Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2000 08:52:50 -0800
Reply-To: Bill Davidson <wdavidson@THEGRID.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bill Davidson <wdavidson@THEGRID.NET>
Subject: Re: Halon Fire Extinguishers in Vanagons
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> Has anyone found a way/location to install a
> Halon fire extinguisher in a Westy's engine compartment?
> I installed one of these in the engine compartment of my
> Ericson 32 sailboat & it gave me immense security.
>
> Among boaters, this installation is routine.
> I heard a while ago that Halon extinguishers were no longer available,
due
> to environmental concernes, but perhaps that is only here in CA.
>
> For those unfamiliar with Halon, it is a type suitable for use only in an
> enclosed area,
and that's one of the problems with using it in a vanagon... the engine
compartment is not closed on the bottom... and halon flows out the
bottom....
It could extingush a fire, flow out the bottom, and then the fire
reignite...
hopefully the halon would not be your only fire extinguisher...
Mostly the problem with putting out a fine in the vanagon is noticing it
before it does too much damage... ie, it's in the rear and unless you are
watching the mirror all the time, most reports say the first thing they
notice is the engine running ruff... they continue driving and only after
noticing smoke in the mirror do they stop...
I installed a fire warning system in my engine compartment... two heat
sensors (from West Marine) and then a piezo buzzer under the dash...
My plan is that if the buzzer goes off, I shut of the engine imediately,
pull over, grab the fire extinguisher from behind the driver's seat, open
the license place door and let rip.... (you don't want to remove the engine
hatch as this will allow more air into the fire)...
for it is automatic & instantly "smothers"
> any fire. It is well know among boaters that these Halons have been know
to
> extinguish a fire to fast that the owner's had no
> knowlege of the explosion at the time, only discovering the evidence later
> when inspecting the engine compartment!
>
> Normally a dyed-in-the-wool CA "tree hugger"--I am willing
> to defy this current ban on Halon for the extra measure of safety it
> provides, especially since the need for it's deployment is slim.
> Surely, a Vanagon aflame is more environmentally damaging than the
> deployment of a small cannister of halon gas!
it's not just the exterior environment...
halon is also toxic to breathe!
Bill
> Peace,
> Phaedra
> '85 Westy-Wolf
>
