Engine bay fire extinguisher system

[tforturton]

After seeing some of the posts on this site, I've been seriously thinking about fitting a built-in engine bay fire extinguisher system. I've got a fire extinguisher in the van, but what with the plastic fuel tank and all, I reckon an automatic system would be a wise addition.
Anyway, I've seen a few online, but before I start splashing out, I wondered if anyone else has one, and if so, which one do they favour? Is any particular system better than the others? There also seems to be a choice betwen dry powder and gas types extinguishers - any preferences out there?

[toomanytoys]

Why???

I cant remeber the last engine bay fire on here..

If the fuel etc system is mainained properly with quality components and no silly wiring bodges (And a fire extingusher prob wont prevent that catching light in reality...), then there is no need.. I dont know of anyone that has a system fitted.. and in 12 years and big mileage I've never had a worry...

Spend the money on prevention rather than the elastoplast...

[silverbullet]

I still prefer a metal engine cover to the later GRP one though, just in case

[..lee..]

Halon !

[max and caddy]

Halons illegal now int it? Afff is the new stuff.

[..lee..]

Halon is sort of illegal but it puts Car fires out. The new extinguishers fitted to rally cars are useless if you ask me. Seen and heard too many rally cars lost to fire and I may be wrong but a car totally burning out is worse for the environment than a little squirt of halon????

Funny how it's still ok for aircraft

[max and caddy]

I tend to agree, still got a full halon eggstingwisher but I would imagine getting one filled is a right pain in the botty.

[syncropaddy]

Didn't know Halon was illegal nowadays! Anyway, waste of money fitting an engine fire extinguisher system and if you're that worried spend the money on new fuel hoses etc!

[ninja.turtle007]

Or go diesel.

I saw a very nice split on a recovery truck last week with a burnt rear.

[TRAILBREAKER]

I've got a Halon engine bay set for sale. With remote puller cable. Full bottles.
75,- euro's excl. shipping. ( heavy )

Just let me know if someone is interested and I'll dig it out of storage and post a pic.
It's not new but it is unused and waiting for a rallycar to be build,witch is not going to happen anymore.

When the bottles are used,you can have them filled with something else,no problem.

[max and caddy]

its acctually illegal to own one in the uk....

[tforturton]

Illegal, eh? I wondered why the only ones I could find were dry powder.

[silverbullet]

Or go diesel.

Diesels can catch fire too y'know Admittedly due to electrical short-outs in the engine bay fusebox but a fire is a fire. I know someone who used to do grey imports for Vaillant (domestic boilers etc) when the diesel vans were new and they had three from one batch go up. Total loss, nothing left.

By the time the driver had time to think "what's that smell?" and pull over, it was time to retreat to a safe distance and watch it go up

Check that wiring!

[tforturton]

So nobody on here has a built in fire extinguisher? I'm stunned. It was going to be almost the first thing I did.

[AdrianC]

So nobody on here has a built in fire extinguisher? I'm stunned. It was going to be almost the first thing I did.

Have you been reading TheSamba? Over in LeftPondia, they seem utterly paranoid about the vans going poof - with, it seems, good reason. But that's all down to the different fuel chemistry they use over there. It's far more aggressive, and eats the wrong fuel pipe for breakfast.

Having said that, I used some brand new fuel pipe for a section of coolant breather, and within a year it was leaking. And that's running at lower pressure than injected petrol. Even so, I can't get over excited. I had a fuel pipe spraying petrol straight onto the hot turbo on a previous car, and the only result was a smell of petrol and abysmal economy.

If you want to do it, do it. Doesn't matter if anybody else has done it or not. The actual installation's not going to be rocket science - it's been done on enough other stuff over time.