Replacing Fire Extinguishers

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Miker

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I bought three 1k powder fire extinguishers, one an automatic for the engine compartment, over five years ago and suspect it is now time for their replacement. I am thinking that I ought to have a CO2 automatic for the engine compartment and am shopping around for the cheapest. What I am wondering is whether I should have had the extinguishers serviced annually. If so, can anyone recommend any supplier in the NW?
 
I've been doing more WEB trawling and all the suppliers recommend an annual service. Perhaps I should have my wrists slapped for neglecting this. I have found a local company in Preston but they do not appear to supply automatic CO2 extinguishers. I am now wondering whether getting a CO2 extinguisher at a much dearer price than powder is really necessary given that in the event of a fire the engine would most likely be ruined anyway. Another question, what temperature setting should the automatic extingisher be set to?
 
I've never had mine serviced, it seems a very expensive thing to have done. I just replace them every few years. If you shop around they are quite cheap.
 
[ I am thinking that I ought to have a CO2 automatic for the engine compartment ]

would guess that your engine is no bigger than 14hp on a 26 footer, do you really need an extinguisher in the engine bay.
I'm lead to believe some folks still have the odd halon in use /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Mike,
I bought my 3 1kg units from Aldi at 4.99 each
I bought 2 2kg units from EBay at 7.99 each
I bought a 2 year old chubb auto ext CO2 from Ebay for a fiver
and..... a 6Kg protex unit from Lidl for 12.99
Fireblanket 1.2m sq at 8 quid Ebay

I cant believe it is cheaper to have them serviced. Even at 20 quid an hour, that would be 15 minutes a unit not including collection and delivery!
I suspect that you could weigh them (I should have thought of that!) and check the weight each year, and to inspect the mechanism to see no build up of corrosion or other foreign matter around the mechanism, and no damage to the unit anywhere. After all, do they fire the units on service? I am not sure, but I dont think so.
 
Powder ones need shaking up regularly. I have heard of people supposedly being fined in France for out of date extinguishers. I replace one of mine each year so all are in date. I hope boats I'm alongside in in marinas do the same.
 
I've also noticed that since pressure gauges on powder extinguishers became the norm, they no longer seem to have 'replace by' dates on them (including the LIDL 6kg .... wasn't that a good bargain!). Quite an advantage if you get troublesome officials in a nearby country 'checking your safety equipment'. I actually have an extinguisher about 12 years old which is now well into the red sector on the gauge. Next time it's dry enough to have a bonfire in the garden I'll try it out!

Vic
 
A couple of years ago, I got a 2Kg powder extinguisher from Aldi/Lidl for change from a tenner - it might have been a fiver, I can't remember.

I tested one of the 1kg jobs I was replacing. In spite of an expiry date of 1986, it worked fine. Since the other one only expired in 1998, I'm hanging on to it!
 
Disposables, the environment, and waste.

Tragic really, that it is cheaper to buy new ones than have old ones checked and serviced. Probably says something about the quality of the replacements.

Anyway, to service them (assuming they are servicable, which means they have a gauge and valve to allow topping up):

Weigh and compare with spec. stamped / marked on cylinder.

Use rubber mallet to agitate compacted powder and tilt to and fro, listening carefully to ensure powder is flowing within.

Remove seal from gauge and apply suction to deflect needle, checking it returns to within 'good' area afterwards. Re-seal.

Inspect visually for signs of corrosion etc. Ensure safety pin is present and secure, ensure mounting arrangement is adequate for sea use.

Me? I take 'em home every 2 years. My office extinguishers are serviced annually and the boat ones get the treatment at the same time, which is conveniently during early winter. Result, no additional call out charge, just a few quid on top of the price of having the others done.

CO2 disperses rapidly and you need a huge volume for an open engine space (open as in tank spaces, cockpit locker access, bilge space etc.).

Halon replacement reacts with the fire to extinguish it, making it more efficient.

I wouldn't have automatic powder in the engine space. If you work on a fair assumption that an engine space fire will occur with the engine running, I feel I should decide if the engine is going to suffer total ruination, there may be other danger to escape first.
 
Re: Disposables, the environment, and waste.

Should actually try putting out a fire with one.
A 1kg dry powder thing is just about up to putting out a christmas pudding.
(do health & safety allow the ritual burning of the disgusting pudding anymore?)(God, ours used to have silver 3d bits in to break ones teeth on and then choke you)

Yep, fire extiguishers are like life jackets, expensive and not a lot of use, but I guess a bit better than nothing, so thats why I like millions of others, dutifully waste my money on them.
 
Re: Disposables, the environment, and waste.

Just reiterating that powder extinguishers do tend to pack the powder into a solid mass over time and with gentle vibration. Portable extinguishers should be inverted and shaken occasionally. As for a fixed installation for engine that would be very important to invert the container. I reckon the chances of inadvertent or not really necessary operation of an engine compartment system is very high and means I wouldn't have a powder system. CO2 or Halaon substitute means no additional damage to engine and no mess. regards olewill
 
Re: Disposables, the environment, and waste.

> Should actually try putting out a fire with one.
A 1kg dry powder thing is just about up to putting out a christmas pudding.<

Not so in my experience! Many, many years ago whilst in Morlaix, we were sat below chomping our evening meal. Suddenly there was a hell of a lot of shouting and screamiing outside that had us up through the companionway like Exocets.

A car was on fire on the quayside with flames leaping from the under the bonnet. I grabbed a small (now 1kg) powder fire extinguisher and, without any high expectations, had a go. It was extraordinarily effective and the fire was out within a few seconds, though it did seem a bit longer at the time.

Grateful thanks from lady driver, and free berthing for the 2-3 days we were there from the authorities!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ok, I knew the extinguishers were in good order (regularly shaken up etc) and were only a couple of years old but we, anyway, were quite impressed. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Mike,
I bought my 3 1kg units from Aldi at 4.99 each
I bought 2 2kg units from EBay at 7.99 each
I bought a 2 year old chubb auto ext CO2 from Ebay for a fiver
and..... a 6Kg protex unit from Lidl for 12.99
Fireblanket 1.2m sq at 8 quid Ebay

[/ QUOTE ]

One of the few things I was not prepared to skimp on was fire extinguishers. No doubt the aldi units have managed a kite mark or whatever the equivalent in this area. But I was happy to buy branded items that I knew the name of as I had seen said names (in this case Kiddie) around work places and the like.

I did shop around and found a good price at Costco, but nearly 3 times that which you suggest for your 1kg units.

When I had a fire, after the main battery cable snapped at the alternator hoop connection and welded itself to the starter motor, I am happy to say the kiddie extinguisher worked wonderfully and in less than a second coated the area in dry powder for us to clean up for the next 24hrs.

Maybe Aldi is actually selling 'known' brands, but I suspect that yet again our capitalist nature is to have our items made in a sweat shop where there is little pride in the final product.

Happy to be corrected....
 
Thanks everyone. I shall continue to trawl around for the cheapest replacements. I shall put an automatic in the engine department as it is difficult to get to quickly - bulky steps to the cockpit would have to be removed and disposed of which would hamper any escape. The alternative of poking an extinguisher up against the small inspection hole does not seem practical. I take the view that extinguishers are like flares and a liferaft. If you are going to have them, it seems sensible to ensure that they will work if ever needed.
 
Mike,

It's been mentioned earlier, but do NOT on any account, put a powder fire extinguisher in your engine compartment. I posted on here some months ago, recounting what happened to our engine when one went off with it running.

It was b***ered immediately, and took us 5 days (while at anchor) to sort out.

Use the Halon replacement type. Even though it's a lot more expensive, it's nowhere near as much as major engine repairs believe me!!
 
Thanks for the advice. I was coming to that conclusion but not keen on the price of the extinguishers. I'll have to bite the bullet and pay the extra.
 
We the consumers are not the only people who are price led,so are the distributors and the "name" that goes on the container is no guide to the manufacturer,all the Lidl,Aldi and Netto extinguishers I have seen bear all the European quality marks and I would have no problem in using them and depending on their efficacy.

Do the major sellers of fire extinguishers still have their own manufacturing facilities? I've done a quick trawl of a few major players and can find no evidence that they do.(happy to be proved wrong).
 
<<Maybe Aldi is actually selling 'known' brands, but I suspect that yet again our capitalist nature is to have our items made in a sweat shop where there is little pride in the final product.>>
Yes Jools, they are branded. The thing is, that we are fooled into paying lots by home branded equipment. The sweat shops you allude to are probably brand new facilities with top notch production facilites in the Far East, and produce into a fiercely competitive world market, and are thus very cheap.
No one is laughing about the quality of Korean cars anymore.....
Again, like a lot of the discussions hereabouts, we do what we fel comfortable with, and none of us are wrong in that, except you may not want to sail with some of them. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I make up for it with numbers - they cant all be duff, and if they are, I am already out in the cockpit lugging the 6kg protex out of the locker to re enter and start fighting again........
 
FWIW

A couple of years ago when I did some RNLI training we had a local fireman come and give a lecture about fires on board ships/boats and he said that CO2 wasn't that good because although it puts the fire out it didn't "cool" the ignition source down. I.e. you have a fire, blow CO2 over it and it goes out, then you open hatch to take a peak, let air back in and whoosh up she goes again. He also said that it would be a good idea to have everyone on deck before your "automatic" system fired otherwise it could be a bit embarassing /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

BTW he recommended foam and when I pointed out that foam/powder took forever to clean up, he pointed out that he would rather spend 2 weeks cleaning up foam/powder than have the boat burn out from under him - at this point I conceeded. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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