how many guys HAVE a CO2 extinguisher handy ? or for that matter ANY DECENT FIRE EXTINGUISHERS THAT ARE EASILY ACCESSED?
Ive always preferred the Co2 because theres no extensive clean up work after their use required,, but having ANY DECENT extinguisher that's easily accessed is MANDATORY, in a auto garage, home or shop

http://www.monroeextinguisher.com/catal ... prevnext=1

http://www.smokesign.com/10lbco2fiex.html

http://www.mcmaster.com/ctlg/DisplCtlgP ... 9289929960

http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forums/s ... hp?t=16492

http://www.professionalequipment.com/am ... nguishers/

how many guys HAVE a couple CO2 or chemical fire extinguishers handy, in the garage for emergency screw ups
(AND WE ALL HAVE SCREW UPS AT TIMES)
Ive made it a practice to keep a least two, located near the doors of my garage ever since seeing the results of a buddy who managed to burn his house down due to a small engine fire that got out of hand in his garage.
hopefully they never get used........but Ive come close at times in the last 40 years.
my buddy was trying to start a car after installing a cam, and had the distributor timing 180 degrees out because he forgot to spin the engine over one full turn before dropping in the distributor, the engine spit back and caught a small cup of gas he was using to prime the carb on fire, he dropped it and the cars engine compartment caught, if he had the presents of mind to grab a hose or a fire extinguisher at the time he might have been ok, but he tried to beat the fire out with a greasy towel, just making thing worse, things went down hill VERY rapidly after that!
IF you work on cars LONG enough, you WILL eventually do something STUPID, get into circumstances you did not see coming or work with guys that do! so having a large CO2 extinguisher handy is a great idea, and far easier to clean up after when you are forced to use them., than dry chemical extinguishers I thought ID bring this thread back up for attention since a friend just had extensive damage done to his car, when it caught fire, in his driveway ,he forgot to tighten a fuel line correctly after a cam install, and fuel sprayed all over the engine compartment, the car caught fire and he had a 5 lb ABC chemical extinguisher in his kitchen but not his garage, it took him only a few seconds to retrieve that extinguisher and use it but it didn,t fully do the job, he finally got it out with the garden hose but not before the car was extensively damaged.

Ive used a fairly LARGE 10lb CO2 extinguisher on most shop minor fires (yeah youll eventually have one if you do enough work) and its so far been ADEQUATE but surely not overkill, (I need to purchase a couple) I used a 5 lb ABC dry chemical extinguisher on a car ONCE! WHAT A TOTAL P.I.T.A. to clean up that total mess! and it BARELY was able to do the job.

personally I like the OLD 10lb-or-15lb CO2 fire extinguishers in the shop, but...
http://www.amerex-fire.com/Literature/co2.pdf

Heres what I found on the Halotron agent-> Quote:

Halotron 1
is a proven clean fire extinguishing agent designed for streaming applications in portable and handheld fire extinguishers. It is the world’s most widely distributed halocarbon-based clean fire extinguishing agent for such applications. Halotron I has shown, by way of repeated successful extinguishment of real-world fires, that it can quickly and effectively protect valuable assets without generating an undesirable solid residue during the fire-extinguishment process.

It is common for users of fire extinguishers to have limited experience in their operation, and an independent study showed that Halotron I is easier to use for such relatively inexperienced users than other halocarbon clean agents. Halotron I is a safe, effective, environmentally acceptable chemical blend based on the raw material HCFC-123. It was originally introduced in 1992 to replace severe ozone depleting halon 1211, or bromochlorodifluoromethane (BCF).

Halotron I is discharged as a rapidly evaporating liquid, with a throw length of 6 to 45 feet (1.8 to 13.7 meters). Its relatively high boiling point of 80.6°F (27°C) gives it an advantage over other clean extinguishing agents, which tend to have lower boiling points and therefore evaporate sooner, limiting their throw length and overall effectiveness to the non-expert firefighter.
Also, unlike traditional dry chemical agents such as monoammonium phosphate (ABC Dry Chemical) or potassium bicarbonate (Purple K), which can be corrosive, Halotron I is a clean agent that leaves no residue after application, and consequently inflicts little to no collateral damage on equipment in the vicinity of the fire.

Halotron I is approved as environmentally acceptable under the U.S.
EPA’s SNAP program and has undergone the most extensive testing of any halogenated clean agent for portable fire extinguishers since 1992. There are more than 30 separate UL listings for Halotron I portable extinguishers, which is more than twice the number available with any other halocarbon-based clean agent.

DOES ANYONE! have a good source for 10-15 lb CO2 fire extinguishers, for shop use!

obviously stuff like this is the result of not having one handy




http://www.firehouse.com/node/351876

http://www.scntx.com/articles/2010/01/2 ... ws/162.txt

btw its always a good idea when you work on any car to have a fire extinguisher handy and it won,t hurt to have a garden hose hooked up for quick access, thats easy to get to and reaches all of the interior of your garage

I worked for the Fire Department for over 27-years and never found a cheap source for fire extinguishers. I have half dozen dry-chemical extinguishers in the shop and paid almost retail for each one. I got most of mine from hardware stores like Lowes. I consider those to be throw-away since it costs more to get them refilled than for a new one.

I wish I could find some big, cheap Halotron or halogen fire extinguishers.

cleaning up the mess dry chemical extinguishers leave is almost as bad as having the fire to begin with,.... I prefer the halon or CO2 as theres much less cleaning after use!, but even the dry chemical fire extinguishers will be a life saver in most cases. Ive seen to many shops and homes lost to what should have been only little nuisance type fires, from spilled grease on stoves or welding sparks, fires that got well out of hand quickly , that couild have been easily contained with a fire extinguisher.
naturally some basic precautions will be helpful, like removing flammable objects,from any area where you might produce sparks, not storing large amounts of fuel,placing oily rags in metal trash cans with lids and removing them from the shop at the end of the work day, welding out side the shop and having a garden hose that's got a nozzle and is easily accessed

ideally youll get a 10lb-20lb CO2 fire extinguisher as theres little if any mess caused by that style extinguisher, while the dry powder style work fine theres a big mess after the fires out to clean
Ive got two Co2, that are fairly old (they still read good but I don,t trust them) and four of these newer dry powder style currently in the shop

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1 ... ogId=10053


the basic A,B,C (like Lowes, Home Depot etc sells) extinguisher's powder is corrosive and will cause corrosion damage on aluminum and electronics and wires. BUT ID ALSO POINT OUT THAT The Halon and CO2 are expensive though

theres a good reason why I prefer CO2
http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/agents.html

Very true. Luckly I haven't needed to use them.

well I went out and bought two of these from HOME DEPOT for $70 each
kidde PRO-460 fire extinguishers

http://www.kiddeus.com/utcfs/Templates/ ... 84,00.html

NOT what I wanted <IM still looking for two 15 lb CO2 extinguishers at a good price,
but Ill add those to the two current fire extinguishers in the shop, as some extra security
IVE got two 10 lb CO2 extinguishers
in the shop already
(BUT THEIR over 10 years OLD AND I DON,T TRUST THEM)
any shop that doesn,t have at least one decent fire extinguisher handy is seriously pushing their luck, in my opinion.

one of my friends, called to thank me for constantly bugging him into buying a couple fire extinguishers "HE WOULD NEVER USE" and forcing him to mount one on the door frame of the shop,and another on his inside garage door frame.
Id strongly suggested getting two simply because if the fires between you and the only extinguisher the second extinguisher will be very handy
seems he had been trying to get his lawn mower started and had pulled the plug to inspect it and put fresh gas in the tank, and had spilled some on the engine, well like most of us he had a less than intelligent moment and tried to start the mower but had forgotten to clip the magneto wire on the plug, it arced,
and ignited the spilled fuel on the engine and the open 1 gallon plastic gas can that was sitting next to the mower, well after screaming, cussing and running around for 3 seconds in a total panic, and getting slightly burned he remembered the extinguisher hanging on the wall next to the garage door and quickly put out the mower and the gas can (which luckily for him had only blown off it screw on spout, when the fumes ignited and was starting to melt but had not burst or he would have had about 2 more quarts of burning gas running across the garage floor, total damage was minor mostly because he had instant access to the extinguisher, it could have escalated into something much worse given a few more seconds to continue.

BTW
if anyone knows where to get a great deal on 10lb,or 15lb ,or 20lb co2 extinguishers please post a link
co2 is far less messy to clean up after, than dry chemical

good advice.

i have a traditional type(small size) in my van, would be somewhat easy to reach while working on my cars., but the non-damaging type would be much better if i ever needed it.

plus, i need to put in a much more central location. or two.

thanks grumpy.

one very simple to over look factor is the trash cans you select for the shop, that factor was brought home recently when a buddy's shop almost caught fire, he had the common plastic trash cans in his shop rather than the galvanized steel with lids that tend to be a bit safer.
now when I say that it might take a bit of explanation,
he had just changed out some batteries in a couple meters and thrown them into a trash can near his shop door where he kept the trash can, what he didn,t realize was the battery was still mostly charged even if it was 6 months old and it landed in a bunch of steel wool and paint, and sand paper from a recent project, the battery, shorted out,igniting the steel wool, paint, paper etc. and by the time my friend noticed, there were flames and the trash can it self was starting to burn along with the trash in it, if it was a metal can with a lid the chances would be far better that even if it caught fire, it would be less likely to catch the near by objects on fire than a plastic can that added fuel to the fire.
and theres a good chance a metal can with a snap on lid would not allow enough air to the fire to let it burn efficiently.
he had a fire extinguisher, luckily, and got it put out quickly but not before the trash can was mostly on fire and he swears the time between throwing the batteries in the trash can and the fire was under 7-8 minutes.
if you don,t think that can happen , try dropping a partly charged ,9volt battery into a pile of shredded 0000 steel wool, mixed with paint chips and paint thinner
you might be amazed at the results.
I told him he was darn lucky, if he had thrown the battery away as he left the shop chances are good that by the time he noticed the fire it would have been a major fire, I also suggested use of both metal cans with lids and a smoke detector would not hurt.
an getting the fire extinguisher refilled would be a great idea.