A small laugh... at my expense!

[jcas24 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close jcas24]

Re: A small laugh... at my expense!

Yeah Thats not cool Jez, I'd be pulling the seats & carpet right out and get them cleaned professionally, give the floorpan a wash and hopefully you don't have it coming back though the air vents for years to come. Or you could smash a quarter window and say a thief did it :wink:

[Dirtyprado Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Dirtyprado]

Re: A small laugh... at my expense!

Jez84 you could just try your insurance people accidents do happen! thats what keeps us employed and lauhing :mrgreen: ,same deal with insurance accidents keep them going!
just a thought it may save some pain further down the track.

[Guest Close Guest]

Re: A small laugh... at my expense!

As it was an accident, I would be approaching your insurance company to at least have it listed incase of issues down the track..

[09PradoGXL Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 09PradoGXL]

Re: A small laugh... at my expense!

So are there any alternatives to powder?
Any non corrosive powder versions?
Can you get a CO2 in a 1kg, and is it suitable for this application?

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

Re: A small laugh... at my expense!

I am at the moment doing a refit on some service vehiles for a customer. Part of this includes supplying/fitting fire extinguishers.

From Wormald (one of the bigger manufacturer/suppliers) I have 5 or 6 MSDS (material safety data sheets) for dry powders. It seems thay have at least this many dry powder mixes.

They are quite a read being 3-5 pages each, but I randomly looked at one and it seems to be inert/harmless.

Maybe source a MSDS for your extinguisher and have a read.

Mick

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

Re: A small laugh... at my expense!

I never knew fire extinguisher powder was corrosive!! Bugger. If nothing else Jez we've certainly learnt from your predicament. Will be taking more care when handling my fire extinguisher in/near the car in the future...

[09PradoGXL Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 09PradoGXL]

Re: A small laugh... at my expense!

So are there any alternatives to powder?
Any non corrosive powder versions?
Can you get a CO2 in a 1kg, and is it suitable for this application?

Spoke to a few fireies volunteering at Targa West while the young bloke sat in their truck.
We came to to following conclusion. Note: This isn't official, just thoughts over a casual discussion.
Fires in or around cars need attention fast as they can take hold quickly.
Powder, whether corrosive or not is going to make a nasty mess in the vehicle cabin.
CO2 will work inside the vehicle as it is in a confined space. But will not be so effective outside the vehicle in open air.

So, I guess the best plan is to carry 2 extinguishers.
1 CO2 for inside the cabin.
1 powder for outside the cabin and inside if the CO2 wasn't enough inside.
I think this combination also covers all fire classes from A to F.

I haven't seen any small 1 or 2kg CO2 extinguishers, but I haven't looked that hard either.
I imagine storage of CO2 will be harder too as it may have direction nozzel or something.

This doesn't help with accidental release of powder in the cabin though.

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

Re: A small laugh... at my expense!

I think I may have frightened a few people by saying that their extinguishers are corrosive, so lets clear this up.
I have been a volunteer firefighter for 14 years & worked profesionaly in the fire protection industry for 12, and I carry 2x 1kg DCP extinguishers in my car. Yes it is corrosive, but it is the most suited for the task. If I had a fire behind my dash I would pick a DCP over a Co2, best to get the fire out ASAP so you can salvage the rest of the car & its contents and especially in the case of remote travel make it home again. Once you are safe/home then let the insurance company wright it off, it is either that or burn to the ground leaving you stranded and without the cars contents.

When choosing an extinguisher remember to look for an ABE extinguisher not a BE. BE is not as common these days but some places still sell them cheap. Also if you can take note of the extinguishers ratings, these are printed in the information on the side/rear of all extinguishers, eg. 10A30BE, the higher the number the better the extinguisher. 1kg extinguishers will probably have a low A rating but your only alternative is fitiing a big heavy braket for a 4.5kg or 9kg extinguisher.

One last thing, dont be surprised if the extinguisher does not save your car, you will be surprised at how short a 1kg extinguisher will last. If you are really paranoid of loosing your Prado to fire, there are automatic systems available.