pchalpin

Am going to get myself a new fire extinguisher for Christmas to put in the '67 Coupe. What type and size does CF recommend?

Paul L

Our cars are twins....This is an Amerex, 2 1/2lb, Halotron unit. Seat bolt mounting bracket can be seen here.

http://www.vetteworksonline.com/

ctjackster

Halon here (too, mine is Halon) - a 2.5 lbs bottle.

I got mine in chrome - why pass up the opp to put some flashy chrome in the car ?

steemin

I agree with the 1st 2 posts in regards to choosing a "Halon"
type fire extinguisher. In the unfortunate event that you must use a fire extinguisher Halon will not leave the mess that chemical/powder extinguishers create
Whatever you end up with please make sure that it is properly secured and easily accessible for obvious reasons...
Scott

67-427ci

I have the same setup as Paul67. Halotron has a long shelf life and with the mount in front of the seat it is VERY accessible.
Roy

magicv8

Halon is the best product and allows an extinguisher with a smaller nozzle and handle than Halotron - according to my local (municipal fire station) supplier, who sold me my extiguisher.

I appreciate the compact package in a car without a trunk and with limited interior space.

split_window

I ordered a few extinguishers and brackets for some members of the local club. They have not arrived because of a backorder on the C2 brackets. VetteWorks has changed up the designs because there are slight variances between C2 model years.
I also visited a local extinguisher shop to compare prices and learn about Halon/Halotron. VetteWorks gave me better prices. good for them and me.
I learned that Halon had been falling out of favor because of environmental concerns and that Halotron had taken its place as the prefered "clean agent". Since then, Halon has started a comeback, but Halotron is still the leader. I ended up ordering Halotron because I'd hate to own an extinguisher that I could not refill. There is no phase out of Halon on the horizon, but perception is sometimes reality. My local shop said they could recharge either type, but does a lot more Halotron business these days. I was nervous about them abandoning the Halon as a business decision. The slightly larger nozzle is not a big deal in my eyes.

FYI: Currently, the two agents are priced exactly the same.

Venari

Hmmm.

Yes, Halon extinguishers are very good at putting out fires.

Halon hasn't been available in Europe for years. It's nasty stuff. Get out of your car before you set off a halon extinguisher in a cabin fire. Ensure your loved ones, if unconscious, are out of the way first. Halon produces hydrofluoric and hydrobromic acids and is so good at consuming oxygen from the air it will asphyxiate you in an extermely short time in an enclosed space. It will also cause tissue damage as the chemicals released will burn your lungs when inhaled.

Halocarbon types are marginally better, but still pretty nasty environmentally unfriendly chemicals. Don't think I'm some sort of green loonie - the health side effects of the use of these extinguishers cannot be overstated, which is why that haven't been sold here for about 4 years.

Don't worry about powder types causing a mess. You can clean it up later - your losses will be inconsequential against a total loss of the vehicle, you or your passengers.

Read around the subject a little. The information is out there. You may choose to stick with a Halon extinguisher - after all, we all hope we never have to use them!

Mark.

magicv8

Very well said. Iagree.

ctjackster

actually, I dare say the (unlikely) scenario of occupants trapped in a burning vehicle is NOT why we all keep fire extinguishers inside of our C1s and C2s - if I am inside the car and the fire engulfs the passenger cabin, I assure you I am reaching for the door handle, not the extinguisher.

The extinguisher is not there to save lives, you leave the car for that. It's there to save the car - we drive plastic cars, and they don't fare very well in fires.

I have carried fire extinguishers in all of my vehicles ever since one day long ago when I left my apartment on an errand and drove by some guys who had just pulled over with a very minor little carb fire in their Ford - I asked if I could help them but really would not have been of much use (pee on the fire, perhaps?) and they said no thanks, we've got it in hand here. Came back in 10 minutes after the errand and the vehicle was COMPLETELY engulfed, and on its way to being a total loss. I was left with the distinct impression that having a fire extinguisher would have made a huge difference, and would have solved a small problem before it became a total loss. Such is why I have a fire extinguisher in my Av (strapped to the side of the bed, right by the gate) and in my Envoy (in the rear cargo area) which would be accessible to me while outside of the car (which is the first thing I would do - get out) if an engine fire were to occur.

As for my C2, the engine fire scenario is the most likely (esp considering I have a Holley ) and that would turn into a whole car fire quickly if not put out. And I have a pretty good idea that the CO2 extinguishers behave in a caustic, etching fashion on bare metal parts when heat and perhaps liquids are involved. Since every little part is of some proper finish or another, I'd hate to successfully put out a small carb fire only to damage my intake manifold, valve covers, alt, etc etc. due to the use of the CO2 extinguisher.

For these reasons (not likely to be discharging my Halon ext in the pass cabin with people inside, and desire to avoid damaging precious parts) I carry a Halon unit.


ps - I'd also urge folks to maintain a second extinguisher in the area where they work on their car - the last thing you need to be doing is fumbling around inside the car for the extinguisher if a fire occurs while you are in your garage working on it. The unit inside my car is for problems that occur while on the road.

Paul L

I changed this year from an Amerex chemical unit to a halotron because of numerous threads here re the effects of the caustic soda on engine and wiring parts. Apparently it is very corrosive, even on the short-term. I retain that chemical unit in my garage but felt that inside the Corvette I needed something a little less intimidating to delicate parts.

Mike Smith

Get a Halon unit. Halotron has about 40% of the extinguishing capability of Halon, but about 90% of the cost. Do the math.

Halon is still widely used for protection of expensive electronics and equipment. When used as typically used (engine/fuel fires), there are no health issues to be concerned about.

63C2splitter

Good advice here.

I carry a 2.5 pound bottle in the car, and keep a larger extinguisher in the garage. Don't want to lose any of my toys to fire !

bacfire67

Halon & Halotron extinguishers work by smothering the fire with an inert gas. They work best in confined spaces and will be rendered ineffective by air movement; wind or possibly even heat convection from the fire. They also don't remove heat from the involved combustibles. Basically, they are non-persistent, non-cooling agents, so if you can't keep up a delivery volume with your tiny bottle that completely floods the fire area until the source of ignition is removed and temperatures drop to safe levels, you will lose the battle for your engine compartment. I'm exaggerating the risk here...halon extinguishers are *usually* effective in automotive compartment fires...but they are not the best choice of agent in an uncontrolled, outdoor environment.

By far the best choice for controlling class B flammable liquid fires is an aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) extinguisher. They produce a harmless foam that suffocates the fire and forms a film on the surface of the gas/oil that prevents it from vaporizing and by extension, from burning or reigniting. Clean-up is as simple as washing away soapy water and the units are easily and cheaply refillable.

The drawback seems to be that there are no small units on the US market. 2-1/2 gallons is the standard size, but I think there are some 6 liter models out there. AFFF systems are common in European motorsports and there are plenty of 2 liter bottles available there, and I assume online.

http://www.sailgb.com/p/firemaster_fire_extinguishers/
http://www.rmsci.com/cgi-bin/search....+extinguishers

If you get one, be aware that the application technique is important. You should learn how to use foam and then practice with it at least once.

magicv8

Thanks for the aff info and link. I will order one and swap out the halon extinguisher that I carry.