Date:         Tue, 30 Apr 1996 14:39:46 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Kirk D. Hilliard" <kdh5j@emmy.math.virginia.edu>
Subject:      Re: Clean Fire Extinguishers

I finally found a retailer of CO2 fire extinguishers.  (My thanks go
to the list member who suggested the obvious -- checking the yellow
pages under fire extinguishers.)  Here are the specs on two CO2 models
and, for comparison, two dry chemical extinguishers -- the Red Gap
that came with my '77 Westy and the Kiddie that I carry as a backup.

Model              5 lb CO2   10 lb CO2  Red Gap    Kiddie
Rating             5-B:C      10-B:C     5-B:C      1-A:10-B:C
Gross Weight       13 1/8 lb  26 lb      2 1/2 lb   3 1/2 lb
Height             17 in      19 3/8 in  12 3/4 in  14 in
Width              8 1/2 in   10 7/8 in  3 in       4 1/2 in
Cylinder Diameter  5 1/4 in   6 7/8 in   2 7/8 in   3 1/4 in
Cost               $117.90    $171.35    ?          about $10

While I would never be without a dry chemical extinguisher, I would
like to carry a small "clean" fire extinguisher to try first.  The
high price for the CO2 extinguishers is probably a function of the
higher working pressure (~1000 psi vs. ~100 psi -- is that about
right?) and lower volume of sales compared to the dry chemical
extinguishers.

$120 is a lot of money for a fire extinguisher, but I just might get
one.  I put out a small electrical fire behind the dashboard of my
pickup (non-VW) with a dry chemical extinguisher, and I never could
get it all cleaned up.

With the thousands of dollars that some people put into auto sound
equipment, I am surprised that there is not a larger market for
"clean" fire extinguishers.

Kirk Hilliard
kdh5j@virginia.edu

'77 Westy


P.S.  Once or twice a year, take your dry chemical fire extinguisher,
turn it upside down, and beat on it with a rubber mallet or with the
heel of your hand to make sure that the powder has not caked.  You
should be able to hear the powder shift as you turn the extinguisher
upside down.

It goes without saying that you should regularly check the pressure
via the dial or the indicator stick.


P.P.S.  For those in central Virginia, the CO2 extinguisher retailer
that I found was Extinguisher Sales and Service, Inc. in Harrisonburg,
VA, (800) 842-1183.  Several other places that I called only do
industrial business.