The fire extinguisher in my garage is almost 20 years old now and the pressure gauge is right at the edge of the red zone. That means it’s time to order a new one!
Decided to get two because it seems like a good idea to have one out by the grill (and they’re a better deal that way) 👍
Very excited because this means I get to play teach the kids how to properly use a fire extinguisher with the old one! Been a while since we used the fire pit out back…
It’s very important to have fire extinguishers… I had to use mine yesterday! Lost a lot of good board games.
Luckily I caught the fire right when it started or I would have lost almost everything I own.
Oh shit! Glad you’re safe. How did the fire start?
I was welding outside the shipping container, going to make a mount to hold solar panels.
I knew this was a possibility, but I didn’t think anything was behind where I was welding. I was wrong lol
Just check it if it’s a foam one. If it is a 20 year old foam one don’t discharge it in your garden - these almost certainly are full of PFAS(forever chemicals) that you really really don’t want there.
I am a great fan of fire safety equipment. I keep one in every automobile that I periodically drive, and there’s even a mini one that attaches to my motorbike.
I have thought of bringing fire extinguishers as a present when going to housewarming parties. After all, who else is going to bring that as a present? And the best part is that if their housewarming gets too warm, then suddenly my present becomes immediately useful haha
Great idea. I need to get more fire extinguishers and replace smoke detectors
Keep in mind that fire extinguishers have a safe storage temperature. It varies from type to type but is generally at the 120-130 F range. Ironic.
So your extinguisher in your car is potentially regularly reaching that if you live in a hot climate and park outdoors. Which means you potentially have degraded performance and could even see a pressure/leakage issue if it continues too much.
So probably not a catastrophic failure (I mean… it is a fire extinguisher) but nowhere near as safe as you think. External motorbike one is probably fine though.
I have one that I keep with my camping gear as “just in case” but don’t see much of a reason to keep it in my car’s emergency bag. I figure if my car catches on fire I am fucked anyway.
I have a fire extinguisher in the car I got for autocross (it’s mounted to the roll bar), but not my other cars.
I’ve always imagined that if I need to deploy my car’s fire extinguisher, it is in aid of a fire somewhere along the road. I’ve personally never been in a car on fire, but I’ve seen three car fires on the highway and maybe a half dozen brush fires.
Here in flammable California, the best approach to fire is to not start them, and the next best is to put them out in their nascent stages. If me having a fire extinguisher at the right time and place means preventing untold destruction and misery, then there’s little reason not to. Do I really expect to be that lone hero that stops the next catastrophic blaze? Definitely not, and I hope not to be. But it’s an ounce of prevention and I’ll do my part.
Oh hey, I’ve been that fire on the road! Luckily a good Samaritan came along with a fire extinguisher!
If it is a fire that you can see from the side of the road? It is probably big enough that one can isn’t gonna do it (and also understand that fire extinguishers have a lot of chemicals that may not be good for the environment. And that not all forest fires are bad and many actually are healing the forest so that there aren’t massive ones). Like, there is a reason that even the “My daddy and his daddy before him were fire fighters” guys are scared shitless of wildfires. They get REAL big REAL fast and they have a tendency to cut people off. Just call the fire department.
And if you somehow spot it while it is still tiny? Just use a jug of water in the back of your car which is a much better thing to carry around anyway.
Prevention is not roleplaying being a hero. Prevention is understanding what you can and can’t do and making sure those who can get the information ASAP. And deciding you are whichever Baldwin was in Backdraft and rushing in with a degraded fire extinguisher that will mostly just drip toxic chemicals in the forest ain’t it.
I do it! I bring one and a CO/Smoke alarm.
I’m in the process of buying my first house.
Wanna be my friend?
FYI, in some places fire stations hand out free smoke and CO detectors.
Ha! In all seriousness don’t forget to get proper detectors and an extinguisher or two!
I have one…but it’s like 4 years old. Probably due for replacement.
I did consider the CO and smoke alarm too, but at least here in California, they’re supposed to check that those are present when transacting a house sale. Whether they have to be functional, idk. But maybe I’ll also bring a pair of 9v batteries for good measure.
From what I understand, smoke alarms now require a 10 year battery, no longer needing replacement.
CO detectors still seem to use replaceable though.
Depends on state and local ordinances as to whether the sealed are required
In my state for example (PA) there is no statewide law for them. Some municipalities like Philadelphia require them but more rural areas like where I live do not, so I can still buy 9v non interconnected detectors at home depot or wherever. But iirc new construction and renovation requiring permits around here requires interconnection (not sure about sealed)
It’s dumb not to get them though. Who wants to deal with a chirp? First thing I did when I bought my house was overhaul smoke detectors, add heat detectors to the attic and garage, fire extinguishers, and one of those collapsible fire ladders to second floor bedroom.
It’s mind boggling how people overlook this stuff. The old owner had 1 detector for the whole house and it was 16 years old by the date code. We have 6 now plus 2 heat detectors. I also added a relay and a Shelly trigger so if they go off I get a push notification through home assistant. It was like $800 for everything, c02 and smoke, extinguishers, the ladder, etc. a lot of money but it’s literally my life and the largest purchase I’ve ever made
Get some of the ones with long internal batteries. Or if you still get the 9v ones truly replace the batts every clock change and the unit every 5 years or so.
Ever since my family lost our VW Vanagon camper to an engine fire I keep one in my cars.
Oof, car fires are tough to put out.
Even if you do, odds are there’s still extensive damage.
Still better than it turning into an inferno, if nothing else for the safety of everyone.
Yeah, poor thing was totaled because the mechanic left an oily rag on the engine.
We got another one but it was an automatic and not a true Westfalia.
This is a great idea! We had them on our “to buy” list when we bought our house and they ended up falling by the wayside.
Fast forward 4.5 years where we had a small grease fire in the oven and now we have general use ones on each level, a kitchen specific one and a fire blanket in the pantry for stove top fires.
You are not kiddeng around about your fire safety anymore.
Take CERT classes. I dare you NOT to run out afterward and buy multiple fire extinguishers.
Step 1: light a fire
Step 2: place fire extinguisher in the middle of the fire.
Step 3: retreat a safe distance.When you hear the bang, the fire should be extinguished.
Or scattered.
I’m completely sure that this would absolutely sort out the overheating problem, unless it makes it even worse.
I brought 6 smoke alarms today! Yay! Fire safety!
Just want to point out.
Kidde does not have good running with extinguishers.
Get a badger or Amerex, and get it from an actual supplier, they’ll know the good ones and keep it serviced for you too.
and get it from an actual supplier.
Unfortunately, that creates friction for [what I suspect is] the majority of folks who aren’t used to shopping at places other than big-box department or grocery stores. I, for one, have no idea where any actual suppliers near me even are. I mean, sure, I could do a maps search for “fire extinguisher stores” or something, but even then I have no good way of knowing which ones are open to the public (as opposed to doing B2B stuff).
Buying a two-pack of First Alert extinguishers when I happen to notice it on sale at Costco is way less hassle. (Speaking of which, do you have opinions about that brand?)
Kidde and first alert are kinda on par with each other, why they are sold at the big box stores.
Anything with a metal head that’s serviceable, I have a strike first in my home, one of the cheaper “commercial” call them brands.
If you don’t know any, condos and stores have them, look at one of their service tags and give them a call, most shouldn’t have an issue making a sale and potentially repeat service business.
Fire code requires their service, so most commercial places should be following along, but that depends on also how much your FD and jurisdictions cares to enforce the rules.
That service part is key. It makes it essentially a one time purchase. You spend more upfront but then you only need them inspected and charged periodically.
Reuse reduce baby.Every 6 years it needs a 6-year service and every 12 years a hydro test. Other than that it can sit up off the floor anywhere you want.
Mine has “expired” in 2016 but the needle is still in the green zone. At times I spin the bottle around a bit and then put it back to keep it active.
I ws trained in the use of extinguishers while in the Army. We used expired extinguishers from a maintenance company. They explained that they had to be maintained every 3 years, not because loss of pressure, but because seals and mechanisms could get stuck. Don’t be in a sense of false security
get a new on, those gauges are wrong way too often for a piece of safety equipment
Good work! (am firefighter) - a great chance to practice with the old one too! Reminds me I need to replace the one on my jeep.
Upvote because I respect firefighters. I don’t respect cops. I don’t care about our military.
But firefighters, and EMS/everyone in a hospital, are people I respect a lot.
Now, the people who set the pricing scheme for the medical industry can go fuck off into a volcano. It shouldn’t BE an industry. You never hear people say “the firefighting industry”. Which is good. I’ve never heard anyone badmouth the concept of fire fighters services.
A question: What’s a firefighter’s opinion on fire-smothering blankets?
I have not see them in use live in 20 years on this job. I personally would tinker with one screwing around if I had one but I would not go rely on one. Ansel systems, extinguishers, and good ole water are fine for now.
Though I hear there are trials for blankets to use at car fires even!
I was just thinking, I have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and had to use a previous one once before. It made such a huge mess, ruining the food that wasn’t on fire as well. So later on I found myself reluctant to use it. Which I guess is probably good in that I was more careful to avoid causing any fire in the first place, but still… And when my most recent previous extinguisher hit the expiration date and I replaced it, of course I tried out the old one, but it fizzled. So although the new one is better, I wonder if a simple smothering blanket might be a good additional option.
if there is a fire that you cannot cover with a pot lid, that is the priority over the rest of the food. Use something known to work and be safe about it. :)
weird question, do fire stations have old fire extinguishers that they throw out?
we usually send them off for disposal or empty them and dispose of them. our ones on the apparatus are rechargeable/servicable.
How should I practice exactly? Won’t the foam fuck up basically anything I spray it on?
Fresh air outside. A small fire in a pit. A few youtube videos first on the “PASS” method. (Pull Aim Squeeze Sweep)
In all my life I’ve never seen a fire extinguisher in a home setting.
Really? I’ve always had 1 in the kitchen. Never had to use it but it’s nice that it’s right there, accessible.
Yeah, I don’t think they’re common here in Australia for residential needs.
Now you have, in our pantry corner.
The extinguishers I bought came with a little piece of plastic to mount them on the wall. So I did that. They stick out like a sore thumb, which I want. If there’s a fire, I don’t want anyone scratching their head saying “now where do we keep the fire extinguisher?”
Mine are just always kept under the sink
Don’t things catch fire in Australia? I mean I’ve never had a house fire myself but would always have an extinguisher in the house no matter where I lived.
Usually all the deadly local fauna get you before the fires clean up any evidence.
Do y’all have mostly gas or electric ranges?
Gas.
What’s the plan in the event of a fire?
Say it’s an electrical fire. Gonna throw water on it?
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Awesome, congrats!
Costco and Sam’s Club both sell 2-packs for the price most places charge for a single extinguisher.
Get a couple more - we keep one by the door of every room now.
I’ve had to use an extinguisher a few times in my life - fires are much harder to extinguish than most people realize, even with a good size extinguisher.
An extinguisher is only effective in the early stages of a fire, so having them close by makes a difference.
bought mine 14 years ago, maybe i need to replace 🤔
You definitely need to at least recharge it and have it inspected if it hasent been in 14 years, if it’s a serviceable one. Take it to your local fire department, they’ll usually be able to tell you if it’s serviceable and do the care needed to make sure it’s still functional like recharging
Username does not check out >.>
I only bought two!
Many firehalls (at least the ones in Canada) will recharge your fire extinguisher for free if you bring it by.
Iirc, there are different types of fire extinguishers, and only some are rechargable. Good point though!
From the sound of it, as long as you can take it apart, it is in good condition, and the head and valve aren’t made of plastic, you can refill the suppressing agent (water, foam, CO2 or powder) and repressurize it. If it doesn’t leak, you should be good to go. Plastic working parts seem to indicate the disposable models. I guess take it in and see what they say – one site said they may even refill a disposable if it’s fairly new and holds up well to the process. I see there are some local guidelines that say you should replace anything after x years, regardless of condition, so results may vary.
Good to know!
