Fire extinguisher

[TheOldMan76]

Getting the 5er about ready to go on a shakedown weekend, and one of the things that comes to mind is fire safety. We have a small fire extinguisher just inside the entrance door in a rack. Reads in the green, but no telling how old it is or when it was last serviced. I also have a 2.5 pounder that is an extra in the workshop, that I'd like to mount up in the bed/bath area. Seems to me like I'd like to have one there, in case I woke up and there was a problem between bedroom and entrance door. Is it a good idea to have these old ones serviced, or is it better to just discard them and buy new? How often do you need to service when used in and RV?

[wa8yxm]

What I recommend is some wet jobs from Mac the Fire Guy (You can google him)

But your plan is good

Bounce them around a bit, the powder gets packed down and they do not work properly less you shake 'em up and/or bounce them around from time to time.

[damdannyboy]

I have three, two inside, one in a outdoor compartment ! Take the one you have now off, turn it upside down and give a few good whacks with a rubber mallet. You should do this once a year, and you'll be good to go!

[Selah]

It is an excellent idea to have one in the bedroom. If your current extinguishers are powder then as mentioned earlier, be sure to turn them upside down and use a rubber mallet to loosen the powder.

[dnystrom]

Most Extinguishers you buy at a store like Costco or Sam's are not serviceable. Get at least a 2A-10 BC rated one. The bigger the better.

[JFXG]

If you want serviceable/refillable units, buy the type with full metal valve assemblies. Most these days have plastic valve housings with a visible metal pin. These are throwaways once the pressure drops.

Try to have at least a couple of the 5 Lb size around. I know the 2 Lb are much easier to store, but always be aware: a 2 Lb bottle (not "extinguisher") will not last long at all. It will put out a very very small fire, but that's all. What a 2 Lb bottle does (hopefully) is knock the fire down a bit, buying you about another 7-10 seconds to get out. Think of it that way-- the 2 Lb bottle will help you get out. That's it.


John & Diane, fulltiming since '12
'02 DS 40, FL, 3126, '04 Element

[CampingCajun]

If you can get a CO2 or Foam type. Dry chemical works but the mess is unreal to clean up. Plus what electronics are not destroyed by a fire the dry chemical (powder) will ruin.

[Dutch Star Don]

For piece of mind, replace your old ones. Take the old ones and use them. This will give you an idea what they can do and how long they'll spray.

[stinespool]

Hey all, Look into Haylon. My buddy had a fire on his boat{our daughter was on board} and we came upon it. he unloaded the powder and slowed it down, but my Haylon put it out. Saved the boat and the Crew!

[MSHappyCampers]

I have a large one in the bedroom that can be refilled!

[wa8yxm]

I have been in a room where Haylon was dumped and frankly.. I would rather go with Mac the Fir Guy's wet chemical jobs.. not sure how they are classed but Mac puts on demos and those little bottles are very impressive,, Imagine a bottle SMALLER than the one the factory put in your RV that can put out a fire a 25 pounder won't but slow down.

I'v have also seen some special powder jobs but how well they work depends on the type of fire.. Purple K for example puts out petroleum based fires like nothing I've even seen before.

But man is it messy.. Trooper once accidently discharged a bottle in the post.. Only two rooms were not purple This was a very big post (Like 10,000 square feet of carpeting) and only 2 rooms were not purple.

My office (door was closed) and front desk (likewise)_ the rest of the post from teh commander's office to the Detective brueau was purple.

[Arch Hoagland]

I carry five..two by the exit door, one on each side of the coach in unlocked compartments and one in the toad.

I bought a jogger table and vibrate them every six months or so to prevent clumping.

The RVIA approved fire extinguishers don't appear big enough to be of much help as far as I'm concerned.

[IC2]

Right now we carry three powder extinguishers in our 5er including that dinky one supplied by the OEM. A 5 pound replacement for that one is on my list for purchase this week in anticipation of an upcoming and fairly lengthy trip beginning next week. Thankfully we have never needed one in any RV but ya never know

Now, as far as powder residue --- a heluva lot better then the alternative.

Then there is Halon - expensive, restricted availability as it is no longer produced in the US and some say it's potentially dangerous in a closed environment, but I'm not sold on that as I've seen it work with plant operators near a large industrial quantity discharge and with no ill effect on them (I have a small one in my S&B home)

[CarlGeo]

I carry one in the bedroom area, one in the kitchen area and a third one I keep in the basement for outside use.
I give each one a few whacks on the bottom each year with a rubber mallet. Carry the largest size you storage space allows.