[Morten]

When trying to make my car legal for CARS regs. I had to get rid of my 2
Halon fire extinguishers because Halon is banned in Canada.

When reading the rules :

2 - 5 lb.

or

1 - 10 lb.

When shoping the local fire stores I was surprised to discover that this size is only a 2.5 lb. :



http://www.vacmotorsports.com/db/images/gen-fire_extinguisher_.jpg



And this is the 5 lb. :



http://www.safedrives.com/prodimages/amerex/amerex5lb_lg.jpg



I've noticed a lot of cars running the 2 - 2.5 lb. fire extinguishers. Is there a rule that allows them because of a grand fathering clause ?


edit - keep in mind the images are of different sizes, look at the proportion of the valve in relation to the tank.

 

[Wedge]

You should download the CARS rules, they are available here: http://209.250.151.132/CARSRally/Default.aspx?tabid=92

It says a minimum of 1 10BC, or 2 5BC extinguishers. The unit is BC, not lbs. A 10BC fire extinguisher is the same as a 5lb unit.

Also, it says in the rules that "Halon or other similar gases are strongly recommended"
I'm sure that's what everyone would use if it wasn't 4x the cost.

 

[markjb]

Everyone would use Halon if you could get it. It is an illegal substance. No one will sell it to you and no one will recharge or recertify so a halon extinguisher in Canada is useless.

MJB
www.pbrally.ca

 

[Jeff Hagan]

>You should download the CARS rules, they are available here:
>http://209.250.151.132/CARSRally/Default.aspx?tabid=92
>
>It says a minimum of 1 10BC, or 2 5BC extinguishers. The unit
>is BC, not lbs. A 10BC fire extinguisher is the same as a 5lb
>unit.

Actually, the unit of measurement varies whether you're talking about a Class A or B extinguisher. The "C" designation doesn't have any units associated with it - it only indicates that the extinguishing agent is appropriate for an electrical fire.

For Class A extinguishers, the number is the extinguishing power measured in an equivalent amount (in either lbs or gal - I can't remember which) of water.

For Class B extinguishers, the number is the approximate square footage of flammable liquid fire that a non-expert should be expected to put out.

So, a 10BC extinguisher can put out 10 square feet of burning liquid and is safe to use on electrical fires. If you had a 1A-10BC extinguisher, it would be appropriate for other, non-automobile type fires (e.g. grass, wood, etc.).

 

[Morison]

adn to add to teh confusion - Rallywest *requires* 2 extinguishers, not sure if this applys to BC cars or not (I think not)
I know Zibi - at mountain trials - used every extinguisher available.

 

[Morten]

Yeah that was the problem with my Halon's, they were last serviced in 2002 and too old.

When contacting a fire supply store and I asked them if they could dis-charge the halon and then re-fill them with something else. They told me that is illegal in Canada to dis-charge Halon even in a controled environment with adequate filters.

Thank you for the clarification between lb. and BC !

I guess I have twice the fire protection in my car, whcih if needed I'm sure would be welcome.

What replaced Halon ?

Or is there a replacement ?

 

[DaveCotie]

>What replaced Halon ?
>
>Or is there a replacement ?
>
>

I am not sure abouut portable uses, but for fixed applications there are some products. At work we replaced a Halon system (IT Computer room) with FM-200 (hexaflouropropane (sp?)). There is also one called Intergen. The problem with both of these and especially with Intergen, is that you require more of the material than Halon.

Dave C