Universal Fire extinguisher type

[mtompson]

Hi
If you were going to buy just one type of extinguisher, powder co2 etc for the inside of your boat, what type would you go for?

The boat is GRP, gas cooking, diesel heating, diesel engine, petrol for outboard stored in cockpit.

thanks

[SVRocinante]

Not sure how it translates, but here in the states, we have 1 B-I & 1 B-II fire extinguishers aboard our 40 footer. The B indicates that it's to put out fires in liguids (deisel, gasoline, etc.) and the I/II are USCG indicators for size - 5 & 10 lbs of dry chemical respectively.

Hope this helps.

[mtompson]

Thanks Carlos & Maria!

[transmitterdan]

I see no reason to limit it to just one type. I think for a 48 foot boat a couple of CO2 units as large as you can manage plus some powder types in the quantity and size that ensure legal carriage for a boat that size. Many boats do not consider water as a fire fighting tool. But it can be very effective when fighting non liquid fuel fires. I think it is better to have multiple strategies along with proper training in fighting fires at sea. There is no one perfect type of extinguisher because boats contain many different flammable materials.

[mtompson]

good advice transmitterdan, I think I will start with some new dry powder, and add some extra pairs of co2 and water as soon as I can.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

... Many boats do not consider water as a fire fighting tool. But it can be very effective when fighting non liquid fuel fires. I think it is better to have multiple strategies along with proper training in fighting fires at sea. There is no one perfect type of extinguisher because boats contain many different flammable materials.

Bingo. Also a fire blanket (which can be a wool blanket).

Fire extinguishers are wonderful for quickly engaging fuel and electrical fires in complex spaces, but they have two serious short comings:

1. They don't last long (always save the last bit for mop-up).

2. They don't cool the embers. Fires often re-light. Water is good for this.

And, of course, there is the mess. Separate subject.

Was he joking about "getting a pair of ... water soon"? It comes in a bucket with a rope. Also a wash down pump with a long hose. But I suppose a pressure extinguisher would have uses. It can also be charged with foam. for class AB.

[mtompson]

I have some fire blankets, thanks for all the posts, to be honest I hadn't considered water, but I will now.

[stnick]

I changed some of my extinguishers to Haylon its easier to clean up I did clean up after a powder type once with a gally fire. Never again. not very cheep. I also installed a fire port in my pull away stairs for engine access.
Lee M 384 Morgan

[S/V Alchemy]

There's a series of "disaster" videos here that are among the best I've ever seen in which a boat is sunk, set alight and eventually blown up. The "set alight" ones are going to be good answers to your question: Crash Test Boat videos - Yachting Monthly

[oleman]

General information, you have to meet government requirements.
Hylon for flammable liquids. Seawater for paint and other dry tender (PLASTIC HULLS) and when all the compressed "STUFF" is consumed.
CO2 for electrical and non contaminating electronics spaces. Also the extinguisher of choice for fire watches around hot-work and gas engines and snuffing a run-away engine.
Dry chemical for your shore based kitchen, I personally use CO2.
Eductors for de-watering to keep the vessel afloat after the fire is out.

[Cadence]

By a couple of dry chemicals CG approved. I believe they are ABC classed. A mess was mentioned, beats the alternative. CO2 tanks are heavy. I believe I saw a post were the tree huggers were on the Halogens.

[medevicerep]

Having put out a few industrial coffee roaster fires, I highly recommend CO2. Definitely worth the extra cost. Dry chemical is very effective but murder to clean up after. CO2 will both starve the oxygen and cook the surface.

[redsky49]

In the US, most "Labeled" fire extinguishers are indicated for BC (essentially oils and electrical), or ABC (which also includes paper and wood).

NFPA sets the standards here. Find their website for further information.

Halon (currently banned due to ozone depleting qualities) has several alternatives (Halotron for example), and would be a good, though expensive, choice for engine compartment, for example. Smaller handheld units next to galley stove or electrical panel would also be good.

The dry chemical extinguishers, using various soda formulations, have limitations. Their main plus is that they are inexpensive. They are a disaster to clean up and may also be corrosive.

Aqueous Film, also know as foam or AFFF, are an excellent choice, though not widely accepted in the US outside commercial and institutional use. They both cool the fire and remove the oxygen, lessening the re-ignition of combustible matter. The "Fire Triangle" consists of combustible material, heat and oxygen. Remove any component and the fire stops.

CO2 is good, though perhaps not the first choice and should be used with the understanding that it depletes/supplants oxygen in an enclosed space.

Too often this decision is made on cost. That means that most vessels have sodium bicarbonte/Purple K dry chemical extinguishers on board, when prudence would suggest something better.

[jmschmidt]

All US commercial airplanes carry water fire extinguishers as well as the other types in the passenger cabin.

[Pete7]

There was a recent long thread here were we established that halon has been banned the world over apart from USA

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...on-184681.html

What ever you choose buy lots of big ones. Do look carefully at AFFF rather than dry powder and do investigate how long an extinguisher will last. A small Dry Powder ext will last a remarkably short period of time.


Pete