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fire extinguisher safety

BubbleWizard

BubbleWizard

New Member
Joined
30 May 2023
Messages
10
Location
shipston on stour
hi friends, i just set up my first ever fire extinguisher based system. the man i spoke to at the place i purchased the extinguisher emphasised that i should secure it/strap it to something in the event that there is some kind of a gas leak to prevent it from thrashing around. is this something you all also recommend or was he just covering himself in case of an extremely rare occurrence? also any recommendations on how to strap it would be appreciated, but please bare in mind that the co2 system is nearly as tall as the inside of my cabinet so i can't lift it to slide it into one of those steel brackets you can get online. many thanks for any and all advice
 
I never bothered. But it makes sense. A hook screwed in to the inside of the cabinet and a short bungee cord should do.

Had one go off in my boot before that was pretty scary, especially since there were 40 others in there too. Was waiting for the chain reaction and a massive explosion. Thankfully it never came. But what a rush, it sure gets the adrenaline going.
 
I mentioned some years ago that I was told by a guy who services them that it’s not something he would use a fire extinguisher for. He explained that the valve was regarded as single use and that once activated it was not expected to be leak proof. I expect he must know more about the subject than most aquarists but I was shouted down on here last time. I suppose any leakage could be small enough to not make much difference but still probably not wise to use one in a room where young children spend any length of time? Personally I’d use a proper CO2 bottle for the job if I needed it.
 
Aqua sobriquet said:
He explained that the valve was regarded as single use and that once activated it was not expected to be leak proof
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He is correct but the risk of valve leakage after one-time use is likely because the bottle has no medical or food-grade application it's a simple steel bottle not coated from the inside and is welded, the slag from the weld on the inside can chip off during production or handling and over time also rust particles can chip off in the bottle. Then if opened to extinguish a fire, the weld slag or rust particles will burst out from the nozzle with the CO² that comes out unreduced at 50 bar as well and if too large it can end up blocking the springloaded valve preventing it from closing again.

Obviously, the way we use it, there will never be a burst of CO² release able to transport a rust particle or weld slag into the valve.

Once connected just keep the regulator mounted till it's empty and if it needs to be moved then shut both, the bottle and the regulator.

And yes it should always be secured by mounting/securing it so it never can fall over or be laid down at a sufficient angle. The chances are slim but if it falls over and the regulator breaks completely off you might have a CO² bottle flying through the room.
 
All of the CO2 cylinder incidents I have seen, all involve incorrect use generally of beer gas CO2, usually large cylinders of 40-50Kg size. One, a cylinder was over 10 years old and had rusted inside burst whilst refilling, which considering they have their aged stamped on should never have happened. Other failures are "pub owners" attempting to refill CO2 cylinders themselves and pipes/tanks bursting. Quite a few incidents where "scrappies" unscrew the valve without emptying the cylinder first.

The CO2 used in fire extinguishers is dry CO2 and thus rust will never be seen in these cylinders, so valve jamming, single used worries is just a "wasted worry". Generally also, fire extinguishers are usually not worth the cost to refill and are just scrapped.

We have 17 CO2 extinguishers at work, which have fallen off the wall, been knocked over, ran into with trolleys and so far no one has died or asphyxiated or exploded !!!! Only another 2 years on their life before I might acquire them for fish tank use !!!

I wouldn't worry about FE safety at home, I am on my 34th cylinder (how many !!!) on my tank and no issues. They also work fine lying down, I stored mine in a magazine rack for years. We are using so little gas that the "wasted worry" of liquid CO2 getting into and freezing the regulator is really in practice a "wasted worry".

Biggest issue has always been leaks from low pressure side, like last night 1/2 way through watching a film noticed bubble counter was "going mad" and drop checker was blue. For some reason the JBL bubble counter had decided to start leaking at its O ring, so a film interlude of re-greasing, filing, fiddling, Ebay purchase to get working again.

Just use the fire extinguisher, might want to secure it, but not an issue, mainly so you don't damage the floor or rip your piping off if it falls over.

This is mine beside the tank. Been using like this for years. Have replumbed the CO2 piping since this picture so I can more easily get the FE out onto scales to weigh, see writing on the side of mine, so that when it is near having lost 2Kg weight you know to start watching carefully as getting empty.
1686296687564.png
 
LMuhlen said:
Around here we use fire extinguishers but change the valve. It is similar to the system used for beer, so pretty extensively tested.
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That’s the safest way of doing it.
Beer gas cylinders aren’t expensive though the last time I looked but it can vary a bit.

ian_m said:
I wouldn't worry about FE safety at home, I am on my 34th cylinder (how many !!!) on my tank and no issues. They also work fine lying down, I stored mine in a magazine rack for years. We are using so little gas that the "wasted worry" of liquid CO2 getting into and freezing the regulator is really in practice a "wasted worry".
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Just because you haven’t had a problem so far means nothing. And forget about claiming on your insurance if anything should go awry as you’re using something for a purpose for which it was never intended.

Dangers of CO2: What You Need to Know

IMG_6150.jpeg
 
Perhaps we're all going to be in trouble for breaking rules 2 and 4 :p
Just as an aside the cylinder that went off in my boot lost its safety pin and the handle somehow became depressed.
It didn't lose its valve or fail catastrophically, I think you'd have to try very hard to get one to degas explosively.
 
Off course is always use at your own risk, and like everything else be careful how you transport and use them!

I had one empty itself over night once and turn into ice! but other than that no other issues, once in the cabinet you don't tend to fiddle with it, I also don't refill them, they are single use and then dispose of the bottles appropriately!
 
I’ve just acquired my first 2kg CO2 FE’s and I’ve noticed that they do not have a second pin hole for securing the operating lever in the “open” position. I think I read on another thread here that gaffer tape could be used to secure the lever. I don’t doubt that would do the job but are there any tried and tested alternatives?
 
Redsedge said:
I think I read on another thread here that gaffer tape could be used to secure the lever. I don’t doubt that would do the job but are there any tried and tested alternatives?
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Yes, cable ties. Providing you dont have it super tight you can slide it off and back on when changing the bottle or if you needed to shut the gas off quickly for any reason.
20240225_085420.jpg
 
John q said:
Yes, cable ties. Providing you dont have it super tight you can slide it off and back on when changing the bottle or if you needed to shut the gas off quickly for any reason.
View attachment 216304
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That’s exactly what I do too. I once made the rookie mistake of using electrical tape, it was all I had to hand. Of course it stretched over time and slowly but surely throttled the CO2.
 
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