At 08:22 AM 3/21/97 -0700, Eddie Renoux wrote:
>When I was a professional pilot the rumor was that dry chemical ABC type
>fire extinguishers could cause serious damage to an aluminium engine --
>especially if the engine were running. Is this true? I have always
>tried to keep a few CO2 extinguishers around in case I start a carb fire
>or some such but they are a real pain to assure that they are charged
>(have to be weighed). Can I just use ABC extinguishers instead?
>
>Too bad they banned halon extinguishers.
>
>Eddie Renoux elr@mcdata.com
>
The dry chemical found in almost all ABC type extinguishers can damage any
moving part. It would be like blowing dust or flour into the motor.
I would recomend using a CO2 type when around sensitive equipment and
moving parts. The draw back is that the part can reignite if you do not
remove the heat source. CO2 only removes the oxygen of the fire triangle,
which gets replenished after a few seconds. Dry Chem will remove heat,
fuel, and prevent oxygen from getting to the source.
ABC type will work, but you will have a mess to clean up.
Dave
"The code is over when the CRASH CART is EMPTY !!!"
Lehigh Valley Hospital http://www.lvhhn.org
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