I know there’s a few campervan people on here and also a few firemen, so what extinguisher for a small camper, foam or powder, or doesn’t it matter really? I’ve got gas hob, electric hook up, 2 leisure batteries and a diesel heater in the van, hopefully none of which will try and kill me but saw you can get some nice small extinguishers so thought might be an idea to fit one just in case.

CO2 I would say.

Powder plus a blanket covers all bases, CO2 isn’t for use on gas or solid combustibles (as the heat will probably cause it to reignite).

Yes it’s messy but that’s a long way down your priorities.

Firexo – covers all bases. Recently recommended when doing a fire safety course

Don’t forget to replace it when the use by date has expired

I’ve got one of these Fire Safety sticks:
https://www.oceanchandlery.com/fire-safety-stick.html

Uses a Potassium powder jet. Seemed a good option to me Light, long lasting, less mess and long expiry date. Thankfully no real life experience.
Also have a fire blanket next to the stove.

I’ve always had an FIA approved handheld AFFF & an additional dry powder in the boot. I stand to be corrected if this isn’t suitable or the best for the purpose. I guess it depends on what exactly goes on fire. I’d be more interested in getting clear of the vehicle if it was on fire than fighting it using a 2 litre extinguisher unless it was simply something smouldering.

Personally I’d think a fire blanket is more useful, along with smoke and CO alarms if you have any kind of fossil fuel heating.

Don’t forget to replace it when the use by date has expired

It’s actually very easy to service them, dry powder takes a gas charge the same as a CO2 cartridge and the powder sits in the bottom, the gas draws the powder using a venturi eductor.

More importantly is dry powder needs a bang off something solid to ensure it’s loose before firing as it tends to pack down under vibration.

Uses a Potassium powder jet. Seemed a good option to me Light, long lasting, less mess and long expiry date. Thankfully no real life experience.

IIRC that should be good to use on nuclear fuel as well.

It’s actually very easy to service them, dry powder takes a gas charge the same as a CO2 cartridge

Do tell, mine has expired and I’ve got a few CO2 cartridges

Foam. You really really don’t want to be trying to clean up powder.
It gets EVERYWHERE!

APF

Be aware, some extinguishers are stored pressure (no cartridge). So cracking them open will be exciting.

The cartridge, if it has one is quite a bit bigger than one you’d use on a push bike.

From memory on a service, weighing the cartridge is good enough until it’s out of date.

Any orings will need replacement and a fresh tag.

It’s been years since I was unfortunate enough to work on portables though.

After 10 years any pressure vessel will need hydrostatic testing. Not something you could do with a track pump and a bucket of water. Unless your track pump goes above 100bar.

Not CO2! A camper van is an enclosed space and you risk asphyxiation if you let a CO2 extinguisher off inside.
We had a dry powder one (TUV approved from Lidl) and a fire blanket in our old van. Fortunately never needed either so can’t comment on their effectiveness.
We did manage to set of the carbon monoxide alarm a couple of time though so definitely recommend one of those, and a toast smoke alarm.

I’m all for repairing stuff, but expired portables I’d use for ‘training’ (except dry powder, it’s awful).

Once empty turn it into a tubeless inflator or scrap it and buy a new one.

Foam. You really really don’t want to be trying to clean up powder.
It gets EVERYWHERE

I once filled an aircraft hanger with foam as part of a test. That also took some cleaning up.
IIRC it broke the runway sweeper.

toast smoke alarm.

I develop fire detectors for a living. I consider toast to be bread on fire.

Sorry about that, we’re working on it.

Fire Fighter here.

We used to service extinguishers at work and it was a simple job but as mentioned above, that’s only for the ones that use a replaceable cartridge.

As for which type, really depends on what you expect to be on fire.
Foam is great as it is versatile, can be used on anything you would put water on but also (if you know what you are doing) can be used for fuel/oil fires. It also cools so less chance of re-ignition. Electrics are a no-no though.
Powder can be dumped on pretty much anything but isn’t much use in the open, makes a huge mess and doesn’t cool particularly well.
Carbon Dioxide is very good at specific tasks as it breaks the triangle of fire. Decent chance of re-ignition though so not really suitable for camping.

I’d probably go for foam and a blanket.

Yeah, I agree, Co2 is a bad bad idea. I always try to use a foam one. I was trying to make home upgrades after reading this blog when I realised I needed to focus on the smaller areas too. Something like a fire extinguisher can be very important and having the wrong type can cause hurdles in unexpected situations. That’s when I did some research and read that a foam-based one is always a safe choice to go with. That with LED lighting and whole other things were instantly changed

also fire service here.

have you considered water mist extinguishers?

s’wat id recommend due to the issues mentioned above.

as it breaks the triangle of fire

and then there is the square of fire, remove the senior flexi officer who turns up and mysteriously the fire goes out much quicker. 🙂

I’ve got 2 of these in mine

https://www.fireprotectionshop.co.uk/p/fireshield-600ml-abf-multifoam-fire-extinguisher.html

I figured the most likely thing I was to set on fire would be a frying pan or the furniture/van lining and this seemed to cover it. 2 because they’re not very big.

I’ve also got an old (out of date) powder one in the boot

+1 for AFFF and a blanket
AFFF that’s passed the dielectric test (BS EN-3, I think) can be used on live electrics safely from a minimum distance, but only to 35,000 volts 🙂 Not for fat pan fires, hence the blanket

@timba

the link I posted says

Our Fireshield Multifoam Small Fire Extinguishers provide a fast and powerful means of tackling Class A solid fires (wood, paper, fibres), Class B flammable liquids (Petrol, solvents) and Class F deep fat cooking & burning oil fires, by forming a flame smothering seal over the surface and preventing re-ignition. This Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) solution is a water-based, highly effective fire-fighting medium particularly when used against fat and oil fires. This Multifoam fire extinguisher is ideal for multi-risk usage on small domestic fires around the home and various locations such as cars, taxis, caravans and boats.

so OK for fat I think?

i also have a fire blanket 👍

IANAE, ask one of the firefighters, but I didn’t realise that AFFF was suitable for class F.
In the school that I worked at the kitchen had a class K wet chemical type for cooking fat fires

I don’t have gas, although I do have a diesel heater. I figured the most likely source of fire for me would be some sort of electrical issue so I’ve got a CO2 one.

and then there is the square of fire, remove the senior flexi officer who turns up and mysteriously the fire goes out much quicker.

Ain’t that the truth!

As I mentioned before, AFFF (foam) is very effective against fuel/oil fires but you do need to know how to apply it.

In the school that I worked at the kitchen had a class K wet chemical type for cooking fat fires

Wet chem works by saponification. (I just wanted to use that word).
It reacts with the cooking oil.

firexo is cool, we got to play with the sachet thing they do that’s for chucking into burning pans. Not sure if it’s better than a traditional blanket but it’s way more pleasing- like fighting fire with instant potatoes.

Also, even in the competitive field of fire safety videos, this one stands out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t1qlxt_0Lw

slowol
Full Member

Not CO2! A camper van is an enclosed space and you risk asphyxiation if you let a CO2 extinguisher off inside.

Well yeah but the camper is on fire, you should probably be leaving anyway.

Foam. You really really don’t want to be trying to clean up powder.
It gets EVERYWHERE!

APF

Again, least of your problems if your van is on fire. It’s idiot proof (point and shoot) and works for everything.

Foam, as mentioned, has a technique. I’ve used it on test rigs but never in a confined space, dunno how well it’s going to smother oil if you’re panicking and can’t get the shot right hence the blanket.

This is just personal opinion, I’m not a real fire fighter, but have done some training.

Those potassium sticks – they consume all the oxygen, instead of the fire doing so. Doesn’t this risk asphyxiation in a van, if you’ve not already opened the door and GTFO?

I’ve got a 1kg powder. Also a CO monitor. It may not be ideal in all circumstances but the fact you’re even asking the question suggests you’re ahead of a good proportion of the van population!

My youngest managed to set off the one in my ex army Land Rover. Yes it does make a hell of a mess, and the powder is so fine it gets everywhere, which I suppose is the point. It’s also highly corrosive as I found out when my lights stopped working. After changing loads of bulbs I found it was due to the internal contacts completely corroding away, after less than 12 months.

If vans on fire though I wouldn’t hesitate!

Presumably for something that consumes the oxygen, you get out, activate and throw it in and shut the door.