> >> > What is the best type of extinguisher for our Vanagons? > > >From this thread, and others in the past, I have decided that the best > fire extinguisher is several bags of sand....... > > John Many dry powder extinguishers use sodium bicarbonate (sodium hydrogen carbonate) because it decomposes when heated to produce carbon dioxide which displaces oxygen, smothering the fire. This does not work on magnesium fires because magnesium atoms can suck the oxygen right out of the carbon dioxide molecule and keep burning. So for magnesium try sand or just get out of the way. If you look in the pool supplies section at a home center, etc., you can find large containers of sodium bicarbonate "pH adjuster" for a reasonable price. Or you can buy lots of baking soda. :-} Larry A. |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.