Fire Suppression System

[slomove]

Just noticed the other day after a drive with minor fuel smell that the hose connected to the fuel rail exit was dripping (hose clamp got somehow loose). Was only very little but the vicinity to the alternator brought back to my mind that this could as well have ended up in a disaster. IIRC one of the members of this club (or the Birkin mailing list?) lost his Birkin that way. I do have a fire extinguisher on board but that is just one of those wimpy 2.5 pound sticks and I have my doubts it can cope with a spraying fuel hose (the 5-pound models are too long to fit across in front of the passenger seat). The other question that crossed my mind is how to get the bonnet off when it is already burning.

 

Anyway, looking around for alternatives I saw the stubby SPA wet chemical suppression systems, e.g. here.

http://www.hrpworld.com/client_images/ecommerce/client_39/products/3528_hdr_2_l.jpg

I could fit for sure the 2.25 liter system under the passenger's knees, maybe even a bigger one. With FIA homologation I suppose they are technically O.K. and a bit less expensive than Halon systems.

 

Anybody has experience with that? Or other recommendation?

 

Thanks,

 

Gert

 

 

 

 

 

[MHKflyer52]

Hi Gert,

 

My understanding is that the SPA Wet Chemical System work much better than the Halon systems especially if the car is still moving when it is activated plus it provides reflash protection that the Halon system dose not due to well once the gas has dispersed.

[lowflyer]

Any fire extinguisher is better than having none.... that being said, I would give more thought to shutting off the fuel flow first with an easy-to-reach switch. Ditto on shutting down the engine and all of its electrics.

 

If you do have a fire inside the closed hood the worst thing you can do is open the hood. Just adds oxygen to the existing fire.

 

Chances are if you shut down the engine and the fuel pump the fire will not last too long on one of our cars. Damage would likely be done, but that's probably a given anyway. Another good reason for preventative maintenance on the car, especially at the beginning of each season and after it's been "rode hard and put away wet".

 

I've been carrying a fire extinguisher in all of my cars for over 40 years. I've used them at least a half a dozen times, thankfully, never on my car. Heck, I even used one on my neighbors house many years ago.

[Ian7]

What we do on the vintage race cars is to use the system you identified, with the mechanical pull-to-activate T-handle rather than the electrical push button.

 

To this we add a "electrical master switch" that is also pulled to 'OFF' by the same movement that activates the fire bottle.

 

Also want to second the above opinion that you do NOT want to pull the bonnet in a fire.

Grab a hand extinguisher and shoot it through the louvers on the carb side.

 

knock on wood, all this is never an issue.

cheers

[slomove]

Well, I bought and installed a suppression system....not the SPA device but the Firecharger AFFF system. It is not pressurized with a separate CO2 cartridge and I can maintain and refill it myself. It just barely fits in front of the passenger seat (14.5" wide). I now have a 180-degree nozzle in the engine compartment and one to cover the fuel cell. I did not install the recommended nozzle in the cockpit but have a separate hand-held extinguisher in front of the driver seat. Some pictures:

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2076160409_Fixed_Handheld.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1365168291_UnderseatExt.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/138585607_FirewallChange.jpg