Quick query on fire extinguishers

[blackbeard]

Question on the usual powder extinguishers (1 kg of powder, 8A 34B C, with a pressure gauge) which many of us carry;
these are supposed to be kept in-date, but on mine there is no indication either of date of manufacture nor how long it is before their time is up. Some come with a guarantee of x years from date of purchase, but this does not necessarily define when they become time-expired. The implication seems to be that, provided the pressure gauge continues reading in the desired range, they will last indefinitely, or until used ...
Is this correct? Should I replace mine, now 5 years from date of purchase? and if so, why?

 

[sarabande]

If it has been serviced according to the proper standards, it must have a Record of Service label with a service date, and duration.


The main thing is to pick it up once a month and give it a good shake to loosen any consolidated powder.

 

[Jabs]

But don't use it because it will corrode anything it hits!

Buy CO2 for putting out fires.

Powder is cheap and nasty.

Never use it anywhere near an engine.

Tony

 

[nigelmercier]

The main thing is to pick it up once a month and give it a good shake to loosen any consolidated powder.

Or, as I have done, mount them horizontally.

 

[boatmike]

JABS That is a common reaction but quite wrong. Having run fire fighting courses I can tell you that in many circumstances the small CO2 cylinders often found on boats are totally ineffective when used to attempt to extinguish a fuel fire, especially in the open. One demo we often did was to light a small fire using plastic and wood soaked in diesel oil in an open space and give the student a CO2 canister to try and put it out. They were seldom successful. In confined spaces such as an engine compartment they work better by replacing the oxygen but the danger of death to people in any small space is high and you very quickly pass out due to lack of oxygen. Never use one below decks! Dry powder is corrosive and very messy yes, but what would you rather do, die in a fire or have to clean up afterwards? To answer the original question, small, cheap extinguishers generally only come with an expiry date, some only a sell by date. Fully approved ones will have a test and service schedule but that does not mean cheap ones are no good. Often they are very effective but you need to stop them compacting as others have said and a good shake now and again is a good thing. If in doubt it is OK to give it a quick squirt, in fact it is good for people to see how they operate. but give the nozzle a good clean afterwards and ensure the pressure is still OK. Finally please please think about where you site them. Often the engine compartment can be dealt with by automatic cylinders, but avoid opening up to see if the fire is out unless absolutely necessary. If you can, get to shore before looking..... The best place for others is not where the fire is but near the companionway. get everyone out and then use the extinguisher to fight the fire from there. Often I see extinguishers in the galley where the could not be reached in a fire. The best fire fighting appliance for a galley fire is often a blanket or wet tea towel rather than an extinguisher, but again, avoid removing it to have a look too early!

 

[sailorman]

i binned the powder & bought foam extinguishers from http://www.nationwidefireextinguishers.co.uk/ they offered the best prices

 

[GrahamM376]

i binned the powder & bought foam extinguishers from http://www.nationwidefireextinguishers.co.uk/ they offered the best prices

We still have 3 x 1kg dry powder but have 3 litre foam with hose for engine and other uses as first choice. Extinguishers are mandatory here as is annual service.

 

[sailorman]

We still have 3 x 1kg dry powder but have 3 litre foam with hose for engine and other uses as first choice. Extinguishers are mandatory here as is annual service.

my boat always gets an annual service, by me. i know it done correctly then.

 

[jwilson]

If in doubt it is OK to give it a quick squirt, in fact it is good for people to see how they operate. but give the nozzle a good clean afterwards and ensure the pressure is still OK.

I quick-squirt tested an unknown age powder extinguisher outdoors (not on the boat) out of curiosity, after buying a new one. Once it had started spraying powder it would not stop till empty. Took quite a while to clean up the mess.

Apart from that I agree with you re siting of extinguishers, not opening up too soon after fire has stopped, and a fire blanket often being of more use in the galley.

 

[PITCAIRN]

Just an interesting story for forumites...I had to use my extinguishers for real. The story....I was on deck, we were coming into an anchorage. I had just got the anchor down. there were two of us on the yacht, my partner on the helm. I said to her, ok I think the anchor is biting....she said 'whats that buzzer sound?' I said. 'thats the fire alarm'...

.....'what !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ' I literally flew down the companion way in one leap, shouting 'kill the engine' as I went - the place was full of smoke, clearly coming from the engine room.

The generator was located at the back of the engine room and running, I pulled the stop cable which is positioned just there by the companion way.

The door/hatchway to the engine room was open at the time, I grabbed an extinguisher which was positioned at the doorway, and fired it into a thick smoke darkened engine room, emptied that , tossed it , grabbed the next one, also by the door, fired it into the engine room, reached to the galley grabbed another, fired it into the engine room....everything was happening very fast....

at this point I paused...the smoke seemed to subside a bit. I was peering inside trying to make sense of the situation. All the conceivable disaster scenarios go through one's head at the same time, heat -flames- fibreglass -sinking -life raft- mayday -grab bag - my baby is going up in flames !!!....There were no flames....no flames ?, could this just be heat on electrical wiring , have the extinguishers done their job....the smoke seemed to ease off....my mind was racing....lady luck might just be with us...I felt for heat, nothing....still no flames, nothing glowing hot....the smoke was definitely subsiding....so I thought ok, no immediate panick, lets keep watching, the engine room was definitely clearing, wait a bit, I will go in and have a good look about , trace the problem, hooray for the fire extinguishers - HALON ! maybe 15 years old (oops), but worked.

Well, I looked all around but nothing, no heat, nothing melted, no acrid 'burnt' smell ....but whats this - the exhaust pipe from the diesel generator was split wide open....omg. The smoke was not smoke, it was exhaust !!! we could all have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.....

All in all an invaluable experience, I always did have a lot of serious respect for fire/ carbon monoxide issues, in fact all safety things, but now having experienced it, well lets say it brings home to one just how damned serious it all is and always assume... yes, it could very well happen to ME .

(apologies for the melodrama ! )

 

[Strikeliner]

A very similar thing happened to me last year. Split exhaust hose, smoke everywhere, same panics flashing through my mind. Nearly went for the dry powder extinguisher but something stopped me. Very glad I didn't.
By the way unless you are connected to certain parts of the MOD it is illegal to own a Halon fire extinguisher but I wont tell anyone. FM200 is the widely used replacement

 

[PetiteFleur]

I fitted foam extinguishers a couple of years ago to replace out of date powder ones after I saw the mess they made in a friends kitchen when they had a minor fire. And fitted 'halon replacement' auto extinguisher in the engine compartment. Never had to use any in anger though.