I apologise if this has been brought up before but what are peoples thoughts on the best Fire Extinguisher to carry in a Camper, foam, size, etc?
I like Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 10lbs (4.5kgs)extinguishers,only cause i get em for free at work when they swap the new for old ) But i would keep Dry chemical, I keep a couple small ones handy,here in the states we can get them for $12.00 or less (7.5 British Pound Sterling)
Before anybody says anything about the small 'throw away ones' i keep on hand,they're made for small fires NOT massive fire--just enough to save a life or small fires.. Almost 20yrs ago my father was killed in a house fire,i believe if we had even a small one on hand he may have lived?? i've had to use to one on a medium gasoline fire(2ltr of fuel)& it worked!--chuck
ok, answered this one a few times, but it's always good to refresh it. i'm a firefighter of over 10 years experience so kinda know what i'm talking about. FOAM is god! it cools and smothers and is excellent for liquid fires! Powder is great for a quick knock down, but on a liquid fire will reignite very quickly as it has no real cooling properties. never apply powder after foam as it will break down the foam negating its effectiveness best case scenario as a foam firetec or similar system in your engine bay with a large 9kg foam extinguisher carried in the back.
like damaged duck says small ones are excellent for small fires, but won't touch a large or engine fire! and remember, the whole point of a fire extinguisher in a house, office etc is not to fight the fire as such, but to help create a means of escape. you shouldn't really be tackling a fire unless it hinders your ext or it is tiny and easy to extinguish with no danger to yourself or others remember: get out stay out get the fire brigade and rescue service out
I have a nice halon one to go in, completely illegal now but not illegal in a plane, the channel tunnel or for military use. It's meant to be the best but damages the ozone layer. So my choice was risk the bus burning to a cinder or damage the ozone layer. Only ever going to be one winner there, and it's not the ozone layer!
i've got a firetec foam in the engine bay, a large foam in the van and a small powder behind my driver seat.
halon works by removing oxygen, used to be used in computer server rooms, illegal now, we now use novec, same idea but you don't tend to die..
gasses are fine in confined spaces. In your engine bay they Will Just drop out of the bottom as inert gasses are generally heavier than air. No cooling. Just smothering by removal of o2 what rickY has is spot on. Basically the further and more remote you are going. The more you need. In a rural area you might be waiting half an hour or so for a fire appliance,
