had a discharge in a 5000 HP engine room due to a faulty valve , this was while the engines were running at 2100 RPM . Halon got sucked into the motors and caused complete rebuilds to be done (400 hrs on them). If you want to discuss extreamly good extinguishers for elec fire, PKP is the way to go , plus itll mess up any electricle gear it is discharged anywhere around! The general public need not be using anything more than an ABC unless its in a race car where proper precautions are taken.

 

I've always seen Halon, I have one waiting to go in my car when its finished.

 

The ABC will (I believe it is the ABC) stain/etch/RUIN stainless trim. I put out an engine fire on my 56 Chevy, and didn't clean it off of the windshield trim soon enough. It won't polish out. Not a big deal when the car is on fire, but I wish I had know. And it is hard on the lungs.

 

I carry a short handled shovel as well as a extinguisher, because sand or dirt works great when the extinguisher poops out.

When a car is burning, you'll be surprised how much dirt you can fling in a hurry!

 

Safecraft makes halon systems for race cars, and they have different size bottles too. Very nice quality. Halon works and doesn't make a mess.

 

I worked at a mileage dyno, at Exxon research, and had to put out 2-3 car fires, by myself, out there and a couple in the Test Car Lab, as well.
ABC is great, but very messy, and corrosive as well, that's why they don't use it in computer rooms. I can and will ruin sensitive electronics, but also can corrode electrical connections, and equipment.
In short, it can save your life, maybe your car, but it can ruin your car, as well, depending on how much you use, and how quickly you can clean it up. Some things will just be ruined none the less.

 

Whatever extinguisher you have, make sure you can get to it in a hurry. Don't leave it in the trunk buried behind the cooler and the spare tire.

 

Carry the biggest one you can, if you insist on a 2.5, put a larger one elsewhere (in the car). A shovel is an excellent idea (as previously mentioned). I have put fires out with Halon, CO2, Dry Chem, Dirt, my boots and gloves. I prefer Halon. No fire extinguishing agent is safe to breathe, nor will it support life if you continue breathing it. Everyone should have some fire extinguisher training. You would be well served if you tried actually putting a fire out with a 2.5Lb bottle. It's a nice thing to have, when you don't have an extinguisher. If you choose Dry Chem, take the bottle and turn it over every month or so and shake it to make sure the chemical hasn't packed itself into a brick.

 

BigChief speaketh the fire gospel! My Halon (small bottle) is right handy by my arm in my "A" coupe and the extra one (ABC) in the trunk.

When our Fire Dept responds to a car fire, our main concern is safety of the occupants, bystanders and surrounding property. We know that by the time we get there with the big Red Truck the vehicle is usually totally involved in fire and not savable. If you decide to fight the fire in your own car you have about 5-10 seconds to make the determination if it is relatively safe to try it with an extinguisher or just dial 911 and make sure everyone is safely out of harms way. Get some fire extinguisher training, if you don't have any experience. Training may be available at your workplace, your local or State Safety Council/organization or your local Fire Dept. A short training session may help save your car and prevent injury.

Things to remember:

Opening the hood to gain access to an engine fire will add oxygen and increase the fire instantly--you could get a facefull of fire.

Fighting fire in shorts and sandals is a surefire way to see your local emergency room up close.

If your car catches fire while moving, try to get it stopped safely and apply the emergency brake. This makes it safer to exit the vehicle. I have witnessed burning cars rolling down the hill which is very scary.

If you do get the fire out initially with an extinguisher, chances of it reigniting are very likely. The heat is still there to ignite vapors from fuels and super heated combustible materials.

On newer cars, fire can explode bumper shocks or airbags or other pressurized containers. Gas tanks generally do not explode like in the movies, but they can rupture or melt (some are plastic) letting fuel puddle or run down the street which leads to very spectular fires.

Smoke from car fires is extremely toxic and dangerous. The heat from a car fire is unbelievable. Many times I have seen whats left of aluminum wheels as just a puddle of aluminum melted into the asphalt.




I actually have a smoke hangover right now from spending 8 hours on a 800 acre wild fire yesterday, south of town along the Missouri River. I'm just thankful I'm not in California.

Be Safe and Prepared.

overspray

 

Halon is probably the "best" option without cost being a factor. Start with a local race shop.

A few IHRA classes require Halon or equivalent (Nitro and Alky funny cars need a 20lb bottle with 15 aimed at the headers and 5 at the drivers feet)

The IHRA requires systems need to be SFI spec 17.1. Below is a list of SFI approved systems and manufacturers. Remember, these will probably be very expensive systems, but is a good start for a halon search.

 

It is my understanding that the SCTA/BNI under pressure from the EPA will require Cold Fire or simular systems in '08. I believe this is true of other associations also (NHRA-IHRA) Halon is a freon and no longer welcome. If I'm correct you should be able to score halon bottles chearer than before. I know I have three, ten pound and three five pound bottles that I guess I can't run anymore.

 

I stilll like Halons But that ia good information to know, if you want to run a car on the salt. Thanks...

 

Back when i was an airport firefighter in the Marine Corps we used halon in all our vehicles. Its great stuff non corrosive no clean-up. unfortunately it eliminates ozone more effectively than it eliminates fire. it has no heat dissipation capabilities. Unfortunately as well it dissipates oxygen from your lungs as well (but if taken in the right amounts will give you a hell of a buzz) If you have some and you cant get rid of it contact your local airport or if youre near a Marine Corps Air Station contact the ARFF department and they usually have a halon storage and recycling system

 

Guess I should have read more efficiently, but check out the small notice line at the bottom. I knew they were going to not certify anything new, but didn't know they weren't going to recert!


Richfox is right on with the cheap halon coming around the bend!

 

I think some of you guys are missing the point a little. Halon is very effective, but fazing out of the picture. I would be all for a halex or cold fire systems in a race car. There is a relatively high chance of wreck or system meltdown in a race car and I would want to be very protected since the driver is very securely buckled in. That is why plumbed systems are required.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
On the other hand, in an everyday hot rod you don't really expect to have a fire, but should be prepared for one. In this case an ABC is the cheapest to buy, maintain, and is very effective on any fire a street car is going to have. Unless you have real magnezium wheels, then you need a class D extiguisher or copious amounts of water. If you have a fire in your street car, just pull over and put it out if still small.<o></o>
This topic comes up every couple of months and while safety is not to be taken lightly, overkill is just that, overkill. If my car is on fire, and it isn't a total loss (they normally are) I really don't care if the trim gets a little corroded. In the long run, it is just a car, and that is what insurance is for. Besides, I thought hot rods were supposed to be a little dangerous.<o></o>