Tips for fitting plumbed-in extinguisher

[ashaughnessy]

I'm about to fit a mechanical plumbed-in fire extinguisher. Before I start making holes in the wrong places, does anyone have any practical insights to give me? Typical mistakes made, best location for bottle, best places for nozzles?

 

I intend to put the bottle in front of the scuttle, where the heater used to be. I thinking of putting one nozzle in the vertical face of the scuttle pointing into the engine bay, and another nozzle in the transmission tunnel pointing at my legs.

 

I'll put one pull-switch in the trangle of the off-side windscreen bracket, and the other on the dashboard.

 

How does that sound?

Anthony

[murph7355]

More safety mods Anthony teeth.gif.

 

Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

Don't have a plumbed in one myself, just a big handheld in the footwell. I've seen plumbed in tanks in the engine bay (near the bulkhead), in the passenger footwell or in the boot. If it were me I'd use the engine bay location (as is your preference).

 

A couple of nozzles in the engine bay would be sensible with one positioned as you note (and if you only have one, that's where it should go).

 

I believe a lot of people also put one in the back to cover the fuel tank area.

 

I'm not sure just how effective the footwell one would be in the circumstances it would be needed. More likely simply to make more of a mess of your trousers. If you haven't managed to get out of the car and fire's through the bulkhead, your torso is likely to be buggered too in very short order.

 

Do you only get 2 nozzles? I'd say engine and fuel tank are the main areas to cover to prevent (or kill) fire in the first place...

 

I don't think I've ever seen a pull-switch outside on a 7. They're quite long so I'm not sure it's a good idea as it'd surely be prone to being knocked off? All the ones I've seen have been on the passenger side of the dash.

 

Bloody ugly things and I'd suspect it'd be easy to impale yourself on one. Especially if wearing IR seatbelts (sorry, couldn't resist again smile.gif).

[ashaughnessy]

Andy, you mean you don't have a plumbed in extinguisher? You can't compromise on these things you know :-)

 

Actually, it's not my idea, it's the rules.

 

I only got two nozzles in the kit. I should really re-read the blue book before I do it, but I seem to remember it saying that one nozzle should point into the engine bay and the second nozzle should point into the cockpit.

 

The pull-switch isn't too big. It should fit neatly into the triangle of the windscreen support. It will be just above the battery cut-off switch and will be protected by the "eyebrow" thing that already protects the cut-off switch.

 

How do you test these things? What kind of mess do they make? Perhaps I could wrap a plastic bag round each nozzle to catch the stuff when it comes out. Also, the handles of the bottle have a plastic thingy that keeps the handles together once you've pulled, so the extinguisher stays on. I'd have to remove that and re-fit it if I wanted to test.

 

Anthony

[John]

If you have 2 nozzles, you should point one to the intke side of the engine usually at the airfilters and the other one to the drivers midrift. Mine is attached to the underside of the sterring column for the latter. With regard to the tank position, the passenger footwell is a good place near to the centre of the car. orner weight scales may indicate a better place depending on which corner of the car needs extra weight. If you have 2 pull cords, make sure one can be reached from within the car and one from outside the car. The condition indicator on the tank should also be seen by scrutineers, so its best if it points upwards.

 

Do NOT try to test the foam. Just ensure that the safety pin is in the jhandle of the tank and try operating the pull cords against this. This will be enough indication that all will work OK when needed.

 

John

 

Edited by - John on 12 Jun 2002 11:43:25

[bl0498]

Anthony,

 

I have a factory plumbed in one (kit supplied Dec 2000). They put the tank in the boot area, tucked under the back seat so it doesn't kill the space too much. It seems to have 3 nozzles - one aiming at the injection side of the engine from a bracket on the bulhead until the air filter, the second pointing at the drivers footwell and the third pointing back over the fuel tank. Normal internal pull switch on dash.

 

Please don't pull the handle before reversing!!

 

Brian

[Graeme Smith]

My plumbed-in extinguisher is fitted the same as you are intending - bottle where the heater should be and a nozzle pointing at the carbs with another at my legs. Just one pull - on the dash inside the car. No-one's ever complained - its easily reachable from outside.

 

The Blue Book does RECOMMEND (i.e. you don't have to) fore/aft mounting of the bottle, which you can't do where its mounted at the moment, so passenger footwell or boot might be a good idea if you can put up with the inconviance. A friendly scruntineer also advised putting duck tape over the clips to prevent the bottle coming lose in an accident. Remember to check minimum size for a plumbed-in extinguisher - it has to be biggest than a hand-hand - think it might be 1.75L (mine's 2L, I think).

 

Anyone ever fired a mechanical, plumbed in extinguisher? Does it empty with one pull of the pull-switch?

[ashaughnessy]

Brian, are you having a dig at my embarrassing car park accident? I should never have admitted to that one.

 

Graeme, my extinguisher has a plastic thingy that looks like its supposed to keep the handles closed once you've pulled the switch. Haven't tried it though.

 

Does anyone know the reason for the fore/aft recommendation?

 

Thanks for the info.

Anthony

[J.D.]

Hi, Regarding extinguishers I remember reading somewhere, that someone (possible Fiat) made one with a long pressurised plastic tube sealed at one end that could be routed all round the car / engine bay. The system was permanently pressurised by the extinguisher. If a fire broke out then the plastic tube melted in the immediate vicinity and the contents of extinguisher released. I don’t know if this would be allowed for track events, but sounds like quite a good idea for road use ???

 

 

J.D cool.gif

[murph7355]

In the event of fire I'll be out of the car so quickly an extinguisher won't be necessary! Or I'll be squirting myself with the 1.75l handheld I have as I get out.

 

If I can't get out quickly I'll probably be so incapacitated as to not make it matter anyway smile.gif

[stevefoster]

Mine is on the engine bay scuttle infront of where the heater goes. The heater would/does still fit.

Nozzle to the induction side, driver footwell and tank / fuel pump area.

Pull handle on the dash not hidden by the passenger tonneau...

I used the indicator lamp hole for this and moved the indicator lamp further over. The normal central indicator lamp hole is used by a shift light.

 

I asked the Nat A scrutineer if the driver footwell one would be better off going to the exhaust manifold side but he said leave it as it was... For circuit motor sport it is not really critical. There are big extinguishers at regular intervals and guys who know how to use them.

Lonely rally stages or an off in the forest when out for a lonely blat (count Surrey out then) are much more critical to really put out a fire 10 mins ahead of the support crew finding you...

 

Steve

My racing pics hereid=red>

Hants (North) and Berkshire area club site

hereid=red>

 

[bl0498]

Apologies Anthony - I was just recalling the 4 pointer thread when I wrote it! Hope your get the fire ex sorted soon.

 

Although mine is in the boot I have to say that on the scuttle would be the obvious location for one assuming you have space. As Graeme mentioned the regs changed in the last year or so on fire ex capacities etc.

 

Brian

[ashaughnessy]

I think I've settled on the scuttle. I'm in a really bad mood with the extinguisher. It comes with some tube called Decabon. You push this into the extinguisher nozzle, and the nozzle has some kind of sharp bits sticking out that catch onto the tube to keep it in place. Trouble is, there seems no way to remove the tube once it's in. I was just messing round and put the tube in to see how it fitted then couldn't get the bugger out! I cut it off and I'm now left with a mess inside the nozzle which I'm trying to remove with various sharp implements.

 

Is there some clever way to detach the decabon tube from the nozzles quickly and easily?

 

Oh, and I checked the blue book last night. For the medium size plumbed in, you only need a single activation switch, inside the cockpit. You need two switches (inside and outside) if you have the large plumbed in. The outside switch needs to be next to the battery cut-off switch. Also, you need a nozzle to the engine bay and one to the cockpit.

Anthony