Military Fire Extinguishers and their refilling... - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

maddawg308 · 03-12-2008, 16:57

Have a quick question - I heard the fire extinguishers used on MVs from the 1970s up through the early 1990s were filled with Halon, which has since been banned from manufacture due to problems with it being considered a greenhouse gas. That being said, is there a way to refill these old halon-type fire extinguishers with other material, to keep the thing original looking, or are you better off just finding a newer ABC-type extinguisher?

DanMartin · 03-12-2008, 17:07

I've been down this road...you can get them refilled, but it is hard to find and very expensive (a bit like trying to refill an R-12 AC system, only harder). Halon is still allowed for certain high-risk applications, but since it's not produced in large quantities any longer, it's very expensive.

I would go with an ABC bottle. You can get them at Costco for minimal investment. A bit more cleanup if used, but probably less than the *fire* you're trying to put out.

FrankUSMC · 03-12-2008, 17:52

I never seen Halon issued with a truck. It does not leave any residue, and if you are fighting a fuel fire, that makes it easy for the fire to reflash. Note, Halon WILL KILL you very fast. It displaces the air in your lungs. We lost a Marine here back while I was in. He was in an open warehouse unpacking some "empty" halon extengusers. As he picked up one, he tested it to see if it was empty. Other Marines stated just a little Halon shot out of the extenguser, the Marine dropped the extenguser, and just dropped to the floor. Just a little Halon killed him.
I have used Halon to fight a CH46 engine fire, it would put the fire out, but the fire kept on reflashing. Did not like it for fighting fires, the only good thing about it, it does not leave a mess.
One of the few, Frank USMC RET

acetomatoco · 03-12-2008, 17:56

Be sure you have a new fresh civvy one in your vehice. If you want to display an old one like a Carbon Tet or halon, Put a sign on it "display only do not use". Have the fresh one in a easy to get at place. Most antique car shows require you to have a new one and display it at the LF tire (Don't use it as a chock).

DanMartin · 03-12-2008, 17:57

Speaking of CH46 engine fires...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrUG5xQOXjY

CARNAC · 03-12-2008, 19:17

Thank God they all got out.

DanMartin · 03-12-2008, 19:26

Yeah. Just goes to show how these guys are out there risking it all for our safety and security every day.

jasonjc · 03-12-2008, 22:43

Most of the truck fire extinguisher are "purple-k" per the dash 10. It a dry type compond. I think it's better than the ones you get at the big box stores, but not shure.

Just looked up purple-k and as i thought it is the most effective for fuel (class B) fires.

GunnersHusband · 03-12-2008, 22:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonjc

Most of the truck fire extinguisher are "purple-k" per the dash 10. It a dry type compond. I think it's better than the ones you get at the big box stores, but not shure.

I agree purple K or PKP is good stuff, we use it aboard ship for bravo/flammable liquid fires........... making it an ideal choice for large trucks, we used them in fire school a few years back and they are very effective. Refilling a Halon extinguisher with anything but Halon is questionable, however CO2 is a good substitute if you're looking for an oxygen displacing agent I still don't think you can put it back in the same bottle but who knows.......

as far as the cost is concered, buy an ABC, or just a BC.

Oldvw2 · 03-13-2008, 09:04

We still have some here at the plant I work at as a clean agent extinguishing system for one of the control/MCC rooms. To Frank's point, if the discharge alarm rings it is time to exit because it totally floods the space with Halon. The only Halon left is reclaimed($$$) and while my supplier can get it we are slowly moving to other agents like FM200. I don't think you can legally put anything but Halon in a Halon bottle - CO2 bottles are heavier due to the much higher pressure.

We got to shoot Purple K from a large wheeled unit on a flammable liquid fire at school - good stuff and very effective. For vehicles, I've been installing a minimum of 5lb ABC drychems although some of the loaders and tractors carry 10lbs due to the large volumes of hydraulic oil and the hot times that can result