Have full coverage insurance and GTFO if it goes up IMHO
Engine Compartment Fire Extinguisher (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter SmokingRocks
- Start date
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Dissent
Questioning my life choices...
Ideally. But the immediate insurance is for those moments when you can't get doors open or there's others that need your assistance. I'd rather put $500 into an onboard suppression system and 5-10lb extinguisher than a deductible and a long walk. 
The important thing everyone needs to remember about these on board fire systems, they are made to buy a race car driver who is wearing a fire suit a FEW EXTRA SECONDS to escape a burning car, they are NOT necessarily made to completely extinguish a fire. These systems are small, most have a 5, or 10 BC rating. In a passenger car fire with alot of combustibles under the hood, unlike a race car, chances are good that hot spots will reignite the fire even after you've used your system.
Trust me, if your inside a car that has an engine compartment fire, you'll be truly shocked at how fast that fire can become fully involved. The first, and foremost thing you'll notice is how fast the passengers compartment starts to fill with toxic smoke, then it gets hot, and it gets HOT REAL FAST. Within a matter of seconds it can get so hot that you won't want to be within 50 feet of that fire.
Trust me, if your inside a car that has an engine compartment fire, you'll be truly shocked at how fast that fire can become fully involved. The first, and foremost thing you'll notice is how fast the passengers compartment starts to fill with toxic smoke, then it gets hot, and it gets HOT REAL FAST. Within a matter of seconds it can get so hot that you won't want to be within 50 feet of that fire.
How would you alter this layout if you were running two batteries?
Does your recent wiring project have you concerned?
I'm gonna have the engine out twice, may as well install fire suppression "while I'm in there..."
Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
'Temporary Fire Suppression' would be more accurate, unless you can disconnect the battery/s remotely the fire will simply restart, as seen a number of times (not just on 80's) is the bonnet release cable and shroud melts and the bonnet cannot open, more often than not your car is toast.
Regards
Dave.
Yeah I've been wondering about a disconnect from the cab--and how to do that without running welding cable into the cab, which just introduces a whole new hazard. Better not spill that drink!
You would probably be safer to just sell it and never leave your house again
Hey, yeah, there's an idea! Why didn't I think of that?
And maybe we should all drive Smart cars that look like shopping carts because, why be safe, right?
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Dave 2000
Not all Land Rovers are useless!
It seems many off roaders want the pin system through the bonnet, but the inspection people here are not keen on them besides, they bloody hurt if you lean on one when working under the bonnet!
Regards
Dave
Some countries require a rotary battery disconnect on the front bumper for precisely that reason.
Hmm. Countries with fewer miscreants than ours, I'm assuming. Also, it seems like putting it on the front bumper would make it the first thing FUBAR'd in a crash. I wonder if you put one (or something like it) under the hood and operate it from the cab? Would also make stealing it more of a hassle.
Many race tracks require one on the rear of the vehicle. Some would hide it behind the taillight lens body.
Use a rotary disconnect on the battery positive lead with a pull cable with handle in the cab.
I'd think CO2 would be preferred over chemical extinguishers.
CO2 doesn't harm anything, doesn't settle and solidify in the cylinder.
If you had an accidental discharge with a chemical extinguisher, you've pretty much written off the vehicle anyway. ABE chemical are highly corrosive. They work by stripping oxygen from the air/ absorbing oxygen. If left in contacted with metal parts, wiring etc you get accelerated oxidation of parts.
Allegedly having one "accidentally" discharge in a car is a guaranteed way to have an insurance company write the car off as wiring, computers, sensors etc will fail in a short period of time.
Same for wet chemical.
I'd think CO2 would be preferred over chemical extinguishers.
CO2 doesn't harm anything, doesn't settle and solidify in the cylinder.
If you had an accidental discharge with a chemical extinguisher, you've pretty much written off the vehicle anyway. ABE chemical are highly corrosive. They work by stripping oxygen from the air/ absorbing oxygen. If left in contacted with metal parts, wiring etc you get accelerated oxidation of parts.
Allegedly having one "accidentally" discharge in a car is a guaranteed way to have an insurance company write the car off as wiring, computers, sensors etc will fail in a short period of time.
Same for wet chemical.
FWIW I recently used a 4.5kg (10lb) CO2 extinguisher to snuff out a runaway diesel engine running at full noise in a tipped over mini excavator.
It took the full cylinder discharged directly into the intake to shut it down. Literally had seconds of spray left as it sputtered to a stop.
It took the full cylinder discharged directly into the intake to shut it down. Literally had seconds of spray left as it sputtered to a stop.
Granted this is taken from the mfr (3M) website, but this is what they say. Whether the reality is different, I dunno...
- Novec 1230 fluid is a waterless fire suppression solution, it leaves no residue and is electrically non-conductive.
- Provides the highest margin of safety for human occupancy of any clean agent solution under the NFPA 2001 standard.
- Novec 1230 fluid extinguishes a fire before it starts by rapidly removing heat. In a typical total flooding system, the fluid is stored as a liquid in cylinders pressurized with nitrogen. Automatic detection sensors trigger release when the fire is at the incipient stage, extinguishing it in mere seconds.
My 2 cents (from a background in specifying fire suppression systems for industrial plants):
- halon dumps are for normal or occassionally occupied rooms
- CO2 is used for unoccupied spaces
- always flood the room/space to deprive it of oxygen - so don't do spot nozzles
- fusible link line detectors are used over engines
- neither halon or CO2 will likely work if the fan is still drawing in air
- halon dumps are for normal or occassionally occupied rooms
- CO2 is used for unoccupied spaces
- always flood the room/space to deprive it of oxygen - so don't do spot nozzles
- fusible link line detectors are used over engines
- neither halon or CO2 will likely work if the fan is still drawing in air
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Not familiar with it.
My comments relate to portable extinguisher types that are really available and cheap to replace.
I would think the more specialised the product, the more expensive it will be, but that's an assumption.
Good point. I'm looking at systems they put in race cars.
