Date:         Tue, 14 Dec 2004 18:12:50 -0800
Reply-To:     jbange <hfinn@INGRATES.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         jbange <hfinn@INGRATES.NET>
Subject:      Re: Westy Fire Extinguisher: Size? Type?
In-Reply-To:  <f2f63123041214163654018a8d@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

>My '88 doesn't have one and I'm about to rectify that. I think a good
>place to mount the bracket would be on the battery compartment on the
>floor behind the passenger's seat, just forward of the sliding door.

That's a good place to keep one (the original stock unit went there), but
hard to get to from the driver's seat. I have one there, and one squeezed
horizontally into the space to the left of the driver's seat, just behind
the lower seatbelt attachment point.

>I'm looking at a 2.5 pound Type ABC (dry chemical), but am unsure
>whether the mounting bracket will fit properly in that space, so I'm
>also curious about how to match the original equipment. Also, any
>specific recommendations would be welcome.
I'm not sure the size of the factory extinguisher, but in the pics I've
seen of it it always looked a little small. I have a pair of 5 pound BC
rated Halon units myself. The ABC rated dry chemical extinguishers are the
most economical, but they have a few drawbacks. The powder inside becomes
caked and clumped over time so they need periodic recharging to ensure the
powder will actually come out when you squeeze the handle. The powder is
also very messy and makes for quite a cleanup job after the fire's out.
Since the majority of fires in vehicles are type "B" (flammable liquid)
with a side order of "C" (electrical), I personally don't think that an "A"
(cloth, paper, plastics, etc.) fire is likely, so I've gone with BC rated
Halon. Halon has the advantage of not needing recharging (unless you use
it, of course) and not leaving any residue once the fire is out. The
downside to Halon is that it's expensive, as further Halon production has
been banned in the US and Canada since 1994.

John Bange
'90 Vanagon "Geldsauger"