Terry
That also brings up a point. The cheapest extinguishers are the powder type, in Oz you can pick up a 1kg type for around $25.
However, what most people don't know is that powder packs down with time, quicker with movement and doubtless very quickly on a tracked vehicle.
It effectively becomes solid and thus may not come out when a fire extinguisher is used in an emergency.
When a powder extinguisher is serviced, they turn it upside down and bash it with a rubber mallet to free
up the powder, usually once every 6 months in a commercial/industrial situation.
When was the last time any of you did that?
So, the correct extinguisher is very important, not only for ability to put out the fire, but so that it will actually huff and puff the way it is supposed to.
Hence why the military use a gaseous extinguisher in vehicles. The problem, as pointed out earlier in this thread (yes it was a surprise to me too) is
that Methyl Bromide is very bad. It would appear to have been a replacement (but not health wise) for Carbon Tetra Chloride extinguishers that
we all are familiar with on WW2 Jeeps, they too are very bad for your health!
The only benefit was that the Methyl extinguisher did not have to be pumped the way the CTC did.
You will notice that the
Methyl extinguishers (well, the British ones at least) are of the "Strike the end" (not stoppable) design.
I know a bloke who did that with 3 of them throwing each one into the engine bay of a burning Centurion,
rather than holding the extinguisher and aiming it the way the instructions said. Perhaps he knew better
than to be close to the gas released from the extinguisher?
So, we have pretty looking original extinguishers, but then have the conundrum, that if they are charged, is it
a good idea to risk our health by using them, or instead watch the vehicle destroy itself?
That brings us back to having both a genuine (preferably empty) extinguisher to look the part, but also a modern
one to use if needed.
CO2 is probably the most appropriate for us, but of course you need to do your own homework for your installation.
Of course, as always with a technicality, CO2 is a much more expensive unit to buy.
Regards
Doug
Quote:
Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh
Having the right piece of kit should never get in the way of its actual function. After setting fire to a borrowed MB last summer and extinguishing the fire with my drinking water, I have become much more alert to fire safety.
Whatever you decide to do in the end, please make sure you have sufficient serviceable extinguishers to beat down any likely surprises while operating your HMV.
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