Fire Extinguisher in my Garage Exploded

GAD · Jun 11, 2017

And I caught it on my security cameras.

Bonneville88 · Jun 11, 2017

Holy hell! That's wild - great video! And now I don't have
to feel so bad about my messy garage :nightmare:

Heard that powder is extremely corrosive... careful clean up ahead...

GAD · Jun 11, 2017

Bonneville88 said:
Holy hell! That's wild - great video! And now I don't have
to feel so bad about my messy garage :nightmare:

The only way to keep everything in the house tidy is by throwing it all in the garage.

Bonneville88 · Jun 11, 2017

Sounds familiar... and when I see the camera crew for "Hoarders" pulling
into my driveway, I'll know I've gone too far...

davismanLV · Jun 12, 2017

So, actually, check them for what? Age, pressure.... what? I have one in the kitchen and one in the garage. They're fairly old (like 10 years, or so?) and as long as they're fully charged I think I'm okay. Is there something I'm overlooking? YIKES!!

Then again, I need a reason to clean up the garage anyway but I hate being FORCED to do that $hit!! Makes me a little angry.

I watch Hoarders only when my house is a total mess and I'm getting depressed and I think .... there's no other way but to clean!!! And then I watch a couple of episodes and put some dirty laundry in the hamper and shoes in the closet and ... I feel a lot better.

krysh · Jun 12, 2017

oh my what a mess. good luck with cleaning up!

GAD · Jun 12, 2017

davismanLV said:
So, actually, check them for what? Age, pressure.... what? I have one in the kitchen and one in the garage. They're fairly old (like 10 years, or so?) and as long as they're fully charged I think I'm okay. Is there something I'm overlooking? YIKES!!

Then again, I need a reason to clean up the garage anyway but I hate being FORCED to do that $hit!! Makes me a little angry.

I watch Hoarders only when my house is a total mess and I'm getting depressed and I think .... there's no other way but to clean!!! And then I watch a couple of episodes and put some dirty laundry in the hamper and shoes in the closet and ... I feel a lot better.

If they have gauges, make sure they're green. At 10 years I would replace them. My new plan is every 10 years. Someone told me that Kidde (which this one was) says 12.

I'm going to replace all of them in the house because they were all bought at the same time. I'm going to teach the kids how to use a fire extinguisher by letting them use up the old ones.

GAD · Jun 12, 2017

krysh said:
oh my what a mess. good luck with cleaning up!

Leaf Blower did the trick.

Well, leaf blower and a respirator mask.

davismanLV · Jun 12, 2017

Thanks for the heads up, G, you know we kinda all just sail along thinking nothing is ever gonna happen. I'm gonna check all this $hit first thing tomorrow!! No, really. This is a good reminder.......

matsickma · Jun 12, 2017

Anyone else would just have a mess but GAD has a documentary!
Never a dull moment!

You are becoming an inspiration to us all!

GAD · Jun 12, 2017

matsickma said:
Anyone else would just have a mess but GAD has a documentary!
Never a dull moment!

You are becoming an inspiration to us all!

My kids make fun of me because I record *everything*. I have a private webpage where I host my family's photos using software I wrote. The current stats indicate that there are over 50,000 images there including scans of slides back to 1964. I have documented their lives and they often use the page daily. I'm also the one that gets asked to take prom photos and the like, so I know I'm appreciated. :smug:

I'm also a security freak, so I have video recordings of anyone that gets close to the house. Gotta protect all them Guilds!

walrus · Jun 12, 2017

Well, you just added something for me to do today - mine are over 20 years old!

Gonna have to ask the town Health Dept. how to get rid of the old ones, I think.

Edit: answer - the Fire Dept. collects them.

walrus

mavuser · Jun 12, 2017

oh man that is crazy. good thing u didnt have a garage band set up at the time! i guess u can kiss that fishing hat goodbye

tommym · Jun 12, 2017

That's scary as my dog Buddy use to sleep in the garage at night along with the old abandoned fire extinguishers that the family just couldn't part with. Sad to think that the family valued those old abandoned fire extinguishers over the dog that protected the family. I've sent them that video.

Tommy

JohnW63 · Jun 12, 2017

We had kids break into a classroom, at the district I work at, and spray the extinguisher all over the room. The computers were toast. The powder got everywhere and stuck to the circuit boards. Even strong compressed air wouldn't clean them out.

steve488 · Jun 12, 2017

GAD - the powder chemical is extremely fine and will pass through most vacuum filters and many respirators. Make sure you get a good filter pack for the mask and use one that also protects your eyes. Sweep up what you can and bag it, then into the garbage.
For those that have older ones be advised that if they do go bad (i.e., lose pressure) you may find it easier to dispose of the old one and buy a new one. The canisters have to be re-certified periodically and must be checked before refilling or re-pressurizing. That cost may be more than just buying a new one particularly for the home.

GAD · Jun 12, 2017

steve488 said:
GAD - the powder chemical is extremely fine and will pass through most vacuum filters and many respirators. Make sure you get a good filter pack for the mask and use one that also protects your eyes. Sweep up what you can and bag it, then into the garbage.
For those that have older ones be advised that if they do go bad (i.e., lose pressure) you may find it easier to dispose of the old one and buy a new one. The canisters have to be re-certified periodically and must be checked before refilling or re-pressurizing. That cost may be more than just buying a new one particularly for the home.

Thanks for the tip. I have bio/chem filters because that's just who I am. I also used a full-face mask and I'm glad I did because the powder in that extinguisher was instantly recognizable if it was in the air because it had a horrible salty taste. I could tell immediately if the mask wasn't working. When I first started the seal wasn't right. Yuck.

F312 · Jun 12, 2017

I have a few in the house and I'm going to buy a sealed cabinet after seeing your video.

Why not add some sound like an atom bomb going off just for sound effects.

Ralph

dbirchett · Jun 12, 2017

We can now expect a comparative aging review of fire extinguishers.

GuildFS4612CE · Jun 12, 2017

A sealed cabinet? The canisters are under extreme pressure...what do you think will happen if it goes off in an enclosed space?
I can't imagine why anyone would think you could leave something like that for years and years and not expect the valves/seals to deteriorate.

In commercial and residential bldgs. the fire dept regularly inspects and certifies the extinguishers. Maybe the local fire depts. need to hold a community day to educate the locals on safety procedures...and any of you that have them lying around...please secure them with a belt or other safety to a fixed location...knock over any pressurized canister and damage the valve...instant missile.

Safety first, dudes!

Fire Extinguisher in my Garage Exploded

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