Cabin fire extinguisher. How many/what size?

[BabaYaga]

Firexo starting to look good for class A fires (2 Litre needed to be equivalent to 2kg dry powder) but I can't find their ratings for other classes of fire.

The Firexo 2 litre class B fire rating is 34, so does not match the 2kg dry powder standard in that respect.
This size of Firexo also has class C capability and a class F fire rating of 25.
Personally, for this reason, I chose the 6 litre Firexo when replacing my main dry powder extinguisher last spring. This has the following ratings:
A34, B113, C, F75.

 

[Poignard]

I have two of these in a 8.60metre yacht:




I also have a fire blanket.

 

[penberth3]

How do people dispose of the old extinguishers? Most are simple to discharge and render safe, except for powder which gets very messy.

Suppliers should be the best people to advise. As you suggest, never put any pressurised items in the bin or a skip.

 

[jdc]

Interesting discussion. The water mist system looks very appealing as it not only fights fires and it can supress smoke and has no inhalation risk. Are they OK in a frosty environment tthough or are they only suitable for fair weather?...
How do people dispose of the old extinguishers? Most are simple to discharge and render safe, except for powder which gets very messy.

Mine can not withstand frost, but I believe that some can (where we are frosts are unlikely and short-lived).

How to dispose? I didn't! The manually operated powder ones are now in the cars, and the automatic ones were accepted by the local dump / recycling centre.

 

[Poignard]

[...]
How do people dispose of the old extinguishers? Most are simple to discharge and render safe, except for powder which gets very messy.

I took them to the recycling centre and asked one of the attendants what to do with them. He said "Give 'em to me and I'll see to them." So I did.

 

[Refueler]

Try using a dry powder in a boat…not fun and the power won’t do your respiratory system much good.

The table above gives a big Red Cross to using foam on oils? Really?

I don’t have much in the way of flammable metals on board and only have a 12 volt system. If I have a gas leak burning inside I’d want the gas isolated before I tried to put out the flames - not clever to put out the fire when the gas is still leaking….
So foam wins for me.

I have powder and foam aboard plus a fire blanket. In the hopefully never to happen instance of a fire on board option No.I for me is foam by a mile.

( you can also put out oil fires with water, not the best option but it might be the only one you have. A fine spray of water is best, some distance, confidence and patience are required….)

Having completed Masters Fire Fighting training at Camels Head Fire Station (Merchant Navy ... we have to fight own fires !) ..... it was shown, demonstrated and then we had to do it ..... Water Spray used to extinguish a very large area, very hot 'tray' of burning mixed Fuel Oil / Diesel. But that was with typical Ships type variable nozzles that you do not have on a yacht. We needed such just to create enough of a water wall to combat the sheer heat coming of that oil !!

I have two F/exts ..... one is Powder ... other is pressurised foam.... just inside companionway. Handy to grab for galley or if in cockpit. I have a Fire Blanket mounted near galley as well.

A point that should be considered :

Many boats I have been on - of there was ever a fire in the most likely places - the Extinguishers have been mounted TOO CLOSE ... it may seem better 'to hand' - but they need to be suitably placed so not part of the fire area ....
My boat is limited in space - so the F/ext's are behind a half bulkhead protected from the galley hob.

Fire blanket is one bulkhead past my left shoulder ... the F/exts are under that bit of white cloth bottom right ..... not perfect positioning - but accessible from cockpit ....

I have no intention of staying inside any boat cabin to fight a fire !!

 

[Refueler]

Mine can not withstand frost, but I believe that some can (where we are frosts are unlikely and short-lived).

How to dispose? I didn't! The manually operated powder ones are now in the cars, and the automatic ones were accepted by the local dump / recycling centre.

Latvian law requires us to carry Fire Ext + First Aid kit in our cars.

Supermarkets / Car accessory shops / DIY stores all carry reasonable sized F/Exts and First Aid kits .....

In fact I bought a bunch and kitted out my garage and workshop with same. F/Exts are Powder - that's only niggle.

 

[Refueler]

How do people dispose of the old extinguishers? Most are simple to discharge and render safe, except for powder which gets very messy.

Why not use the old to find out what happens when you use them ? Once empty - they can be disposed of safely in the skip.

I've seen people drop a F/Ext when they've pressed the trigger - startled by the initial blast ...

Some foam require turning upside down ...

CO2 nozzles get super cooled and ice forms

Powder blows everywhere

Better to experience in test rather than real situation.

 

[boomerangben]

Try using a dry powder in a boat…not fun and the power won’t do your respiratory system much good.

The table above gives a big Red Cross to using foam on oils? Really?

I don’t have much in the way of flammable metals on board and only have a 12 volt system. If I have a gas leak burning inside I’d want the gas isolated before I tried to put out the flames - not clever to put out the fire when the gas is still leaking….
So foam wins for me.

I have powder and foam aboard plus a fire blanket. In the hopefully never to happen instance of a fire on board option No.I for me is foam by a mile.

( you can also put out oil fires with water, not the best option but it might be the only one you have. A fine spray of water is best, some distance, confidence and patience are required….)

there’s a very good reason for not using foam on chip pans - unless you are really good and really calm, there’s a good chance at such shortrange that a foam extinguisher will have sufficient pressure to eject some of the oil out of the pan and then you have a major problem. Seen it happen when someone tried to put out a tray of burning diesel. Foam is really only useful on large flat areas and rely on you being able to float the foam on the surface of the burning liquid without splashing.

 

[Refueler]

there’s a very good reason for not using foam on chip pans - unless you are really good and really calm, there’s a good chance at such shortrange that a foam extinguisher will have sufficient pressure to eject some of the oil out of the pan and then you have a major problem. Seen it happen when someone tried to put out a tray of burning diesel. Foam is really only useful on large flat areas and rely on you being able to float the foam on the surface of the burning liquid without splashing.

............... directed at a vertical surface BEHIND so the force of the foam is dissipated and bounces / flows back as a less destructive foam .....

 

[Graham376]

Extinguishers and annual servicing mandatory here. We have 3 x 1kg dry powder and 1 x 3L foam (which can be poked through finger hole in engine room door) and a fire blanket. Also have deck wash pump and hose plumbed in and operated/switched in cockpit locker.

 

[dankilb]

Mine can not withstand frost, but I believe that some can

This is important to note. I won’t rehash the arguments in previous threads and I accept the view of some posters that freezing temps inside their boat are nigh on impossible (even in the UK). However, we went for Firexo (and foam) because I wasn’t happy with the prospect of having to protect water mist from frost in our application.

AFAIK Firexo are the only ‘water mist based’ extinguisher that is happy to certify storage below zero. They do still say protect from frost, but apparently they mean exterior (e.g freeze thaw) conditions. All other water mist without additive is, well, just water. And you wouldn’t want that freezing IMHO.

We also have one fancy AFFF foam extinguisher with anti freeze additive, but that was best part of £100!

 

[Graham376]

I accept the view of some posters that freezing temps inside their boat are nigh on impossible (even in the UK).

Having had both galley taps freeze and crack during one hard UK winter with boat in water, I don't accept that view.

 

[Stemar]

How do people dispose of the old extinguishers? Most are simple to discharge and render safe, except for powder which gets very messy.

The last one I got rid of was around 15 years out of date (came with the boat). The harbour master told me to let it off in the wheely bin. It worked, which was nice to know.

Not sure that'd be allowed now, and I suspect it could get rather messy on a newer, more enthusiastic one.

I have dry powder extinguishers on board They all have pressure gauges and, AFAIK, no expiry date. I give 'em a good shake every year so the powder doesn't clog, but it does seem that, as long as there's pressure, they'll work. (now awaiting incoming )

What happens when you are in part of the boat on the 'wrong side' of the fire to your nearest extinguisher?

That's why you make sure you can get out of the forehatch if you need to. TBH, I'm not sure I could on Jazzcat, as they're a bit small, so I have an extinguisher on the cabin side of the galley. There aren't any other likely sources of fire between us and the door, and ISTM that even a galley fire is unlikely when no one's cooking.

 

[Momac]

Interesting discussion. The water mist system looks very appealing as it not only fights fires and it can supress smoke and has no inhalation risk. Are they OK in a frosty environment tthough or are they only suitable for fair weather?

This is the catch as any water extinguisher is liable to frost damage.
But could be managed such as with frost protection heaters if on shore power or swap to powder say December to mid March (in the UK)
Must confess I have dry powder plus fire blankets .

 

[Refueler]

I know its not funny with todays energy costs ... my domestic monthly bill here in Latvia has shot up from 190 euros a month last year to over 400 euros a month now .... with us using LESS !!

But I put a simple non-fan 'Frost protector heater' in the cabin of my boat ... 500W set at medium .... it switches on / off automatically. Winters here drop to -30C at times and that little heater does a really good job.
They are sold for putting in the attic ..... sheds etc.

 

[wully1]

Interesting reading the comments on here. I would be very interested to read comments from anyone unfortunate enough to have had to fight an onboard fire for real— We’d all learn some valuable lessons I’m sure.

I have had to put out some small fires offshore and on a ship - I would never claim to have fought them and I hope I never have to but the amount of training I have had I hope gives me a good idea of what will work and what is a waste of time..

 

[Uricanejack]

How many of you regularly make chips in a pan on your boat.
while I love chips, I go ashore to by mine JIK.
The op question was best type for cabin answer.
IMHO water or water with foam added.
personally the risk of cabin fire being low.
I just by a couple of the cheep dry chem ones from the chandler as they are good all purpose even if they are a bit messy.
They will work in engine space.

 

[Uricanejack]

Interesting reading the comments on here. I would be very interested to read comments from anyone unfortunate enough to have had to fight an onboard fire for real— We’d all learn some valuable lessons I’m sure.

I have had to put out some small fires offshore and on a ship - I would never claim to have fought them and I hope I never have to but the amount of training I have had I hope gives me a good idea of what will work and what is a waste of time..

I think I posted a story of a fire on my boat a few years ago.
stupidity on my part. Quite embarrassing really.
Using a camping stove inside cabin because it was cold.
I ended up throwing all burning material including stove and burning cushions OB.
Fire was between me and FExt.
Also between crew and exit,
My daughter had the presence of mind to exit via fore deck hatch.
I lost one of my eyebrows and some arm
hair.
caused quite a lot of excitement in the anchorage.
as I said quite embarrassing but no harm done.
Standard foam cushion burned for a surprisingly long time in the water with a lot of noxious smoke.

fire extinguishers not used mainly cause I couldn’t reach it.

A fire blanket would have been very handy. If I could have reached it.
academic I didn’t have one.

 

[Graham376]

How many of you regularly make chips in a pan on your boat.

We have chip pan, it's used maybe weekly on mooring and have used it when underway a couple of times.