Posted: 7/14/2006 10:12:47 AM EDT
| I'm looking for a smaller rechargeable one, must be 12 inches or shorter and less than 3 inches in diameter. Do they sell cases of the really small ones? If needed they'll be used for alcohol, gas, diesel, lithium or electrical fires. |
Anything less than 1A 10BC is a complete waste of space. If you have any expectation of dealing with a gas, diesel or lithium fire, you're going to need something just a skosh bigger than what you're describing. You're talking about packing a single shot .22 for bear protection. |
+1 this is a case where size does matter |
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For the size you are talking about you are Very limited. What about an AFFF or "lite water" extinguisher......of course, it is a BIG NO NO for electrical fires. Dry chem for class "A" fires is a waste of time, you would be better off packing an extra pint of bottled drinking water than a 1A extinguisher. Fuel fires need some type of "Foam", and most are mixed with water...an ideal agent for ALL class "A" fires. Good luck putting out the lithium BTW  ."G" |
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There was a hobby shop that went up in flames (and would have burned to the ground if it wasn't a concrete structure) that started from an overheated lithium battery back catching fire. The fire spread so fast and was so violent that no one even tried to put it out, and everyone ran out (except the one guy was in the shitter at the time and nearly had the door broken down by the owner to pull him out). Of course the bad thing is that there was an unlocked cabinet full of R/C engine fuel a few feet from where the fire started. The point of all that? Make damn sure you have a big enough fire extinguisher and know how to use it fast enough, or run for your life and call the fire department. Oh and lithium fires are not easy to put out. 
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your better off running for the bigger ones than wasting time with the small ones that won't do anything but push the fire around. |
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There really are no 1 size (type) fits all extinguishers, and never mistake a "Dry Chem" extinguisher for "Dry Powder Agent", they are 2 totally different things with entirely different purposes. Dry chem is 100% ineffective against class"D" fire (combustible metal), and using water will only send you to the Burn Unit/ER/grave. Graphite will work (as will certain copper compounds), it will conduct the heat away from the metal and act as a heat sink and drop it below the ignition point. Or you can cover it with a class "D" dry powder and wait for it to choke it self out. Both options can be time consuming and somewhat dangerous. Lithium is nasty, nasty stuff. Like I said before, good luck whit that.  "G" |
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I used to service and repair extinguishers a few years ago. Amerex makes a 1lb model A620T that was very hard to come by as it a 2B:C rating. You cannot use it for any purpose that legally requires a class A extinguisher. Jeep freaks and off roaders used to get them to use on the roll bars. 2.5 is the smallest you want to get. Get a metal head extinguisher. DO NOT GET PLASTIC OR NYLON HEADS. They WILL leak. I would highly recommmend you buy Amerex as it was the only brand that we did not have trouble out of. Get the largest size that you can possibly carry safely in a vehicle mount. Do not use any other method to secure it as it will come loose in a wreck. |
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From your comments is this for model vehicles? How large are we talking about here? If you're dealing with small RC cars/planes or something, I'd get a disposable BC (sodium bicarbonate) type, and/or maybe one of those kitchen type small foam ones. Fuse the batteries so they don't catch fire... Halon would have been the recommended agent before the Klintoon administration, but very expensive now and the substitute clean agents aren't widely available. |
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Quoted: From your comments is this for model vehicles? How large are we talking about here? Anything from a 8 inch span to a 15 footer. In a few months I'll need something for jet A. I'd like to get a lithium extinguisher. I'll light on up sometime with my record.
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JET A is a class "B" fire any "B" rated extinguisher will do but Purple K is the reccomended agent. Lithium fires???? do you have any idea what your getting into??? A Dry Powder (diffrent from dry chemical) extinguisher weighs at least 50 pounds and costs a FEW HUNDREAD dollars!!!!!! |