An Improvement, a Problem or Technical help....

[Glenn and Lorraine]

You decide which category this belongs in.....

From years of being in the fire service I developed certain safety habits when it came to fire safety. Two things were Smoke Detectors and Fire Extinguishers. But just having them is one thing, having them work is another.

#1- Replace your Smoke Detector batteries yearly. This I do the first of every year.

But the next bit of mainenance I would bet few of us do at all.
In every rig that Montana builds one piece of Standard Equipment is a fire extinguisher. Usually a 2 1/2 pound Class B/C, Dry Chemical. The Class "B" rating is for extinguishing Flammable Liquid type fires such as propane, gasoline or diesel fuel.
The Class "C" rating is for Electrical fires.
The Chemical is actually a very dry powder type of substance which is basically backing soda.
AND in order for the extinguisher to work properly this powder must be kept loosely packed and not firmly packed. In a stick house, as in our rigs, the extinguisher hangs on a wall for years at a time allowing this powder to settle and become firmly packed. Than when we need it most we pull the trigger and little or nothing comes out of the nozzle. Each year these extinguishers should be removed from the wall, inverted and struck on the bottom with the heel of your hand or a rubber mallet to loosen the powder and than shake the extinguisher for about a minute to break up any clumps.. At the same time you check the condition of the charge. Read the label it will tell you how to check for the condition. In my case there is a little green indicator button sticking out of the handle, press that green button in and if it the button does not spring back replace the extinguisher. I say replace it as it would cost more to have the extinguisher serviced than a new one would cost.
NOW in a 5er or TT or even your tow vehicle the extinguisher should be inspected more frequently. As we drag our rig down the hiway the vibration actually causes the powder to settle and become even more tightly packed. I would therefore want to check my extinguisher after every trip. Add it to the "Things to do at set-up" or "Arriving home" list.

One more thing...
As I said these extinguishers that they put in our rigs are for Class B/C rated fires. They are not for Class "A" (NO not motor homes) Normal Combustible type fires such as paper, wood, trash, cloth, etc. For example a trash can fire in your kitchen is usually a Class A.
Therefore, I would also suggest carrying at least a 5 pound ABC Extinguisher along with the 2 1/2# you got with the rig. The ABC rated works on all 3 type fires. In fact, a couple of ABC's would not hurt. 1 in the trailer and one in the TV.
And another thing, A Class C electrical fire is only a Class C electrical fire until the electricity is cut. If when the electricity is cut there is still flame it is now a Class A Combustible or Class B Flammable Liquid fire.

NOW when the time came to replace that 2 1/2 pounder that came with the rig I would either get a 5# BC or another 5# ABC.

AND...Just because you have a fire extinguisher in your hand does not necessarily make you a firefighter. Know the limitations of your fire extinguisher, not just the different classes. Just how much fire can the extinguisher you have in hand put out. To learn a bit more on the subject stop at your local fire station and ask questions. I was a volunteer firefighter for years and we always encouraged the citizens to stop in and ask questions.

[CountryGuy]

Great posting Glenn!!

THANKS

[padredw]

Thank you, Glenn, for another very helpful and important post. I needed to hear it, that's for sure.

[Still_waters]

Right on Glenn....thanks for the information.

[harleyrider]

Great tip Glen.Never knew that before about the settling of the powder.First thing I`ll do when I go up to my Storage ares is to bring a rubber mallet and hit the bottom to loosen things up.Hopefully none of us will ever have to use the fire extinguisher.But it sure would be nice to have it working just in case.

[Just148]

Great post, I have a couple one has never be checked, Now It's time to take care of that issue.
Thanks Gleen.

[DrivesBGM]

Boy, looks like I've been lulled into a false sense of security by the extinguisher that Keystone provided. Got to admit that I haven't touched mine in three years. And I certainly didn't know that it would be ineffective on a Class A fire!

Glenn thanks for the post! It should be the beginning of a new folder ... MANDITORY READING!

Craig

[stiles watson]

Great information!! Thanks for the heads up. Have two brothers who were big city firemen and didn't learn this from them...family.

[Montana_2230]

Thanks for the important information!!!!

[Native Tex]

Glenn - great, great post. Wonderful advise on being prepared for any type of fire. I will definitely follow your guidelines. Thanks again.

[sreigle]

Excellent, useful post, Glenn. I knew about the button but not the rest of it. Soon as I post this I'll walk over and give ours a firm beating and shaking. I'll just pretend it's...

[Dave Anderson]

Great post Glen; Ive got a Halon that ive beentaking from rig to rig ,hope I never have to use it ,cant replace it! Happy Floridazeing ! Dave

[Glenn and Lorraine]

quote:Originally posted by Dave Anderson

Great post Glen; Ive got a Halon that ive beentaking from rig to rig ,hope I never have to use it ,cant replace it! Happy Floridazeing ! Dave

Just becareful with that Halon. It is some really nasty stuff for the ozone and also when inhaled. I also understand that is illegal to possess in some ststes.

[Montana_2180]

Another vote for a great post, Glenn...one of the most useful (and this is a great site!) posts on this site...

Thanks, I'm walking over to my extinguisher...now...taking off wall...well, you get the point.

I'm good for a while...thanks again.

Chip

Oh, and I even annotated it on the extinguisher inspection tag hanging around the neck!!

Extra points for Chip!

[tbhd]

Knew about the ABC but not the powder settling on the bottom. I've got three in the house that I need to pound on also. Thanks for the great information.

[patodonn]

Great post! In addition, hauling the RV around will cause the "packing" of the agent in the extinguisher to happen much faster than if it was just hanging on a wall in a "stick" house. Probably a good idea to "malletize' it every couple of months..

Best regards,

[DHenry]

Thanks for the safety information. It is always good to be reminded about safety once in a while.

[Dave e Victoria]

Thanks Glenn. This is very useful. Suggest you repost every year when you do the shake, shake, shake thing to your own.

[foggyb]

Hi Glenn About 5 years ago we started mounting the extinguishers horizontally in the boats we sell so at least the powder had a chance to flop down when grabbed to the verticle if use was required. You can imagine the compacting pounding they take in a boat. No one ever checks them untill they need them. That said now I've got to get my butt out and change the montana to horizontal. Dan

[sreigle]

Is there any reason I shouldn't just hang it upside down in it's present holder for awhile then reverse it every few months or trips?