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What do ya'll recommend for fire extinguishers? I was at the AACA meet in Fredericksburg last weekend and they had these white fire extinguishers on all of their cars. Shoulda checked them out then.

Thanks

Tinpan

I carry one in my car. Saltydog

IMHO, a Halon extinguisher is the best - if you can find one. Production of the Halon agent was banned in 1994, limiting production, but still recommended by the FAA for use in aircraft.

'Halotron 1' is reported to be a compatible replacement and recently approved by the FAA. It takes very little Halon to extinguish a fire, but 2-3 times as much Halotron.

There's also CO2, but keep in mind that its high-pressure discharge can scatter loose burning material, like paper, wood, etc. Exercise caution when using in confined spaces, as it displaces 02.

My preferences are to avoid the widely available foam and dry-chemical types, which leave a residue behind; cleaning that mess up is costly.

I carry a small red fire extinguisher under my front seat. Some clubs require members to carry fire extinguishers, which I personally think is a good idea. You can find something like a 2 1/2 pound Balkamp car extinguisher at NAPA, for instance.

BH:

It may be costly to clean up the mess after using a fire extinguisher on your engine, but it is a hell of a lot cheaper than having to replace your car!

Craig

Halon, Halotron and CO2 leave no residue behind.

I have 3-4 halon extinguishers of varying capacity - ranging from the smallest one, stowed in the trunk of my daily driver, to a larger, chrome-plated unit, reserved for show-n-go in the Packards.

Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances.

Just get one of the cheapest small dry chem fire extinguishers u can find. They are worthless for anything but to win a smiling contest during the awards presentation or maybe to win a Cub Scout troop banner pin. But u WILL win the smiling contest or the achievement pin. Don't waste anytime trying to put out a REAL fire with one tho. If the fire is small enuf for the small dry-chem to extinguish then it could probably been extinguished anyway with your shirt or a shop cloth.

I use the CO2 for serious safety precautions. Have 3 of them. They are about the size of a scuba diving tank and one is about 1/2 that size. I keep them in the house and the shop because the house and the shop are a hell of a lot more important than some 50 years old car.

What do i carry in my cars???? The small dry chem and double bed blanket sometimes 2 such blankets. The blankets are good for smothering out a fire.

I also have a water filled fire extinguisher.

For serious auto fire fighting the large CO2 or Halon will do the job most everytime. The type of small easy to stow fire extinguishers are only symbolism.

I'll bet thay had some of those little white fire extinguishers for sale too.

Halon is best but is illegal to make or sell but sometimes you find old stock at the flea market or eBay.

Halotron or the like is good but expensive, I get em at Grainger

If your car is a total piece of junk, carry an ABC dry chemical and the damage caused by the extinguisher is worse than the fire. You can always get $100 at the recycle yard.

In old cars that sometimes sit for a while a simple backfire with the air cleaner off can start a gasoline fire you can't put out without an extinguisher; then you pop the hood and the whole thing explodes.

I have seen this done and I carry a old stock Halon where I can reach it quick.

Jim