don't keep in in the fire! My Dad, Brother-in-law and I were working on my T-bucket. I was having some gas dumping issues so as we were working out the issues we had a rather large backfire through the p*** side pipe and it exploded into a fire ball catching the lift and floor on fire with the excess fuel. My Brother-in-law grabbed at the extingusher that was in the fire and it was so hot he couldn't pull the pin and melted his finger prints into the trigger. So after I ran to get the hose and we put the fire out we got some shots of the extingusher. As a side note we had to rebuild the carbs and it runs great now So the lesson is to have your extingusher handy for a fire but not in the fire.
Thats some real good advice, I was welding up a split in the outside rear of a customers alloy jet boat once and next thing there was a huge fire ball out the rear drain, ended up with singed eyebrows etc, grabbed the extinguisher and got it out. The old guy who owned it had a fuel can stashed right up the front of the hull and it was on its side, breather cap was loose and it was dribbling fuel. Couldn't smell any fumes at the time and it was only one of those "5 minute jobs" but Ive sure as hell been more cautious since. Was a near brand new $60-000 boat and would have taken some explaining had it burnt to the ground!!
A bit like the top of that extinguisher, I'm guessing. Glad you got things under control quickly. Like any tool, a fire extinguisher only works when you can get your hands on it when you need it!
Shop fire extinguishers should be stored next to the entrance/exit door. That's where they're mounted in school cl***rooms, too. Think about it for a moment....
He had some minor blisters he was back to normal in a day. It was pretty scary from two fronts, watching a huge fireball engulf my shop just feet from my OT Vette and then after all the excitement when you can take stock of what just happened watching him peel plastic from his hand and thinking about how bad that could have been. After it was over we all shared a good laugh but it was pretty dang scary.
That per code. I also have one at each work bench, welding cart, outside the over head doors, two in the second floor storage area and one on each wall of the shop area. . All of mine are 5 or 10 lbs and have metal heads on them. both ABC and CO2 Being a retired Fire Official you can never have too many.
I wouldn't have a water based extinguisher any where near the shop.. as most shop fires are fuel or oil based......
While that's a great tip the issue came in with me moving the extinguisher closer to the car. I knew there was going to be an issue and due to an event when I was younger I am really uptight about fire so I thought I was helping myself by moving it closer...guess not.
That's why it's also a good idea to have multiple extinguishers, you can just run and grab another one instead of leaving your fingerprints all over the place!
have multiple around the garage and one in each car--when we start a car for the first time, we have it out of the garage with a fire extinguisher and wet towel next to the person watching the engine compartment as I start and it runs for a bit. Never vary from this drill-things happen too quick.
I use to do alot of welding on gasoline fuel tankers (big rigs) and while we had the fire extinguishers by the doors, I still kept one close to where I was working. Things can happen way to fast. Keep one close AND have a backup.
you guys were lucky! another note about having a fire extinguisher around: make sure you service it every couple months by holsing up upside down and giving the bottom a good hard whack with a rubber mallet to make sure the contents are not all caked up in the bottom, learned this from the dude that used to service the ones at the mill where i worked. one that hasn't been serviced is usually worthless.
I am glad that no one was seriously hurt. I am a bot **** about keeping a fire extinguisher right next to the car I am working on, as well as hanging by each door and on either side of the garage door.
They took them all off the forklifts at work. "Youre fork drivers, not fire fighters". I grabbed about a pallett of em. Distributed them to my friends and had cl***es for their kids. Quite the hoot. I have em all over the garage and house. And they get whacked on the first-o-every month with the rest of the PMS stuff.
Here in Pa that a code violation. Anyway glad you got them and putting them to good use. As the fire official a lot of businesses would ask how to get rid of the old extinguishers and I would go back after work and get them. they needed to have a powder change as per code and it was cheaper for them to change them out. The funny part about the powder change was that the Fire extinguisher Co. would remove the powder mix it up and put the same powder back in.
learn something new here every day. excuse me while I go and give my fire extinguisher a good smack on the bottom.
After reading all of this I found my fire extinguisher next to my bench and mounted it on the wall by the door ( where I will be running to in the event of a fire!).
The Jalopy Journal
