Fire Extinguishers

x25dave

x25dave

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I inherited four fire extinguishers on my boat. Which I believe are out of date.
Are they serviceable?
They are green ones with a squeeze to discharge handle, and a little pressure gauge.

Regards Dave. :cool:
 
They are now illegal Halon type.

Halon - Green (now 'illegal' except for a few exceptions such as the Police, Armed Services and Aircraft).


See here for choices of different ones.....


http://www.mfs-fire-extinguishers.co.uk/types.htm

In general though, if the pressure gauge is in the green, no visible damage or corrosion, and the lever moves freely (without operating obviously) they are probably OK.



I have just reviewed my Dry Powder after 7 years, and they also are in good condition, but I will be replacing them shortly. Beware: These are messy if let off.
 
If I had any Halon extinguishers I would keep them both on my boat because it would be next to impossible to get someone to take them off your hands. As a rule as long as the pressure gauge is in the green then its OK. Extinguishers dont go out of date as such, as long as they are serviceable.
I have all sorts on the boat.
 
FullCircle said:
They are now illegal Halon type.

Halon - Green (now 'illegal' except for a few exceptions such as the Police, Armed Services and Aircraft).
Click to expand...

The following extract from a Guidance Note that was originally issued by DEFRA may be of interest:-

"Guidance Note to leisure boat industry: EC Regulation 2037/2000

MANDATORY DECOMMISSIONING FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEMS CONTAINING HALONS

If you have a hand-held halon fire extinguisher or an installed fixed system in your leisure boat that contains halons 1211, or 1301 you will be affected by EC Regulation 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer.

According to EC Regulation 2037/2000, halon fire-protection systems and fire extinguishers must have been decommissioned by 31st December 2003, and the halons recovered. It is illegal to use or possess such extinguishers or fire protection systems.There are a few exemptions for critical uses as listed in Annex VII of the Regulation but these are mainly for military purposes. Further information has been issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in their Marine Guidance Notes 258 and 191.

Halon is being phased-out as it is an ozone depleting substance and also has a very high global warming potential. For this reason it is important that halon is disposed of and destroyed in a responsible and environmentally sound manner. If the halon contained in your hand-held fire extinguisher or fire system is not disposed of properly, it may undermine the achievements of the Regulation in terms of protection of the ozone layer."
 
Don't take them into Portuguese waters were they might be checked.

But on the practical side, how is the OP going to legally get rid of them?

Ask the local fire brigade?
 
AllanG said:
EC Regulation 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer.

Halon is being phased-out as it is an ozone depleting substance and also has a very high global warming potential.
Click to expand...

As the whole MMGW thing is falling on it's arse, will the regulation be repealed?
 
Lakesailor said:
As the whole MMGW thing is falling on it's arse, will the regulation be repealed?
Click to expand...
I doubt it, HALON was banned for the ozone layer, along with various refridgerents. Panic over. In the mean while, the ozone hole at the South Pole has been doing its own thing. MMGW is the current headless chicken run around. Or is it bees now?
 
GrahamM376 said:
And they create far less pollution than burning GRP.
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Good point! :)

When I was a kid I had a huge interest in chemistry. One of the first items I experimented with was a light bulb filled with carbon tetrachloride, which could be used as a fire extinguisher. In doing so, it created phosgene, once used as a chemical weapon during World War I.
 
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we had a H&S farm day recently. Apparently any powder extinguisher which is attached to a tractor or car (and hence, by extension, to a boat) must be turned upside down at weekly intervals, as the vibration from the motor causes the pwder to settle and become unuseable.

With respeck to earlier posters, I've seen green extinguishers which were not halon.
 
sarabande said:
Apparently any powder extinguisher which is attached to a tractor or car (and hence, by extension, to a boat) must be turned upside down at weekly intervals, as the vibration from the motor causes the pwder to settle and become unuseable.
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Usual solution to that is to mount them horizontally athwartships, so that as you heel one way and then the other they get shaken up.

Pete
 
Really saddened by the climate change deniers amongst the yachting community. With arctic ice disappearing fast, and the nw passage now open every summer, can't you see the changes in our oceans? Don't make the mistake of just looking year by year. Take a longer view and the changes are so obvious. I would ask you to find out how, then take the halon extinguishers to be disposed of responsibly.
 
sarabande said:
we had a H&S farm day recently. Apparently any powder extinguisher which is attached to a tractor or car (and hence, by extension, to a boat) must be turned upside down at weekly intervals, as the vibration from the motor causes the pwder to settle and become unuseable.

With respeck to earlier posters, I've seen green extinguishers which were not halon.
Click to expand...

And I have recently ( very recently .. like this week) come across a Halon extinguisher that is black. I also know the whereabouts of one that is red, black and silver.
 
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