Fire Safety.

[Lakota Wolf]

It should be written in stone that EVERY RV'er should have more then ONE Fire extinguisher. I occasionally get a wild hair to go L@@KING at the NEW RV's, The A's,,B,s C's, Bumper pulls and 5th's. Just to see what new and improved plastics and fiber board they are implementing in them.  3 out of a dozen or more that I walked through,,,had a fire extinguisher in them. When I questioned the saleman or woman about the lack of them,, They said that its the customers obligation to have one put in if they want one. REALLYYYYYYYYYY ?????????.

Ok,,, Call me paranoid, over cautious,, even crazy. (I don't mind really).. But I have 4 fire extinguishers in my RV and one on the outside. I did have a Halon extinguisher installed in the vent hood above the stove, But due to certain laws and restrictions etc.etc.etc. I have removed it. Halon is the KING of extinguishers,, Its designed to remove oxygen from the air.. Was a good idea when first introduced, But does have safety and health issues surrounding its use. I don't recommend using it in an enclosed place, especially the confines of a smaller RV. I was only using a 4 oz unit which can remove oxygen from the surrounding area up to 30 square feet in a matter of seconds.

I now only use Class D extinguishers, paper,wood,electrical etc. I have them inspected every year so I know they will be ready if I ever have to use them. There are fairly cheap, considering what they do,,and its always better then to have them and not need them, then to need one and not have one, or two or three.. So before you head off to visit a new place and just take a breather or even choose full time.. Check your fire extinguishers, and if you think you need one more, then don't hesitate,, get the extra one.

F>Y>I... A 26 foot bumper pull trailer once a fire has started and not contained quickly, will burn to nothing in 7 minutes.

[Lakota Wolf]

Refering to the now outlawed extinguisher,,its either Halon or Halite,,,,,,, The Gov. still uses it in computer rooms because its safe around electrical systems. Its sole purpose when putting out a fire was to remove oxygen for the fire to feed off of. And yes,,,,,,, every few months,, SHAKE the extiguishers to break up any settling that occurs.

[Rich Thomas]

Just a word of caution, make sure your down wind of the dry chemical as it will take your breath as well; especially in a confined area such as the interior of your R.V. An other note about the dry chemical  extinguishers the powder is like talcum consistency much like Nestle Quick and will settle into a hard pack. when you do your P.M. inspection you should turn them over and shake the powder loose so they will be more effective when needed.  

[Jim Stoltz]

Halon was phased out starting in 1994. It was very effective, but apparently poked holes in the ozone later. I was in the data center business in the early 2000s. I can't remember the substitute that we used, but it worked the same way - deprived the fire (and any living thing that happened to be in the room) of oxygen. It didn't damage the computing hardware like water or powder - left no residue. The most common portable fire extinguishers nowadays are dry chemical (powder). 

[R. Randall Halton]

Halon is the primary chemical used in extinguishers isn't it. Might be spelled different. Your right Lakota about the compulsory factor of having one on board a vehicle. The rechargeable one have escalated in price allot. I was look'n at one to put in the hitch area of the Teardrop I'm build'n and the prices were high. I had a built in one designed for a Ford SVO Ranger I built, and I had about $135. invested in the onboard kit to be installed. Funny thing is (really not funny), I never got it installed on the SVO due to a divorce & the local Sheriff's not wanting to enforce a court order on my behalf. It blew-up on I-95. Literally. So your right Lakota.

[Russell E Johnson]

Thanks for the information about shaking Jim, I did not know that, will give them a good shaking today.

[Jimco_W001]

TJ bought another Winnebago motorhome after his first one caught fire.

[T.J.]

Never found out for sure what started this fire. It appeared that it was a electrical fire in the corner under the dash on the floor. Fortunately it started shortly after we got back from a short trip and had gone in the house.

[Jim Stoltz]

Size matters, too. You get about a second per pound when using them. So a 2.5 lb extinguisher will give you about 2.5 seconds. Probably adequate for a grease fire in the kitchen, but I have a 10 lb. unit in the closet just in case (in addition to 2, 2.5 lb. ones - one behind the driver's seat and one by the entry door). Also, the powder settles over time and can cake at the bottom or side of the extinguisher greatly reducing its effectiveness. It will still show a good charge, but it won't work properly. They need to be shaken up once every couple of months.

[T.J.]

Yep! Wouldn't have helped in this case but????? This is what could happen in 7min until the fire department got there.

[Russell E Johnson]

We had 3 but took one into the house so I need to get it replaced.  Ours are located in the front, middle and stern.  No more than 5 steps to one from any place.  BTW, good blog about fire safety, thank you,