The alternator in my truck caught fire a while back. Saw the smoke, grabbed the 2lb extinguisher from the cab, popped the hood and sprayed the flaming connector. Fire went out for maybe 30 seconds and started flaming again. Thankfully I was in the front yard, near, but far enough from the house. Ran inside, grabbed the phone and a 5lb extinguisher. Called 911 while I yanked the plug and dumped all of the extinguisher into the socket of the alternator.
Fire was out by the time the FD arrived, but they nearly called an ambulance for me because I was choking on the extinguisher cloud.
Took me a few days to get over it. I should have let it go. That truck was nothing but trouble.
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- Fri Sep 04, 2020 3:15 pm
- Forum: Off-Topic
- Topic: Fire Extinguisher Advice?
- Replies: 14
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- Thu Sep 03, 2020 9:39 am
- Forum: Off-Topic
- Topic: Fire Extinguisher Advice?
- Replies: 14
- Views: 2808
Re: Fire Extinguisher Advice?
Not recommended for grease fire.
- Wed Sep 02, 2020 3:01 pm
- Forum: Off-Topic
- Topic: Fire Extinguisher Advice?
- Replies: 14
- Views: 2808
Re: Fire Extinguisher Advice?
Kidde and First Alert are the name brands for home extinguishers. A 20 pound unit is a LOT of firepower. And HEAVY. That's 20 pounds of powder plus the metal cylinder... total is more like 30 pounds. I have one out back by the grill. I don't think I'd want to be trying to move through my house in the smoke with that big an extinguisher. YMMV.Rafe wrote: ↑Wed Sep 02, 2020 2:01 pm I was reading through the "November 4th... What are your preparations" topic, and it got me to thinking. Which is seldom a good thing for me to do. But...
It dawns on me, as I look around the house, that my weak link may not be water, food, medicine & first-aid, guns, or ammo. I still had only the "casual homeowner" attitude about fire extinguishers. Three very small residential-sized Kidde extinguishers: garage, kitchen, upstairs. A little grease fire in a pan, I'm good. A molotov cocktail against the front door? A tree on fire in the yard?
Eh... Not so much.
So I'm thinking of upgrading, or more correctly adding two more larger extinguishers. Leave a small one in the kitchen, move the small one in the garage as a 2nd upstairs, and get two new ones for the garage and the utility room...which is off the garage and about 15 feet from the front door, 30 feet from the kitchen.
I don't think I want to bother with anything smaller than 20lb ABC units, and Google shows me some that aren't that badly priced, as in $150ish. I could use something heavier, but I want to make sure my wife can deploy it, so 20lb seems like a good compromise.
But I don't know squat about brands/models of extinguishers other than it's best to buy one that's rated for all three fire types. Anybody an expert and have any advice?
You can get 10 pound units for $50 or so at Lowes or industrial supply that are easier to manage, or, COSTCO will sell you 2 x 5-pound units for about $55 for the pair. Food for thought. You can get a better feel when you pick one up at the store before buying.
Have you ever used an extinguisher? Trained on one? Be sure to watch a few YT videos. Aim at the top of the fuel, not the top of the flame. Practicing with a powder extinguisher is .... icky... lots of stuff I'd rather not inhale. DAMHIK. Your local FD may offer training using water-filled units. Worth a call.