Hang on, a
fire? When has anyone had their 'Seven' catch fire on a run,
or even experienced a fire in the garage or workshop? That it has not
happened does not mean that it will not happen. Having seen a friend's
1934 Riley in
superb condition and then a week later it was a burned out wreck, I soon had
second thoughts.
Petrol
vapours, or an electrical fault, may ignite at anytime on a run or at home in
the garage. Several members have a workshop and do some welding or paint
spraying and probably have a small quantity of petrol or paraffin in an open
container for cleaning parts.
In reality
we all have a potential fire waiting to happen, so how can we be prepared if it
does? Yes, you can go into any motor factors and buy a small hand held
extinguisher for about £12, which may seem to be the ideal Christmas present.
But is it the correct one for the type of fire, is it of a suitable capacity,
what is the shelf life, does it have a gauge to indicate condition, can it be
recharged after use, is the size suitable to be carried in the 'Seven', will it
'separate' and be useless at the moment of need? Having the wrong sort of
extinguisher, or one that is of incorrect size, could be worse than not having
one at all.
I looked at
websites and then sought expert advice from Chubb Fire, probably the leading
company for extinguisher sales and service, and was soon in contact with their
Cornwall representative, who offered the following advice.
For
carrying in the car a 2 litre spray foam extinguisher is recommended, complete
with a transport bracket. These should be discharged and refilled every 5
years. No harm would come to the contents under vibration as long as the
bracket is fixed securely. The cost of the extinguisher and transport bracket
is about £35.00 plus vat. However, the extinguisher measures 405 mm x 112 mm
and this is perhaps too large for the 'Seven' interior.
The smaller
size 1 kg dry powder extinguisher is 350 mm x 80 mm and can be used on car
fires. However these are not recommended for use in confined spaces due to the
density of the powder. If it is discharged into the engine compartment a quick
jet wash would be required, but if it is discharged into the interior the
cleaning up would be a long and labour intensive process.
With a foam
extinguisher you can stop and start the operating procedure without losing any
pressure once the operating handle is released as the contents will form an
airtight seal. With powder extinguishers there is only a short discharge time
and you have to empty the entire contents, you cannot have a second go as the
pressure will not hold once you operate it. The difference with powder is that
once operated the dry powder content is trapped around the seal causing a
dropping of pressure to zero even when the operating handle is released. Note
that with any partial discharge of an extinguisher you will require a refill and
re-pressure.
For anyone
who has a workshop the advice is to have a 1 x 6 litre spray foam extinguisher
and a 1 x 2 kg CO2
extinguisher which requires a discharge test every 10 years.
Foam
extinguishers are ideal for multi-risk environments, where the source of the
fire could be solid materials such as wood or paper, or flammable liquids like
petrol or diesel. Spray foam works by cooling fires and sealing the vapours to
prevent re-ignition, providing the operator with greater all round safety. The
spray nozzle gives a wide coverage and foam is safe if sprayed on electrical
equipment.
It seems
that the physical size is a difficulty for the small internal dimensions of
the pre-Ruby 'Sevens', only the 1 kg extinguisher is likely to fit. However, can we afford
not to be safe as a fire in the car could be rather expensive, let alone the
loss of use for a few club runs?
As with
everything you can take advice and make your choice, and by means of Yellow
Pages shop around, but buying an extinguisher at a motor factors without some
thought as to what you are buying is not a good idea.
Seek
expert advice, buy and correctly fit the right extinguisher.
This article, written by Doug Castle, originally appeared in CA7C Seven Focus in
April 2005 pp6-7.
