Exploding Fire Extinguisher - Page 2

rusnak · 07-31-2008, 11:08 PM

a fire extinguisher in this case isn't very likely to save your life. It's a case of I want to try to save the car, but I don't want to carry a potential bomb around in the meanwhile.

Say the odds are one in a million...one in ten million. If it goes and you are inside the car, it no longer matters what the odds are. So, there must be a way to place these things or select a system that, even if it blows, you are not going to be severly injured. I mean once you have been warned, it seems foolish to automatically assume that the warning is bunk.

rnln · 07-31-2008, 11:14 PM

rusnak,
I am with you on the temp. here where we live. It can be way above 120F. Sure I don't want the FE to explode and hurt myslef, and create the crash myself. How about putting the FE somewhere safe, not from the heat but from the driver/passenger. Or maybe inside a box... create a compartment for it?

rusnak · 08-01-2008, 12:44 AM

yeah Ron, I agree with the box idea. Maybe a hinged metal cover behind the driver's seat would do it.

rnln · 08-01-2008, 01:03 AM

Sounds easy enough, since I already have the whole big subwoofer box behind me in wooden. But umm... I plan to restore it back to stock seats. Well, I will find a way.
Wonder how strong the pressure is. I don't want to loose my butts if bad luck

How about mounting it in the front trunk?

jevvy · 08-01-2008, 02:37 AM

Never heard of this before and interesting to know.

1 thought though - how many of us actually drive the car when its above 120 inside? do most of us not open the windows or hit the AC once we are in the car and therefore reducing the risk somewhat?

I guess then its just a case of deciding if you want to risk damage to car when left parked in direct sunlight v's having an extinguisher to maybe save the cars bacon one day.

pope · pope's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by jevvy

Never heard of this before and interesting to know.

1 thought though - how many of us actually drive the car when its above 120 inside? do most of us not open the windows or hit the AC once we are in the car and therefore reducing the risk somewhat?

I guess then its just a case of deciding if you want to risk damage to car when left parked in direct sunlight v's having an extinguisher to maybe save the cars bacon one day.

Exactly what I was going to say. I doubt you'd be able to survive more than a few minutes in the temperatures that would make a FE explode. A car parked in direct sunlight is known to reach more than 50C inside the cabin on a very hot day.

briancoates · briancoates's Garage

You get what you pay for. The extinguisher in the above image is obviously of inferior quality, it looks like the base of the cylinder was attached by a rolled seam just like a spray paint can.
Buy a quality extinguisher that has fully welded seams and an inbuilt pressure relief system. If you are worried about your FE over pressurizing on a hot day check the gauge see if the pressure has built up. I have used FE's where the outside air temp is over 40C, imagine what the cabin temp is, and never had a problem. When you are trapped in a burning car and the track fire marshalls are a bit slow it's good having something that keeps the flames away that little bit longer.

Hey that's only my opinion, each to their own.