fire extinguisher

[Blown96Snake]

I am going to be getting a handheld fire extinguisher. Should I get a cheap conventional or should I spring for the Halon unit? IF, that is IF I was to have a fire in the car, I think the halon unit would preserve more of the car (ie-it wouldn't destroy the interior, that is if the fire was put out fast enough:doubt: ) Wouldn't the halon 5 lb bottle be more effective in extinguishing the fire as compared to conventional extinguishers?

Which one would you get? Thanks.

Dave
Itching to go to CMP!

[svt_coupe]

When you say "Halon unit" do you mean a fire system or just a Halon fire extinguisher?

From what I've gathered, Halon is better for protecting your car - it isn't corrosive. However, Halon does "steal" all the O2 from the air so you have take a deep breathe and hold it before hitting the “fire” button.

System vs. bottle – the system is obviously a better way to go. Generally there are 3 or 4 nozzles. 1 for the engine compartment, 2 for the driver, and 1 for some other part of the cabin. Kevin told me he aimed his towards the rear of the car to protect the Halon bottle in the event of a fire.

I guess this is one of those things that generally boils down to how much you can spend. I’d suggest getting as much/the best safety equipment you can afford.

[Blown96Snake]

Thanks Bryan,

I guess its just cheap insurance. I would rather have the fire system, but I just don't know how much money I can spend.

Can you upgrade from a 2.5lb bottle to a 5lb w/o buying all the hardware all over again?

Would there be any problems with having a halon system on the street? Is there a switch in which I could disable the system...I would hate for one of my passengers to trip the system or something of that nature. Thanks for the input.

Dave

[Calvin_1976]

Originally posted by Blown96Snake
Thanks Bryan,

I guess its just cheap insurance. I would rather have the fire system, but I just don't know how much money I can spend.

Can you upgrade from a 2.5lb bottle to a 5lb w/o buying all the hardware all over again?

Would there be any problems with having a halon system on the street? Is there a switch in which I could disable the system...I would hate for one of my passengers to trip the system or something of that nature. Thanks for the input.

Dave

Make sure you can disable it if you are going to install it and still drive it on the street. We worked with halon when I was in the Army, it would put a fire out in our equipment rooms without destroying equipment but it can be very dangerous for anyone in the room. Luckily we never had to use it but a flakey system in Korea left my holding an emergency shutoff button to keep the system disarmed while it was disabled by the fire department. :bounce:

[kevin]

as bryan stated, i use an 11lbs system (phenoix). it's 4 nozzle with one in the trunk to protect the bottle. one on dash (for you and me) and one left bank and one right bank under the hood.

as i've stated elsewhere, a fire bottle is only as good as you are to stay in the car (while it's burning with a choking black haze enveloping you), unstrap it from it's location, pull the pin and pull the trigger (all this while you're trying to unbuckle yourself, open the door, and get out (and you're probably feeling a bit of panic at the time as well).

a system (if installed properly) should not be a problem of accidental use (except mabe an accident). two reasons, first, the push/pull button should be held in position by a pull ring (pointing in a direction for the driver to pull, not a passenger). typically this is enough to prevent it from accidently going off (unless folks are fooling around in the car and get stupid). second, the push/pull cable is attached to the end of the bottle. the bottle is "closed" until you pull the pin and push/pull. the halon lines going from the bottle to the nozzels are empty untill activated.

if a system or bottle is safe for the track (i've not heard of a system going off all by itself), then i see no reason for it to be unsafe for the street. hence, i see no reason or need to disable it. since i think you're at more accident and fire risk on the street than the track, i'd want it on the street as well. both my track cars are system and no longer legal for street.

hope this helps.

[Cobra-R]

Do you remove the safety pin when on the track or do you leave it to be pulled when/if the system is needed?

[kevin]

Originally posted by Cobra-R
Do you remove the safety pin when on the track or do you leave it to be pulled when/if the system is needed?


pull only if you need to activate the system.

sorry i left that out

[Blown96Snake]

How does this system look?

http://www.ompusa.com/fire.htm

Its #305, the second system on the page.

Thanks
Dave

[Andy M]

Originally posted by Blown96Snake
How does this system look?

http://www.ompusa.com/fire.htm

Its #305, the second system on the page.

Thanks
Dave Dave,

What the heck is "Eco-friendly" ?? what chemical compound are they using for this one? It is obviously NOT HALON?, right Kevin?

Your thoughts on this kind sir?

I am about to invest in one of these too, but I want to make sure I get the right system. By the way, how does the amount of liters equate to the number of pounds? Kevin, isn't yours about 11 pounds??

[Andy M]

Kevin,

What-a-ya think about this one????? comments?

http://www.ioportracing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=IPRS&Product_Code=FRS10&Category_Code=MDI

[kevin]

i don't know what the "eco-friendly" stuff is. however, i find it interesting that it's supposed to be friendly to the environment but requires a surcharge for hazardous handling. besides that, i know nothing about that product.

andy. mine is an 11 pound system.

the halon will do a good job of protecting the car. you just gotta remember to hold your breath before activating (i would think you'd want to do this regardless of the product tho).

both systems are similarily priced and appear to be in solid canisters with appropriate stuff. generally the cables supplied are not long enough to go from the trunk, along the floor/door sill, under the dash (out of the way of feet) and back out the dash reasonably close to the driver's easy reach.

be certain there is no pinching or crimping anywhere in the cable. before you attach it to the bottle, push/pull the button to be sure. THEN and ONLY THEN attach it to the bottle. if you do this yourself, remember the canister is tantamount to a small bomb if you light that sucker off.