Bargains and deals

[St_Gabriel]

What I want is a car-friendly fire-extinuisher that lasts idefinetely - or near enough to it.

Sick of tottin' around a fire-extinguisher forever and finding it's five years out of date - and no idea if it will work when needed...

Sorry for taking the thread off topic but...

With a dry powder extinguisher in a vehicle, the vibrations can cause the powder to pack down and become a solid block, therefore it wont be a powder when you need it to be.

You need to regularly remove the extinguisher from its mount and invert it and generally shake it around to loosen the powder. To tell if the extinguisher is probably still ok, place your ear on the extinguisher and then turn it upside down, you can hear the powder "running" to the other end. If not, conclude it will be highly suspect and get a professional to check it out BEFORE you need to use it anger. This should be done to all powder extinguishers regularly.


Anyhoooo, back to the fighting

[Edbear]

Sorry for taking the thread off topic but...

With a dry powder extinguisher in a vehicle, the vibrations can cause the powder to pack down and become a solid block, therefore it wont be a powder when you need it to be.

You need to regularly remove the extinguisher from its mount and invert it and generally shake it around to loosen the powder. To tell if the extinguisher is probably still ok, place your ear on the extinguisher and then turn it upside down, you can hear the powder "running" to the other end. If not, conclude it will be highly suspect and get a professional to check it out BEFORE you need to use it anger. This should be done to all powder extinguishers regularly.


Anyhoooo, back to the fighting

Yup! However it is interesting how often the old dry power extinguishers will perform. I have seen them up to 20years old fire off completely.

Every six months, check the pressure, check for any damage to trigger and hose, give it a shake and sit it back in its clamp. Check the clamp is undamaged and easy to get the extinguisher out of.

Simple and quick and something almost nobody bothers to do...

[AllanB]

I let off a 20 year old one at christmas just for kicks with my son. Worked a treat.

Mitre 10 sells ones with NZ saftey labels on them at very good prices ......



Regarding retail pricing have you lot never heard of a 'lost leader'? Used every week in the grocery market - a seller offers up bulk of product x well below RRP (their supplier will give n them a good discount for the bulk purchase), the public flock in to buy the cheap loo paper (or what ever it is) and while there spend another $100 or more on groceries.

Clearing out old stock at reduced pricing is standard business. How many of you KBers wait for Suzukis Summerfest each year before buying a 'new' Suzuki.

[Scuba_Steve]

Dont trust no bastard about fire extinguishers being good to go, specially the ones that service the fuckers! Having expereinced the GRAB THE EXTINGUISHER OFF THE WALL TO TACKLE A FIRE only to discover tHE FUCKER WONT WORK, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS JUST FUCKING SERVICED! scenario, dont service, renew.

Yea, ya gotta pull the pin out 1st

Sorry for taking the thread off topic but...

With a dry powder extinguisher in a vehicle, the vibrations can cause the powder to pack down and become a solid block, therefore it wont be a powder when you need it to be.

You need to regularly remove the extinguisher from its mount and invert it and generally shake it around to loosen the powder. To tell if the extinguisher is probably still ok, place your ear on the extinguisher and then turn it upside down, you can hear the powder "running" to the other end. If not, conclude it will be highly suspect and get a professional to check it out BEFORE you need to use it anger. This should be done to all powder extinguishers regularly.


Anyhoooo, back to the fighting

Does this depend on mounting? I had an extinguisher sitting in my vehicle for quite some years in a horizontal mounting position rather than vertical which I eventually found out (the hard way) it still worked perfectly no solid powder bricks there

Clearing out old stock at reduced pricing is standard business. How many of you KBers wait for Suzukis Summerfest each year before buying a 'new' Suzuki.

Yea good buys in the Summerfest, got my little FXR almost half price on 1 of them... Must bring pricing inline with the US

[St_Gabriel]

Does this depend on mounting? I had an extinguisher sitting in my vehicle for quite some years in a horizontal mounting position rather than vertical which I eventually found out (the hard way) it still worked perfectly no solid powder bricks there

No idea sorry, was told the information 15 years ago, have followed the advice I was given and have never had an issue when I have needed to use a extinguisher either in training or in anger.

[Edbear]

I let off a 20 year old one at christmas just for kicks with my son. Worked a treat.

Mitre 10 sells ones with NZ saftey labels on them at very good prices ......



Regarding retail pricing have you lot never heard of a 'lost leader'? Used every week in the grocery market - a seller offers up bulk of product x well below RRP (their supplier will give n them a good discount for the bulk purchase), the public flock in to buy the cheap loo paper (or what ever it is) and while there spend another $100 or more on groceries.

Clearing out old stock at reduced pricing is standard business. How many of you KBers wait for Suzukis Summerfest each year before buying a 'new' Suzuki.

All extinguishers sold in NZ must meet the NZS, so while quality of extinguishers does vary a bit, they are one item you can buy with reassurance it will do its job. Smoke alarms can vary a lot and I have noted a general rise in prices lately, even in the big chain stores. Not as common now to see $10 smoke alarms. I still struggle to match the big chains on price for smoke alarms so usually offer them at cost or less combined with a package deal.

And I think the term is "loss leader" where the retailer makes a loss on the item, selling it below cost as an incentive. Mostly used by Supermarkets.

No idea sorry, was told the information 15 years ago, have followed the advice I was given and have never had an issue when I have needed to use a extinguisher either in training or in anger.

A pressurised cylinder will rarely see the powder pack down into a solid block.

[St_Gabriel]

A pressurised cylinder will rarely see the powder pack down into a solid block.

Want to bet your life (or more importantly your loved ones) on a rarely? Choose to follow the suggestion or not, I dont care either way.

[Edbear]

Want to bet your life (or more importantly your loved ones) on a rarely? Choose to follow the suggestion or not, I dont care either way.

I did give the recommendation confirming your advice in post 107, sorry if you missed it.

[St_Gabriel]

I did give the recommendation confirming your advice in post 107, sorry if you missed it.

I dont care either way.

You always seem to think you are being misunderstood or misconstrued, you weren't in this example. I didnt miss it, I just dont give a fuck.

[Edbear]

You always seem to think you are being misunderstood or misconstrued, you weren't in this example. I didnt miss it, I just dont give a fuck.

You got a funny way of showing it...

[bogan]

Does this depend on mounting? I had an extinguisher sitting in my vehicle for quite some years in a horizontal mounting position rather than vertical which I eventually found out (the hard way) it still worked perfectly no solid powder bricks there

Hmmm, but to be on the safe side, vary the mounting often. In fact, for an automated variation system just zip tie it to a wheel, no chance of it bricking then

[Virago]

Most of this has been covered, but people should be aware that Dry Powder extinguishers can fail in the moment of need. The failure rate increases with age - therefore beware of well-meaning retailers telling you they can be retained "indefinitely" in domestic environments.

The primary cause of failure is loss of pressure. The smaller extinguishers don't contain a huge amount of propellant, even the tiniest leak will cause the extinguisher to become useless in fairly short time. This frequently happens after refill. A good service company will keep the extinguisher for 2-3 days after refill to monitor the pressure, but the extinguisher may still slowly lose pressure when returned to the client.

Less common is the powder settling and partially solidifying. Again, after a refill, it appears more common - possibly the result of moisture contamination during the refill process. It certainly appears more common in vehicle use.

I recommend the following processes to ensure that dry powder extinguishers are less likely to fail:

1) Dry Powder extinguishers have a pressure gauge. Check it regularly - especially after a refill. It takes a couple of seconds, and once you're in the habit it will become an automatic (perhaps even daily) routine (even in other buildings...).

2) Periodically remove the extinguisher from it's bracket, turn it over, and give it a good shake. At least every six months for static use, monthly (perhaps even weekly) for vehicles (tie it in with your oil / water / tyre pressure routine). At the same time, check that the anti-tamper tag is still intact.

3) Don't be tempted to "test" an extinguisher by giving it a quick squirt. For dry powder units, it usually causes gradual pressure loss, due to powder residue in the valve. Any fire extinguisher must be treated as a "one-use" device. It's not uncommon to have a client raging about a depressurised cylinder after a check or service - upon investigation powder was found in the valve - the client then admits to "testing" it. In one case - "It was only used once on a small fire a couple of months ago - it should still have worked afterwards...".

The potential risks associated with the "retirement" of commercial fire extinguishers to domestic use should be considered. I do it myself - I even pass on >5 year-old units to friends and family. But once they get to perhaps 10 years since last pressure test, I wouldn't like to trust them. Indefinitely? Definitely not.

These days it's far cheaper to buy smaller domestic extinguishers from the likes of KMart or Mitre 10. Their high-volume / low margin sales mean they can sell way cheaper than the specialist service companies. But they are invariably throw-away items - they may not be able to be refilled. A sign of the times in our low-cost disposable consumer society.

...Smoke alarms can vary a lot and I have noted a general rise in prices lately, even in the big chain stores. Not as common now to see $10 smoke alarms...

Yeah, the result of NZ Building Code changes. Territorial Authorities will now specify the more expensive photo-electric (optical) devices, and all must now have a "hush" facility in addition to the test button. This was introduced to reduce the likelihood of battery removal during nuisance activations.

[Edbear]

My comment about indefinitely was when posting the regulations, not a recommendation. There are no regulations covering domestic use.

Otherwise my post 107 is in agreement with your recommendations here.

[ducatilover]

My product is better

[bogan]

My product is better

Top this then!