Fire Extinguishers and mounting.

[watto]

Sphoenix, yes that is very true/valid.. However I believe that all fire extinguishers pictured here have metal brackets ,straps and clamps.. But they are plastic coated so as not to wear/rub on the bottle and cause corrosion/fatigue marks.

[Keepleft]

Fire Extinguishers should be standard in all new cars.

Under the UNECE's Global Technical Regulations for vehicle construction, where our ADR's are primarily sourced, they are not mandatory.

Some 'countries' maintain national regulations mandating one unit for new-market entries, typically 900-1kg = 8-12 seconds of spray. Other countries 'recommend them'. Personally recommend them, and I see some great install pics here.

What we will see in AUS down the track as new standardised ADR/ARR requirement;
* Rear fog function. (Including LED based 'auto functioning' via sensor technology>, the worse the fog, rain, bushfire smoke, the brighter the 'park' portion shall be. Via a reworking UNECE 38 rule).

* Warning triangle. (UNECE 27R) STRONGLY RECOMMEND MEMBERS SEEK THE MITSUBISHI WARNING TRIANGLE THROUGH YOUR LOCAL MITSUBISHI DEALER; price $22, See My SIG. (Hint, same as Hella Part No 2901 that retails for $63, and each made in Finland:-)

* Safety vests for cars, vans & 4WD's. (Spec EN471 & AS - see collar). Cost as little as $4.50 domestically.

http://www.nbntv.com.au/index.php/2009/07/14/calls-for-improved-roadside-safety/

The fire extinguisher (AS), vest and triangle are items up for 'national adoption', by states parties in a replacement "UN Convention on Road Traffic" under development.

[DexPtchang]

Extinguisher

Mine is bolted to the floor under the right side of my drivers seat. It's about one inch paralell to the runner/base.It fits neatly & does not get in the way of seat adjusters. One good thing is that it can be seen clearly when the door is open, for easy reach of any potential rescuers

[BigRed]

My extinguisher fits nicely in the rear door of my Paj, in the shelf above the warning triangle. Still want to find a place near the driver / passenger seats in front but havent found a real "safe" place for it yet, or a way to secure it niecely. The last thing I want is to have an extinguisher medling with my feet and the pedals

[Ridgeback]

Also, with the dry powder types, every six months invert them and give the base a bash (within reason) with a rubber mallet to free the powder.

[Brownie]

The fire extinguisher has been mounted for about a month now. I pretty much copied Rexy's method. Attached are a couple of photos showing the frame I made, and with the extinguisher mounted on the floor, behind the drivers heel. I was concerned that it would get in the way, and tried to mount the extinguisher in a way that was reversible, just in case I didn't like the location.

The only difference in the way I mounted the frame to Rexy was I placed the tabs of the frame under the seat rail, which only involved loosening the bolts at the rear of the seat and removing the nuts at the front, tilting the seat back, and positioning my frame over the bolt, and then clamping frame plus seat back down. This meant I did not have to file a little cut out on the plastic cover that hides the bolts. Totally reversible! Pretty happy with the end result.

[dusty_nz]

High Mount

Is it just me or do other people get nervous mounting heavy objects up high.

No metal bracket will hold the fire extinguisher in place at 100km/h crash. Thing will turn into a missile.

I remember hitting another car going skiing. Only about 30km/h and the roof rack left the roof of my car and landed on the car in front of me. It was on pretty good.

My 2 cents. When mounting ensure you have something solid in front of it. Eg back of the seat etc. Not your head or ankles.

Another 2 cents. Scares me seeing people chuck there spare tyres on the roof rack. Same reason in an impact the energy it has is massive.

[PJDM1980]

I mounted mine on the foward facing piece of the passenger arm rest / storage compartment in my SWB NA Sports Pajero.

[bakerboy]

Also, with the dry powder types, every six months invert them and give the base a bash (within reason) with a rubber mallet to free the powder.

another bump on this point, nothing more embarising when it just hisses instead of spraying powder every where

[conquistador]

Here is mine put together from bits in the garage

I've been looking for a spot for a fire extinguisher cheers

[Jimbo2]

Another spot for fireextinguisher

Finally got around to taking a pic of where I have the fire Extinguisher- its under the passenger seat and out of sight. Which is good for neatness, but bad if needed and I was not about. Need to remove seat and carpet to drill holes as there are wires in the area- inc airbag! Position is critical +/- 5 mm in any direction and it fouls something.
Also have a second 1/2 kilo extinguisher in the rear door compartment.

Jim Boyer

[Scouter1]

Inspired by this thread, especially Rexy & Brownie's output, I have just finished mounting mine behind the driver's heels under the seat runners.

Materials used:
- 1kg powder extinguisher (from Auto One)
- 1 x zinc coated gate repair strap
- 2 x angle brackets
- 4 x 6mm high tensile bolts, nuts & spring washers
- spray can primer & matt black paint (all from Bunnings)

Some creative bending cutting & grinding, a couple of extra holes and enlarging a few others, quick coat of paint and the job was done.

Cheers,
Stephen

[FIS9076]

Hey Pickle, I noticed that you've got the aerosol can type extinguisher fitted...

Just a word of warning, they dont have a pressure guage fitted and Ive heard of people going to use them and them not working.

The valve can leak out the propellant out of the can, leaving you with a "fire extinguisher" full of powder, but cant use it when its needed...kinda like that can of WD40 you've had sitting in the back of the garage and you need to hold it upside down to get the fluid out of

Id be tossing those units as far as you can, and buying extinguishers that are fitted with a pressure guage.

Also if extinguishers are mounted vertical, every couple of months they should be taken out of their mountings, inverted and shaken up.

The DCP in the extinguisher can settle into a solid mass within the extinguisher with time and with the vehicle vibrations, the idea is to break up the mass back into the powder so it'll work properly when needed.

[Caesium]

Thought I’d resurrect this thread as I want to fit one to mine.

Upon consideration I think I’ll fit mine to the rear door and secure with a velcro strap. Main reason for the mounting in the rear is that it encourages the occupants to get the hell out of the car as priority.

No point having the extinguisher by your feet as you’re highly unlikely to be fighting a fire successfully from your seat. Passenger safety is main priority, car is secondary so I want people out first, fight fire second.

[gemster]

I made a bracket that bolts to the Drivers seat mount bolts to mount mine... Quick and simple to grab if I need too... I also have one in the rear too... I had a close call last year with long grass and a hot Exhaust that's why I have 2 now... Both 1.5kg...

Gemster...