Fire extinguishers & plastic jerry cans - how long do they last ?

I would chuck the fire extinguisher .... even if the gauge still shows it's OK, the contents can be partially or fully compacted. For a cost of $20-$25, why take the risk ?

If you are going to carry it inside a vehicle, get one with a metal rather than plastic bracket (often marked as "CAMS approved for motorsport" or similar) and DO NOT secure it with self-tappers ! Use small s/s bolts & washers. Even a 1kg extinguisher could become a deadly missile in an accident (I have witnessed at close range an extinguisher exiting a rally car via the windscreen in a rollover .... )

Dave

I have a bunch of the Rheems that would be at least 12 years old and they are good - been stored in the shed. To test a plastic jerry can, lay it empty on its side and step on it. Did this to some water jerries recently and they all failed - but they were 20 years old.

Hi Gazz

yep...chuck the extinguisher and the Jerry's.

For the price of new ones..upgrade...peace of mind

No need to risk getting contaminated fuel if your jerries have hidden residue/ rust in them.They could let you down

We have Protec plastic jerries for our diesel (yellow) as well a plastic (green)
This brand pour very well with no slop or gurgling

The diesel jerries are fume free..
They are stored in an airtight box in the front box of our TVan..so any issues would have shown up there.

We have reluctantly just bought a gennie and now are carrying a small (10L) metal jerry of fuel... :(

We discovered our need for this on a recent long trip up north..the heat of the sun rendered our solar panels very inefficient!

I have some Rheem jerries that would be 23 or 25 years old (original, single cap ones).
They show no sign of deterioration.

Cheers,
Peter

I've never seen a rated plastic Jerry fail. I've seen them abused and blown up like pillows but not fail. Ive got one that would be older marginally but would not think of ditching it.
If you've ever done fire safety you have to vigorously shake the extinguisher before using it. It's just powder and gas so if you can feel the powder moving I'd keep it in the shed. Serviceable dry powder extinguishers are kept going for tens of years and guess how they get serviced and stamped.

Thanks everyone for your help on this


I will try Phil's test method today and if they survive my svelte 100 kg body then I will put them back on the shelf !!


Happy and safe travels

Gazz

Re the extinguishers.
Pretty much agree with everything that has been posted.
Extinguishers have a 5 year life. The month and year of manufacture is stamped on the extinguisher, either on the base or the neck.
After 5 years they must be subject to a hydrostatic test and re stamped.
According to the standard, extinguishers must be serviced every 6 months so any extinguisher which has not been serviced according to the standard is considered out of service.
The price difference between a new 9 kg dry chem powder extinguisher (DCP) and having one serviced is minimal. It would not be worth having a 1 kg DCP extinguisher serviced in my opinion.
DCP does settle, especially if it is subject to vibration. Part of the 6 monthly service is to hit them with a rubber mallet to break up the powder.
Extinguishers mounted on vehicles should be inverted at regular intervals to prevent compaction.
I have seen extinguishers which are within service fail and I have seen out of service extinguishers work fine, there is no guarantee.
I service mine every 6 months and replace them every 5 years.

Greetings All

I gave the jerry cans the Phil G test and they passed with flying colours so they are now back in my now very neat clean orginised and uncluttered shed !

The fire extinguisher will be disposed of as it is stamped 5 years old and showed no signs of contents movement when tapped, shaken and beaten with a rubber mallet.


Thanks everyone for all your tips and advice - much appreciated !


Happy and safe travelling

Gazz

I just purchased a new 2kg dry powder fire extinguisher for the OKA.
It came with a 10 year warranty.
I would therefore expect it might actually be good for 10 years, otherwise they might get a few too many claims?

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

Just about all the responses have highlighted the issues with dry powder and as a consequence I consider they are really to be considered not fit for purpose in use in vehicles - the issue of mess when used has not been discussed but I guess it is not such an issue when the cost of a burning vehicle is considered - bit does mean I would be reluctant to use one for a minor issue.

I am on some overseas classic car forums and they also have been discussing this issue - mainly the mess of cleaning up a concourse vehicle after a minor incident - many people overseas are moving to small CO2 extinguishers and small foam extinguishers - a type where the foam just wipes or hoses off after use.

So what are the thoughts on alternatives to Dry Powder for use in cars - the alternatives seem to work overseas but I have not seen these freely available in smaller sizes here.

Garry

I have a mate who just had one go off in the back of his car.
Burnt out the motors in 2 Dyson vacuum cleaners trying to suck it up.
Air compressor just deposits it elsewhere.
Have not heard as yet if he has got it all out.

Just to hose one thing down ....... dry powder IS the most appropriate extinguisher for use in motor vehicles.

YES they are messy ...... been there and done that.

The problem with CO2 ..... is it simply will not hold a fire down ...... yes they will knock a fire down real quick .... but if there is any heat and fuel there, the fire will potentially pop straight back up ...... especially if there is fuel or oil involved. ... and often worse than before.

Certain motor sport and motoring enthusiasts espouse CO2 ..... and I can see the point ... but the fact remains ..... CO2 will not hold a fire down ..... it might be fine for knocking down a carby fire without killing the motor, particularly on a drag car with no airfilters .... but that is about it.

As far as foam ...... the problem is that foam does not get in everywhere like dry powder does ......... in an engine fire situation, cracking the bonnet and dumping a dry powder thru the crack, or getting up under will get the job done ...... because dry powder will form a cloud ........ the very problem of, it gets everywhere, messy nature is exactly why it is so very effective.

Foam goes pretty much where you point it and nowhere else.

The other problem with foam is size and weight ...... for a given effectivness a foam extinguisher will be a hell of a lot bigger and heavier. ... like twice the size

Back when I was an apprentice, they took us down the paddock a dozen at a time with a trailer load of various out of date extinguishers ...... we lit various fires and put em out.

Let me tell you a CO2 extinguisher is worse than useless on a fuel or oil fire.

The reason dry powder is so strongly recommended is because it is so effective.

cheers