Shake your fire extinguisher about!

[yowie Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close yowie]

A friend of mine in the fire alarm/extinguisher inspection business strongly suggested that all of the small extinguishers carried in vehicles, and also stored around homes, in vans, boats, etc, should be inverted and shaken every 6 to 12 months.

The powder in these small units is not inspected, as are the large portable units in buildings, and many just sit in the one position for years. The problem can be worse in 4WD vehicles that bounce around and compact the powder.

To test his idea, I tried firing off an old extinguisher that had been sitting around home for some years, all it did was puff out gas but very little powder.

Yowie.

[Trekrider Banned Find all posts View Profile Close Trekrider]

Thanks for posting this Yowie, I've heard it before but it's a good reminder

I wonder how many extinguishers will now be shaken

[Pagey Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pagey]

Agreed, very important if it has been sitting for a while. Pays to wack it on the bottom a few times with your hand before firing.

[wooley Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close wooley]

when doing long days in the field and on trips I make sure to invert our extinguishers every night in shut down checks. nothing worse than not having a working extinguisher when you really need one.
only takes a couple of minutes and could make all the difference.

[switched Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close switched]

Hahah! I actually did this on Friday. I had to remove my extinguisher on Friday so gave it a tap with a rubber mallet to break up any powder. Its definitely something I plan to do every 6 months or so.
Shaken, not stirred.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Shaken, not stirred.

Damn you Jase, I was gunna use that line!

Cheers Andrew

[switched Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close switched]

Damn you Jase, I was gunna use that line!

Cheers Andrew

The names Bond, James Bond! Sorry couldn't resist that one AJ

[Guest Close Guest]

What if the fire extinguisher was mounted horizontally? Any ill effects apart from powder settling to one side of the tank? Nozzles getting blocked?

[Madkore Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Madkore]

Damn good question amts as I have mine horizontally - will be keen to see a response.

[switched Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close switched]

Mine is mounted horizontally also. No different I wouldn't think as far as the powder is concerned.
The powder needs to be powdery for it to be able to be drawn out.

[discoveraus Member Find all posts View Profile Close discoveraus]

Hello All,

The powder certainly does compact down in all positions when mounted in a moving vehicle so the recommendation is to alter the position regularly and shake vigorously regularly if you want the thing to work.

I saw a Nissan Patrol dashboard catch fire once and three 1 kg extinguishers were used to attack the fire within about 30 seconds of the fire starting. It was the 9 litre bucket of water which did the trick and all 3 extinguishers were working properly. You cant rely on 1 to be adequate.

Dry powder extinguishers will destroy any electronic devices when operated, what the fire does not burn will be destroyed by acid attack afterwards, I dont carry one now as they are a waste of time in my opinion. To each his own I suppose.

regards

Ross

[yowie Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close yowie]

Hello All,

The powder certainly does compact down in all positions when mounted in a moving vehicle so the recommendation is to alter the position regularly and shake vigorously regularly if you want the thing to work.

I saw a Nissan Patrol dashboard catch fire once and three 1 kg extinguishers were used to attack the fire within about 30 seconds of the fire starting. It was the 9 litre bucket of water which did the trick and all 3 extinguishers were working properly. You cant rely on 1 to be adequate.

Dry powder extinguishers will destroy any electronic devices when operated, what the fire does not burn will be destroyed by acid attack afterwards, I dont carry one now as they are a waste of time in my opinion. To each his own I suppose.

regards

Ross

I had a powder-free one many years ago, but the Fire Dept banned them because of the gas inside or some other reason. They worked well, and could be re-used at any time until the gas ran out. I used mine, then tried it a couple of years later, still worked.

[yowie Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close yowie]

What if the fire extinguisher was mounted horizontally? Any ill effects apart from powder settling to one side of the tank? Nozzles getting blocked?

The one in my van is horizontal, so I give it a rotation now and then.

Speaking of horizontal, would it be the same as having a horizontal folk dance with the missus?

Yowie.

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Ooo... thanks for the tip

[Bazza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bazza]

I carry a 2.5k dry power and a 2.5k CO2. I also give the dry power one a good beating regularly. I also carry a old 9k pressurized water extinguisher ( with a little dish washing detergent added ) when I go bush. These are a good item to have as they are easily recharged ( fill 75% with water and charge with air to 80 - 90psi ). Great for putting out debris fires under vehicles and for cooling off on a hot day! I have plans to have one mounted on a rear bar in the future.
Bazza.