So this has stuck in my mind, and them yesterday, the fire ex guy came to our work to recharge our extinquishers.
I had the 2.5# ABC in my Ranger done, (it was expired!) and I asked him about CO2 versions, mentioned by Anime earlier in this thread.
I asked him what a 5# CO2 ex would cost, he said maybe $200.
Later, I dawned on me that I ALREADY have a 10# CO2 tank, for my onboard air! Several of us do!
I wondering, would it be possible to modify it to work as an extinquisher, and still function filling tires? Would it need to have no regulator at all to fight fire?
Thoughts?
Nice idea, but are you sure the tank contains ONLY Carbon Dioxide? It's not an "air" (Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, etc.) tank? If it's pure CO2 and you can deliver it fast enough, sure, it might work. Anything else and you'll just be delivering more of what the fire wants to burn. If it's CO2 and can dump the whole 10#'s fast enough to put out a fire, you'd probably also need to make an adapter for the hose similar to the nozzle on CO2 extinguishers.
It might be a nice setup for putting out your own on-vehicle fires (even better if you could rig up a hose system to dump the tank into the engine bay with the hood closed to instantly extinguish any fires), but would have limited off-vehicle use depending on the portability of the tank or the length of hose. I guess you could always drive close to the vehicle that needed it and make the hose reach. I'd *still* suggest keeping a portable extinguisher or two handy, though, especially since CO2 isn't the most effective agent on fires that aren't in small, enclosed spaces.
My choice for a "budget" extinguisher for automotive use would be one with Potassium Bicarbonate (Purple-K, used to fight aircraft fires). It's twice as effective on electrical/fuel fires as the Ammonium Phosphate used in standard red ABC extinguishers (or the Sodium Bicarbonate used in usual white BC extinguishers), and less corrosive. It's not exactly cheap, but it's not Halotron or CO2, either.
Also, just because an ABC extinguisher "expires" a year past it's inspection doesn't mean it must be recharged, or even inspected. Most modern extinguishers can go years without maintenance, as long as they don't leak. It does help if you handle the extinguisher once a year or so and even turn it upside down or tap it on the ground to keep the chemicals broken up. You only need an extinguisher to be inspected yearly if it's for commercial or business use, to comply with fire prevention regulations.
