Thread: Fire extinguisher Safety warning

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

Five years - hmmmm - the one in my RRc Vague has been there for 25 years and the guage still reads in the green.

Maybe some shopping to do!

And in saying that, this might be worth a look. http://www.fishnet.com.au/forums/vie...+extinguishers

Our work extinguishers are regularly checked.
So easy to do the check yourself.Obviously you cannot date stamp!!!!
The rep checks the pressure gauge,weighs the extinguisher then gently taps the body of the extinguisher with a rubber mallet whilst rolling it.He then shakes it to feel the powder is loose then date tags it.
Always good to give the thing a bit of a shake before use,just incase vibration has settled the contents.I would be carfull about storing them laying down.If it does settle on the side the "straw" may only draw the gas not the powder.
Andrew

Originally Posted by isuzurover

I have needed to use DCP extinguishers a couple of times in anger and they haven't worked. In both cases they were stored upright (and read in the green still IRC). Since then I store mine flat, which is supposed to be better.

Flat is not better. The contents will still settle no matter what orientation you position them. Laid flat they are actually more likely to be accidentally discharged, but in most vehicles there is very little other option internally. I have seen numerous ones discharged in vehicles laying flat either from pins dropping out or being kicked out. Very seldom would this happen in the upright position.
The problem in that power point, more so than the failure was the lack of maintenance and inspection that caused the failure. If pre start checks had been conducted it would have been picked up. It is obvious from the wear marks on the second extinguisher that an inspection by the operator had not been done for some time. It is not a normal equipment failure but a failure to maintain and inspect. As for the corroded one on the ute well that is just pathetic lack of maintenance as it is quite visually clear it is a hazard.
As I have said before on private vehicles you should inspect your extinguisher a minimum once a month, remove it from the cradle and check for damage and corrosion, give it a light shake by inverting it from its normal position in the cradle to unsettle the contents, this should be done prior to use as well. Extinguishers usually fail due to settling and lack of maintenance and that is owner / operator error. In a work environment all vehicle mounted extinguishers should be removed from their cradle and checked at least on a weekly basis and documented in some sort of pre start check list. Even in the work place adopt and extinguisher and check now and then even if you have a scheduled inspection.
I also have a power point, in which during extinguisher training and extinguisher was not checked, the bottom had corroded and when attempted to use the bottom basically fell out and the extinguisher became a rocket taking off the operators head. Once again lack of inspections and maintenance. Most extinguishers should be mounted off of surfaces in a cradle to avoid corrosion, but must be a suitably designed and mounted correctly.
When checking the 4.5kg and 9kg extinguishers, check right type for the task, if type with a gauge it is in the green, inspection tag checked, hoses or horn in good nick, pin in place, trigger not squashed. Cradle extinguisher in arm and invert gently to check for corrosion or damage, this also aids in mixing any settled contents. Once check is completed, remove pin and test fire before even thinking about approaching any fire. Remember you will only have between 30 seconds and 120 seconds maximum operating time out of most extinguishers, maybe less.
Maybe a good prompt for all to go and check their fire equipment. It is also a great idea to carry a fire blanket under your seat and if in bush fire prone areas carry one for every seat in case you are stuck and in a fast moving burn over. You will at least then have some protection.

Originally Posted by steveG

The only one I've ever blown open like that was a big water type one that came from inside a burnt building. I thought they had fusible plugs in them to release pressure if they got too hot, but obviously not the case.

That alternate bracket in the attachment doesn't look to be a whole lot better to me. Sure it keeps the extinguisher away from the bolts, but still imposes a couple of relatively point loads on the bottle.
IMO the original bracket has a better construction, just needs more clearance on those bolt heads.

Steve

Steve, you are right, the plugs in extinguishers and gas cylinders for that matter is supposed to melt when over heated and disperse the contents vertically safely. However the on in the pp was due to erosion of the metal by constant wear in one point causing and extreme pressure release, which when started will split a cylinder like that rapidly. The fusible plug would have no effect or use at all in this case. But having said that a lot depends on the type of heat and how rapid the temp rises. It becomes what is known as a BLEVE (Boiling Liguid Expanding Vapour Explosion). Boiling liquid inside even a coded welded container can be volatile as when expanded the liquid increases the pressure to an unsustainable level.