| AFFF or AR-AFFF foam fire extinguishers [message #327512] |
Tue, 26 December 2017 19:48  |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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Well, It is that time of year where some of us are subjecting our coaches to below freezing temperatures. I usually post a warning about freezing and foam type fire extinguishers earlier in the year. I forgot to do it this year. If you have any foam fire extinguishers and live where it will go below freezing, remove them and store them somewhere where it is above freezing.
If you have one of these little spray cans from Firefight and others, it will freeze below 32 degrees. If you have one of the Kidde 2 liter ones that we bought many years ago, it will freeze below +14. On others you will have to ask the manufacturer / supplier what the freezing point is.
I thought that I had moved all of mine inside to warmer areas. Then this morning I remembered that I had two that I had not removed in my truck that is parked inside at the airport. So today I made a special trip to the airport to retrieve the forgotten 2. Well, my indoor thermometer said it was 18 when I got there. It was -5 outside when I got up this morning and right now it is -1 at 6PM. I retrieved the two spray can type extinguishers and one is frozen solid but still intact. The other had frozen and exploded inside my truck. The contents are refrozen all over the place. I cleaned up what I could and threw away the extinguisher. The other one is at home thawing out in a laundry tub with a cover on it in case it decides to also explode while warming up.
So a word of warning. If you have AFFF Foam extinguishers from any manufacturer, and it is going below freezing where you are, REMOVE THEM NOW. If you find frozen intact ones, slowly thaw them out and remix the contents.
When freezing, much like salt water, the water and the AFFF concentrate inside separate. Ansul, a manufacturer of AR-AFFF and AFFF, says that frozen extinguishers may be reused if the water and concentrate is removed, mechanically stirred (their words), and reinstalled again. Obviously we are not going to do that on these cheap throw away extinguishers, so I suggest that you at least shake them thoroughly like a spray can of paint before placing them back in service.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: [GMCnet] AFFF or AR-AFFF foam fire extinguishers [message #327514 is a reply to message #327512] |
Tue, 26 December 2017 20:08  |
k2gkk
Messages: 4452
Registered: November 2009
Karma: -8
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Senior Member |
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Thank you greatly, Ken, for this reminder! It has barely gotten above freezing here in Oklahoma City for the past two days. Headed for 18 tonight! I just retrieved the BIG bottle for the engine compartment and the small unit that will eventually go in the fridge compartment. I bought these from Jim B at the Dothan rally several years ago and I'd surely hate to lose my investment! Again, many thanks for the reminder!
All my small cans are kept in the house, anyway.
D C "Mac" Macdonald
Amateur Radio K2GKK
Since 30 November '53
USAF and FAA, Retired
Member GMCMI & Classics
Oklahoma City, OK
"The Money Pit"
TZE166V101966
'76 ex-Palm Beach
k2gkk + hotmail dot com
________________________________
From: Gmclist on behalf of Ken Burton
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2017 19:48
To: gmclist@list.gmcnet.org
Subject: [GMCnet] AFFF or AR-AFFF foam fire extinguishers
Well, It is that time of year where some of us are subjecting our coaches to below freezing temperatures. I usually post a warning about freezing and
foam type fire extinguishers earlier in the year. I forgot to do it this year. If you have any foam fire extinguishers and live where it will go
below freezing, remove them and store them somewhere where it is above freezing.
If you have one of these little spray cans from Firefight and others, it will freeze below 32 degrees. If you have one of the Kidde 2 liter ones that
we bought many years ago, it will freeze below +14. On others you will have to ask the manufacturer / supplier what the freezing point is.
I thought that I had moved all of mine inside to warmer areas. Then this morning I remembered that I had two that I had not removed in my truck that
is parked inside at the airport. So today I made a special trip to the airport to retrieve the forgotten 2. Well, my indoor thermometer said it was
18 when I got there. It was -5 outside when I got up this morning and right now it is -1 at 6PM. I retrieved the two spray can type extinguishers
and one is frozen solid but still intact. The other had frozen and exploded inside my truck. The contents are refrozen all over the place. I
cleaned up what I could and threw away the extinguisher. The other one is at home thawing out in a laundry tub with a cover on it in case it decides
to also explode while warming up.
So a word of warning. If you have AFFF Foam extinguishers from any manufacturer, and it is going below freezing where you are, REMOVE THEM NOW. If
you find frozen intact ones, slowly thaw them out and remix the contents.
When freezing, much like salt water, the water and the AFFF concentrate inside separate. Ansul, a manufacturer of AR-AFFF and AFFF, says that frozen
extinguishers may be reused if the water and concentrate is removed, mechanically stirred (their words), and reinstalled again. Obviously we are not
going to do that on these cheap throw away extinguishers, so I suggest that you at least shake them thoroughly like a spray can of paint before
placing them back in service.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: [GMCnet] AFFF or AR-AFFF foam fire extinguishers [message #327515 is a reply to message #327514] |
Tue, 26 December 2017 21:24 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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Some of those refrigerator units Jim was selling were halon or halon substitute.
If that is what you have, then you do not have to worry about freezing them. This freeze warning only applied to AFFF foam fire extinguishers.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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