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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

£7 car fire extinguisher.


merckx

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That would be pretty much useless in a car fire IMO.

 

Snap :) (I've got one anyway to be safe, but the speed cars go up in flames is REALLY scary). I remember using a gas axe to cut a panel out of a stripped out golf and once the paint got warm it just went up. Took LOADS and LOADS of water to put it out.

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You need a minimum of about 2.5 litres of AFFF for a car fire, powder would be about 2Kg, halon about 1.5 litres.

 

I've tried powder on a small electrical car fire recently where the rad fan had set alight and the underbonnet soundproofing was on fire. The 2Kg powder only just put it out (along with cable cutters to cut the battery cables). I doubt I'd have put out a fuel fire.

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I'm surprised that a company which makes fire extinguishers specifically for cars would make one that doesn't work.

 

The main problem with the small ones is that there is only enough extinguisher to cope with a relatively small fire.

 

 

I don't dispute that there is more effective fire extinguishers.

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About 15 years ago I 'trained' as a fire marshal at Silverstone (read was pointed at a car on fire, given an extinguisher and an audience and told to go forth! :D) and the powder extinguishers work phenomenally well.

The foam is also good but took much, much longer to work as you basically had to coat everything to put the fire out so you have to aim carefully and create a semi-liquid blanket, which takes a more careful aim; and the confidence you can both get close enough too, and aim at, the bits that might catch fire. With a cramped engine bay I wouldn't like to bet on that...

 

We had a demo comparing the two types of extinguisher, a 1m x 1m fuel tray was filled with race fuel and set on fire, the powder put it out in

 

I carry a powder extinguisher but had forgot about the potential for corrosion, I should probably look into that, but something is better than nothing and I'm confident that:

- I'd stop pretty damned quickly if I spotted that my car caught fire, so hopefully I'll never need to face putting out a massive blaze, and also

- carrying something is infinitely better than carrying nothing should you discover your car is on fire.

 

Even if it doesn't completely put it out, it may give you enough time for a fire crew to ruck up if you're at a track for example.

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I've just bought this as my AFFF was partially discharged by some numb nuts

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230316183669

 

Only £15 plus £9 p&p :D

 

I have a few of that size dotted around the house and suprise suprise in the workshop ;) Co2 in the living room though because of the electronics. A halon system was a definite no-go for mel :), even if I could get it cheap with the silly sized bottles. (ex data centre)

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I bought a £7 one from focus nice size, when I got back I shown one of my mates and the first thing the c**t did was pull the white key out like a div, I have put it back in and the mounting bracket holds it in place otherwise I would have made him buy me another.

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