Both my 911 cars have a Halon fire extinguisher. Even before Halon I had one as a kid with my 356 cars...
John
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Both my 911 cars have a Halon fire extinguisher. Even before Halon I had one as a kid with my 356 cars...
John
I am not a fire fighting professional and not affiliated with Element. However, it seems logical, convenient, and appropriate for casual enthusiasts (which I am) to purchase and carry an Element E50 unit.
As shown in the photo, I store one at easy reach next to the drivers seat. The Tactical Sleeve looks good. It also keeps the extinguisher secure while driving. And most importantly, with minimal wasted motion and the least number of panicked steps possible; this storage location allows me to switch off the ignition, open the door, open the engine cover, grab the extinguisher, and attempt to extinguish the fire.
Based on the premise that if an automotive fire is not extinguished within the first minute, Element suggests you are best advised to clear the area. As such, they recommend the 50-second, E50 unit for automotive use.
Paul with Element was extremely helpful and responsive, asking me to encourage everyone on the ESR forum to contact Element directly for questions and support.
https://elementfire.com/
Well, this is why I love this community …. After reading through this thread and seeing another unfortunate early 911 catch on fire in Colorado Springs over the weekend, I am convinced that I am ill-prepared for a similar tragedy. Thanks to you guys, I just picked up two E50’s to put into my 1968 911L and my 1936 Chris Craft 19’ Runabout. There is just too much to lose, so thanks for the reminder to be prepared!
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I try and have a spare. If I'm doing a drive with some other vintage car folks, or see an issue on the side of the road. I want to be able to help them and still take care of my car if need be.
The halon is 14 years old. I bought it from Dave at TRE. Do people service these things to make sure there good to go?
Double Element is a good start for safety ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Pomares
I have 2 E50s in the glovebox. But if there is a fire in the engine compartment, I heard that it's best to leave the deck lid closed if possible so as not to introduce a whole bunch of additional oxygen to the blaze, and to spray the extinguisher down through the deck lid grill? Am I correct in this, or am I misremembering? Thanks.
I think you’d have a hard time hitting the source of the blaze through a grill. No matter the type of typical car extinguisher, always aim at the source (assuming you can find it!). Halon is a different story. There you want to displace the oxygen, but it works best in enclosed spaces.
Here’s my Element. I repurposed the bracket I had for a standard extinguisher and then added two rubberized metal clips that you can buy on Amazon for hanging gardening tools and such. Pretty much the easiest place to reach in an emergency.
Ravi
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I have seen a number of YouTube videos where the Element fire extinguishers are put to the test and fail miserably. Has anyone on the Registry actually used an Element fire extinguisher to put out an engine fire?
Fortunately, I have not actually used an Element or any other extinguisher. And as I mentioned in a previous post, I am not affiliated with Element. However, @prs356, your concern is valid and functionality is clearly important. To expand our due diligence and as an attempt to address your observation, I asked Element about the unfavorable YouTube videos. Below is their response:Quote:
Originally Posted by prs356
Bryan,
There are several such videos floating around and I have a few comments.
An extinguisher is a tool like any other and there are right and wrong tools for every job. There is a reason that proper fire extinguisher testing is conducted under extremely controlled conditions and that extinguishers are rated by fire size and fire type they are best suited for; so that you are getting the right tool for the job. Our extinguisher is designed for incipient stage fires and performs best in enclosed spaces and on liquid, gas and electrical fires. These are the conditions, incidentally, that you will most likely encounter in a car fire. Like most gaseous extinguishers, however, ours performs less well in open windy conditions and on trash and/or coal fires. In most of the negative videos I have seen, the fire is far too large or is being conducted under conditions that our device is not suited for. This is without getting into how poorly/inconsistently such tests are being performed when compared to industry standards. Regrettably, online content is very frequently designed to generate clicks and attention and this is often at odds with providing reliable information.
Ultimately we can hang our hat quite confidently on the certifications and approvals obtained from recognized, independent, third-party testing and certification bodies worldwide. These are on our website and I would put them against amateur YouTube content any day of the week. What is not on our website yet is that we have also recently received final approval by Mercedes Benz for installation of our extinguisher ex-works Sindelfingen for some international markets as well as approval for distribution throughout the Mercedes Benz international dealer network. We are also now an approved Mopar (Stellantis) vendor through their aftermarket parts program and you will shortly be able to order our extinguisher through any Mopar dealer in North America. You might imagine the scrutiny that a product needs to pass before reaching these milestones and I believe these endorsements speak for themselves.
Hope this addresses your concerns.
Kind Regards,
Paul
www.elementfire.com