About a year ago, I took two old disposable fire
extinguishers out of a couple trailers. Replace
them with Walmart Kidde units with the pressure
gauge. I'd heard enough horror stories of old dry
chem units that go bad, and there is no way to
test them. Tonight I was at a friend's house,
burning papers. I asked his permission to test
the two take out units.

First one I tried was a Fyr Fyter. The label says
it is model 210D, made in USA, 2002. Probably year
of manufacture. Made by Walter Kidde. I shook the
unit to free up the chemical. I pulled the yellow
safety device, and then pushed on the white button
with both thumbs. To my surprise, it discharged, a
range of about 6 to 8 feet, in still air. Gracious,
that was surprise. I didn't expect any discharge
at all.

The second unit also a Fyr Fyter, model 210D. This
one has paper tape over the button, and then a metal
piece under the paper. Date of the unit says 1991.
Entirely and totally to my surprise (and the guy
with me) this one discharged perfectly, like the
first one.

Admittedly these were both in church owned trailers,
and there might been some divine protection. But,
I'm astounded that two disposable units this old,
both worked.

Nice job, Walter Kidde!


--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 9/9/2014 8:07 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
About a year ago, I took two old disposable fire
extinguishers out of a couple trailers. Replace
them with Walmart Kidde units with the pressure
gauge. I'd heard enough horror stories of old dry
chem units that go bad, and there is no way to
test them. Tonight I was at a friend's house,
burning papers. I asked his permission to test
the two take out units.

First one I tried was a Fyr Fyter. The label says
it is model 210D, made in USA, 2002. Probably year
of manufacture. Made by Walter Kidde. I shook the
unit to free up the chemical. I pulled the yellow
safety device, and then pushed on the white button
with both thumbs. To my surprise, it discharged, a
range of about 6 to 8 feet, in still air. Gracious,
that was surprise. I didn't expect any discharge
at all.

The second unit also a Fyr Fyter, model 210D. This
one has paper tape over the button, and then a metal
piece under the paper. Date of the unit says 1991.
Entirely and totally to my surprise (and the guy
with me) this one discharged perfectly, like the
first one.

Admittedly these were both in church owned trailers,
and there might been some divine protection. But,
I'm astounded that two disposable units this old,
both worked.

Nice job, Walter Kidde!


I've got 2, maybe 30+ years old, with pressure gauges still showing full
pressure. Assume they are still good.

On 9/9/2014 8:10 PM, Frank wrote:
On 9/9/2014 8:07 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
I'm astounded that two disposable units this old,
both worked.

Nice job, Walter Kidde!


I've got 2, maybe 30+ years old, with pressure gauges still showing full
pressure. Assume they are still good.

Most likely yes. Please turn the units upside
down and shake em hard, once a year. To keep
the powder from caking.

I shook the first one, but not the second. Both
worked. I "hope" in a real fire I'd remember to
shake the unit on the way to the fire.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Tue, 09 Sep 2014 20:07:19 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

About a year ago, I took two old disposable fire
extinguishers out of a couple trailers. Replace
them with Walmart Kidde units with the pressure
gauge. I'd heard enough horror stories of old dry
chem units that go bad, and there is no way to
test them. Tonight I was at a friend's house,
burning papers. I asked his permission to test
the two take out units.

First one I tried was a Fyr Fyter. The label says
it is model 210D, made in USA, 2002. Probably year
of manufacture. Made by Walter Kidde. I shook the
unit to free up the chemical. I pulled the yellow
safety device, and then pushed on the white button
with both thumbs. To my surprise, it discharged, a
range of about 6 to 8 feet, in still air. Gracious,
that was surprise. I didn't expect any discharge
at all.

The second unit also a Fyr Fyter, model 210D. This
one has paper tape over the button, and then a metal
piece under the paper. Date of the unit says 1991.
Entirely and totally to my surprise (and the guy
with me) this one discharged perfectly, like the
first one.

Admittedly these were both in church owned trailers,
and there might been some divine protection. But,
I'm astounded that two disposable units this old,
both worked.

Nice job, Walter Kidde!
Why the surprize? If the low pressure indicator doesn't show and you
can stiowder without it rattling, why would it NOT work?? OK, the
valve could be seized - but as long as they still have pressure, they
generally DO work.

On 9/9/2014 8:23 PM, wrote:
Why the surprize? If the low pressure indicator doesn't show and you
can stiowder without it rattling, why would it NOT work?? OK, the
valve could be seized - but as long as they still have pressure, they
generally DO work.


Many years ago, there was a report about some
brand, I want to write Pem All. Anyhow, the
valves leaked, and the pressure all let out.

I expected them to not have pressure.

What is the word "stiowder"? Not heard that one.
--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Tue, 09 Sep 2014 20:27:30 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 9/9/2014 8:23 PM, wrote:
Why the surprize? If the low pressure indicator doesn't show and you
can stiowder without it rattling, why would it NOT work?? OK, the
valve could be seized - but as long as they still have pressure, they
generally DO work.


Many years ago, there was a report about some
brand, I want to write Pem All. Anyhow, the
valves leaked, and the pressure all let out.

I expected them to not have pressure.

What is the word "stiowder"? Not heard that one.
I'm having some issues with my "confuser" - it was supposed to be
"shake the powder" = it "misfired"

On 9/9/2014 10:13 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 09 Sep 2014 20:27:30 -0400, Stormin Mormon
On 9/9/2014 8:23 PM, wrote:
Why the surprize? If the low pressure indicator doesn't show and you
can stiowder without it rattling, why would it NOT work?? OK, the
valve could be seized - but as long as they still have pressure, they
generally DO work.

What is the word "stiowder"? Not heard that one.
I'm having some issues with my "confuser" - it was supposed to be
"shake the powder" = it "misfired"


Ah, you have one of them confuser aps on your
machine? That's OK, more common now days in the
era of public schools and common core.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 9/10/2014 12:51 AM, wrote:
I knew a fire extinguisher (among other fire related equipment) guy
and he told me that if the power was actually dry when they charged
the dry powder extinguisher, it would last forever.
Too much humidity in the can, and they clump up.

If you ever bump that valve, it is done tho. A little powder in the
valve and it will not seal until it is perfectly clean again. That is
what makes the small ones disposable. The labor clean and charge is
more than they sell for so it is a "one shot" deal when you use it..

I always keep at least 2 and usually 3 on my boat.
One is new in the box (with the top cut off) standing up in the
forward storage box, one is my ready service one on the side of the
console and when they get too rough looking to show a boarding
officer, I keep it under the console on the shelf until the gauge
starts dropping.
Once the gauge starts moving it is trash.


Other than having a boat, that's pretty much exactly
as I would have written. The recharge powder is
supposed to be bone dry, and they take care to
keep it dry. I've heard there is a bit of silicone
lube mixed in with the powder, so it flows better.

With these units, I don't know what the retail price
was. Inflation changed prices of every thing. So, what
costs $25 today probably cost $10 back then, and had
the same value.

As for me, I'd never buy a FE with no gauge (except
carbon dioxide units).

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Tue, 09 Sep 2014 20:23:39 -0400, wrote:


Why the surprize? If the low pressure indicator doesn't show and you
can stiowder without it rattling, why would it NOT work?? OK, the
valve could be seized - but as long as they still have pressure, they
generally DO work.
I always keep one on my boat (a small pontoon) per state law. I
changed boats about 14 years ago and the new boat came with one. I
thought I would discharge the old one just to see how they work. The
gauge still showed normal pressure. I removed the safety and pulled
the trigger - absolutely nothing happened. I will guess the valve had
gotten clogged over the years with high humidity. I'm glad I didn't
have a fire while out on the lake. I wonder if the new one (now 14
years old) works? I will try to shake it as discussed elsewhere in
this thread. I wasn't aware of that technique until I read it here.

Pat

On 9/9/2014 8:23 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 9/9/2014 8:10 PM, Frank wrote:
On 9/9/2014 8:07 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
I'm astounded that two disposable units this old,
both worked.

Nice job, Walter Kidde!


I've got 2, maybe 30+ years old, with pressure gauges still showing full
pressure. Assume they are still good.

Most likely yes. Please turn the units upside
down and shake em hard, once a year. To keep
the powder from caking.

I shook the first one, but not the second. Both
worked. I "hope" in a real fire I'd remember to
shake the unit on the way to the fire.


Good suggestion.
When I worked in the lab we tested our safety showers weekly.
Back when I was in school, they didn't.
Kid in the lab accidentally set himself on fire, pulled chain of safety
shower and it broke. Others extinguished the fire and he was OK but got
scarred for life.

On 9/10/2014 8:27 AM, Pat wrote:
I always keep one on my boat (a small pontoon) per state law. I
changed boats about 14 years ago and the new boat came with one. I
thought I would discharge the old one just to see how they work. The
gauge still showed normal pressure. I removed the safety and pulled
the trigger - absolutely nothing happened. I will guess the valve had
gotten clogged over the years with high humidity. I'm glad I didn't
have a fire while out on the lake. I wonder if the new one (now 14
years old) works? I will try to shake it as discussed elsewhere in
this thread. I wasn't aware of that technique until I read it here.

Pat


Thanks for the field report.

I'd suggest that you got your value out of that one,
over 14 years. I'd replace it before my next launch,
but that's just me. Walmart can sell you a small one
about twenty bucks, larger one for more.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 9/10/2014 8:37 AM, Frank wrote:
I shook the first one, but not the second. Both
worked. I "hope" in a real fire I'd remember to
shake the unit on the way to the fire.


Good suggestion.
When I worked in the lab we tested our safety showers weekly.
Back when I was in school, they didn't.
Kid in the lab accidentally set himself on fire, pulled chain of safety
shower and it broke. Others extinguished the fire and he was OK but got
scarred for life.

Ouch, that's not good at all. When I was in
middle school, I burnt myself on a bunsen
burner, that was also not good. Painful for
a couple days.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 09/09/2014 09:13 PM, wrote:

[snip]

What is the word "stiowder"? Not heard that one.
I'm having some issues with my "confuser" - it was supposed to be
"shake the powder" = it "misfired"


I once wrote a letter about a construction article that kept giving
dimensions in "fi-inches". My confuser made it difficult to reply.

--
106 days until the winter celebration (Thursday December 25, 2014
12:00:00 AM for 1 day).

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

"Aristotle once said, "Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth."
So we say, "The Bible is dear, but dearer still is truth." [J. Frank
Schulman, in UU pamphlet "UU views of the Bible."]

Stormin Mormon wrote:
About a year ago, I took two old disposable fire
extinguishers out of a couple trailers. Replace
them with Walmart Kidde units with the pressure
gauge. I'd heard enough horror stories of old dry
chem units that go bad, and there is no way to
test them. Tonight I was at a friend's house,
burning papers. I asked his permission to test
the two take out units.

First one I tried was a Fyr Fyter. The label says
it is model 210D, made in USA, 2002. Probably year
of manufacture. Made by Walter Kidde. I shook the
unit to free up the chemical. I pulled the yellow
safety device, and then pushed on the white button
with both thumbs. To my surprise, it discharged, a
range of about 6 to 8 feet, in still air. Gracious,
that was surprise. I didn't expect any discharge
at all.

The second unit also a Fyr Fyter, model 210D. This
one has paper tape over the button, and then a metal
piece under the paper. Date of the unit says 1991.
Entirely and totally to my surprise (and the guy
with me) this one discharged perfectly, like the
first one.

Admittedly these were both in church owned trailers,
and there might been some divine protection. But,
I'm astounded that two disposable units this old,
both worked.

Nice job, Walter Kidde!


I have a house and a boat, both old, and I keep current extinguishers in
each. Since I'm frugal, I keep the expired extinguishers unless they
show obvious signs of age or corrosion. My house is full of these
dinosaurs. Every once in a while, I pick an old one and operate it. In
many years, none of them has failed. If I have a fire, I will use a
couple of old ones first.

I have the same practice with the flare gun. I always have current
shells, but I also have expired shells. I got inspected by the coast
guard once, and they threatened to cite me for having expired shells,
even though I also had current shells. They finally decided to let me
go without citation. Now, once a year, they come to our club for a
demonstration, and we are allowed to fire our guns without attracting
rescuers. It is good training, and everyone in my family has had it.

Stormin Mormon wrote:
About a year ago, I took two old disposable fire
extinguishers out of a couple trailers. Replace
them with Walmart Kidde units with the pressure
gauge. I'd heard enough horror stories of old dry
chem units that go bad, and there is no way to
test them. Tonight I was at a friend's house,
burning papers. I asked his permission to test
the two take out units.

First one I tried was a Fyr Fyter. The label says
it is model 210D, made in USA, 2002. Probably year
of manufacture. Made by Walter Kidde. I shook the
unit to free up the chemical. I pulled the yellow
safety device, and then pushed on the white button
with both thumbs. To my surprise, it discharged, a
range of about 6 to 8 feet, in still air. Gracious,
that was surprise. I didn't expect any discharge
at all.

The second unit also a Fyr Fyter, model 210D. This
one has paper tape over the button, and then a metal
piece under the paper. Date of the unit says 1991.
Entirely and totally to my surprise (and the guy
with me) this one discharged perfectly, like the
first one.

Admittedly these were both in church owned trailers,
and there might been some divine protection. But,
I'm astounded that two disposable units this old,
both worked.

Nice job, Walter Kidde!


Hi,
We have real thing, small cylinder with hose. We have them
inspected and service every year to make sure it is good to go when
needed. Never occured time to use it. Cost ~25.00 for annual service.
If it does not do the job when I need it, you know what I am going to do.

On 09/09/14 08:07 pm, Stormin Mormon wrote:
About a year ago, I took two old disposable fire
extinguishers out of a couple trailers. Replace
them with Walmart Kidde units with the pressure
gauge. I'd heard enough horror stories of old dry
chem units that go bad, and there is no way to
test them. Tonight I was at a friend's house,
burning papers. I asked his permission to test
the two take out units.

First one I tried was a Fyr Fyter. The label says
it is model 210D, made in USA, 2002. Probably year
of manufacture. Made by Walter Kidde. I shook the
unit to free up the chemical. I pulled the yellow
safety device, and then pushed on the white button
with both thumbs. To my surprise, it discharged, a
range of about 6 to 8 feet, in still air. Gracious,
that was surprise. I didn't expect any discharge
at all.

The second unit also a Fyr Fyter, model 210D. This
one has paper tape over the button, and then a metal
piece under the paper. Date of the unit says 1991.
Entirely and totally to my surprise (and the guy
with me) this one discharged perfectly, like the
first one.

Admittedly these were both in church owned trailers,
and there might been some divine protection. But,
I'm astounded that two disposable units this old,
both worked.

Nice job, Walter Kidde!

I just checked our two Kidde dry-chemical extinguishers that have
pressure gauges -- both still in the green. It took a while to discover
that there is actually a use-by date on these things: they "must be
taken out of service" 12 years from the date of manufacture -- the
latter being 2003 in our case.

But maybe we'll just keep them and buy a couple of new ones as well.

Perce

On 9/10/2014 11:37 AM, Tony Hwang wrote:
Hi,
We have real thing, small cylinder with hose. We have them
inspected and service every year to make sure it is good to go when
needed. Never occured time to use it. Cost ~25.00 for annual service.
If it does not do the job when I need it, you know what I am going to do.

Yep, with the inspection, those things had
best work when needed. Else, it's law suit
time. Do you store your inspection reciepts
off site so you don't burn the evidence you
need to file suit?

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 9/10/2014 11:58 AM, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:

I just checked our two Kidde dry-chemical extinguishers that have
pressure gauges -- both still in the green. It took a while to discover
that there is actually a use-by date on these things: they "must be
taken out of service" 12 years from the date of manufacture -- the
latter being 2003 in our case.

But maybe we'll just keep them and buy a couple of new ones as well.

Perce

Twelve years? That sounds familiar, but I didn't
know that. Thank you. I should check the units
I've got at home. Maybe Sept 11, if we're not all
bombed to death on the plane bomb aniversary.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Wed, 10 Sep 2014 08:42:07 -0400, Stormin Mormon
wrote:

On 9/10/2014 8:27 AM, Pat wrote:
I always keep one on my boat (a small pontoon) per state law. I
changed boats about 14 years ago and the new boat came with one. I
thought I would discharge the old one just to see how they work. The
gauge still showed normal pressure. I removed the safety and pulled
the trigger - absolutely nothing happened. I will guess the valve had
gotten clogged over the years with high humidity. I'm glad I didn't
have a fire while out on the lake. I wonder if the new one (now 14
years old) works? I will try to shake it as discussed elsewhere in
this thread. I wasn't aware of that technique until I read it here.

Pat


Thanks for the field report.

I'd suggest that you got your value out of that one,
over 14 years. I'd replace it before my next launch,
but that's just me. Walmart can sell you a small one
about twenty bucks, larger one for more.
For a boat if you don't have a minimum 2.5 lb, prefferably a 5 lb,
you may just as well go without one. If it ALMOST puts out the fire,
it may as well not even be there.

On 9/10/2014 6:08 PM, wrote:
For a boat if you don't have a minimum 2.5 lb,
prefferably a 5 lb, you may just as well go
without one. If it ALMOST puts out the fire,
it may as well not even be there.


The two which started this thread were 2.5 pound
BC rated. Better than nothing, but not by much.
In the hands of a skilled user, there is a chance
to put out a small fire.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 9/10/2014 8:43 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 9/10/2014 8:37 AM, Frank wrote:
I shook the first one, but not the second. Both
worked. I "hope" in a real fire I'd remember to
shake the unit on the way to the fire.


Good suggestion.
When I worked in the lab we tested our safety showers weekly.
Back when I was in school, they didn't.
Kid in the lab accidentally set himself on fire, pulled chain of safety
shower and it broke. Others extinguished the fire and he was OK but got
scarred for life.

Ouch, that's not good at all. When I was in
middle school, I burnt myself on a bunsen
burner, that was also not good. Painful for
a couple days.


I know of another one.

Lab worker at a refinery splashed himself with gasoline which caught
fire. Rather than use the safety shower and mess up the lab he elected
to go outdoors and use a hose. Also got deforming burn injuries.