Date:         Fri, 27 Apr 2001 14:42:04 -0700
Reply-To:     Stuart MacMillan <macmillan@home.com>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stuart MacMillan <macmillan@home.com>
Subject:      Re: Ever wonder what's in your fire extinguisher?
Comments: To: Matthew Pollard <poll7356@uidaho.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Matthew,

I finally dug the extinguisher out of the recycling pile, and it is
baking soda, not an ammonium compound. (Whew, a replacement Eurovan
camper is over $40k here with tax!  I can buy a lot of engines,
transmissions, tires, and gas for that. Hell, I could cover it in gold
leaf and still have a lot of money left over.)  It still needs to be
cleaned up though since sodium bicarbonate is mildly basic in solution,
but then maybe it will neutralize the acid rain!

And, this thing never had a trigger lock, just a piece of tape over the
button you push to use it.  Bad design!

Matthew Pollard wrote:
>
> Stu- that ain't baking soda.
>
> It is way way way worst- It is ammonia  phosphate and or ammonia sulfate.
> (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate.) That stuff is extreamly corrosive. I
> would pull out that vacuum cleaner and go through everything that you can
> find, paying particular attention to the instrument cluster and radio.
> That stuff will eat up electronics, optics- like those high end laser
> mirros you have all over the dash- and aluminum.
>
>
> By the way, why didn't you have a trigger lock on your extinguisher?
> Doooohhhh!
>
> -Matthew
--
Stuart MacMillan
Seattle

'84 Vanagon Westfalia w/2.1
'65 MGB (Daily driver since 1969)
'74 MGB GT (Restoring sloooowly)

Personal mechanic for:
'70 MGB GT (Daughter's)

Assisting on Restoration (and spending OPM):
'72 MGB GT (Was daughter's, now son's)
'64 MGB (Son's)

Stripped and gone but their parts live on:
'68 MGB, '73 MGB, '67 MGB GT