Where to mount Fire Extinguisher?

[nemo]

I'm a new owner of a 26M and haven't mounted the Fire Extinguisher yet. Where's the best place to mount it so that it's accessible yet out-of-the-way? Thanks

[Moe]

THE fire extinguisher? Try THREE fire extinguishers... one up at the V-berth, one at the companionway (i.e. one on each side of the galley), and one near the helm.

--
Moe

[Frank C]

Me-three, Moe, on my 26X.

• 1.) Stands vertically behind the sink, attached to the hull liner. It's accessible from the forward cabin and at the galley.
  2.) Another is mounted vertically just inside the companionway, accessible from inside and outside the cabin.
  3.) The third is mounted horizontally on the ledge below the aft dinette seat, mainly because nestled-in there pretty well. I might mount a fourth extinguisher to the overhead liner near the forward hatch.

I noted Moe's preference (diff. thread) for the B-class extinguishers, recommended for boating. Those "white" cylinders are what you'll find in West Marine ( $38 twin-pak, 2-3/4 lbs).

The common "red ABC" household extinguishers are what you'll see in Home Depot or Costco. They're so widely available that their cost is deminimus (Costco twin-pak $13, 3-1/4 lbs) (1-A:10-B:C). I've heard that ABC chemicals are difficult to clean-up after a discharge (but I guess cleaning up after a fire is a mess anyhow). What's the real reason they're not recommended for use on a boat?

[nemo]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.. okay I get the point about having more than one. I currently have a white marine, class BC 3 3/4 lbs and based on feedback I'll mount this first one just inside the companionway hanging vertical on the starboard side, accessible from inside and out.

So now I'm interested in a response to Frank's question regarding class ABC extinguishers. The White marine one states on it that it's not effective against paper, wood, cloth fires. I can see how we could have alcohol or gasoline based fires, but there are paper/cloth and a bit of wood products on most boats. Why wouldn't one want an ABC extinguisher in addition among the arsenal?

[Moe]

Nothing beats water, especially with a LITTLE soap added, for Class A fires, such as paper, alcohol, upholstery, and fiberglass. 2-1/2 gallons of water is 2A, so it does take up a little more space, but it's a whole lot easier to clean up than dry chemical.

BC dry chemical extinguishers are generally just baking soda. It can usually be brushed off or vacuumed up. ABC extinguishers are generally monoammonium phosphate, which forms a corrosive acid in the presence of moisture. This is a problem especially with aluminum. The ammonium ion in it is also hard on copper. These are the reasons they are not used around aircraft. It also melts into a sticky substance that helps keep it in place and effective against the burning material, but makes clean-up a lot more difficult.

Since fuel is stored externally, the biggest problem I see with using water in the Mac bilges is electricity. That's why it's important to have master-cut-off switches on the batteries and shorepower.

--
Moe

[on edit] Added "and shorepower"

[Jack O'Brien]

http://www.bryanglobalservices.com/flamestop.html

Practical Sailor said nice things about FlameStop a year or two ago. West Marine sells it also, I think.

We have one mounted on the outside head wall just behind the aft dinette seatback, opposite the galley. FlameStop is much easier to clean up than dry chemical extinguishers and, therefore, one is more likely to use it sooner for a galley fire. It does not come with a mount but, the aluminum water bottle holder for a bicycle works great.

We also have a white, marine BC unit between the V-berth and the dinette and a red ABC just inside the starboard companionway easily reachable from the cockpit.

As the most likely fire is probably at the galley, one should not have to reach over or around the galley to grab an extinguisher - it should be farther away where one is more likely to back off to.

[baldbaby2000]

We have ours to the port side of the ladder near the floor.

[Patrick Gilbert]

Gentlemen, This is an important topic and I find everyones comments very valuable. I now will re-evaluate placement, quanity and type of extinguishers onboard, as well as educating guests and crew. Thank you for contributions.

[Moe]

My PO mounted three, 2 5:BC and 1 1A:10BC. He put the 5:BC units on the shelf behind the aft dinette seat. One was directly in line with a ladder leg, and blocked the ladder from being raised, and the strap on the other kept the head door from opening. The big unit was mounted so low it smashed the aft berth.

--
Moe

[Norm]

I see you know your fire extinguishers there Moe! Good info. I sell and recharge fire extinguishers and fire protection equipment for a living. I've found that in practice, ABC dry chem is not that much more difficult to clean up than BC. So I choose to have the added class 'A' capability on board. Plus with ABC, nobody has to think about which fire ext to use for what type of fire in a pinch. My main "go to" ext however is a 2-1/2LB Halon ext mounted in the starboard companionway. Halon is a cold liqud gas that evaporates after use. It takes away heat and oxygen from a fire. It also takes oxygen away from everything else too, so ventilate after using indoors. It's expensive and you can only buy them from fire ext service companys anymore. Halon is being fazed out do to ozone concerns, but it's the best stuff you can get. My secondary is a 2-1/2LB ABC mounted behind the aft dinette, and I have a 5LB ABC (3A:40BC) as a backup tucked away beneath the forward dinette seat due to it's size.

Check your gauges often, the disposable "Kidde" exts that come with these boats are notorious leakers, and should be replaced after 6 years regardless (in my trade they are refered to as "sh~t kiddes"). There will be a mfg. year printed somewhere on the label. When you do replace, I suggest staying away from any ext with plastic handles. All the best exts have aluminum or brass handle/valve assemblys and are rechargeable. "Badger" brand exts are the best IMO and have the heavy duty brass assemblys (looks like stainless). Of course, I'm kind of a nut on this subject:)

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

Make sure whatever color / type you decide on has a US Coast Guard approved stamp. Most do, but I found some in a hardware store that didn't. Without that stamp you'll fail a coast guard inspection even if the extinguisher is perfectly good.