ever wonder what the red button does at the gas pump?

[97RangerXLT]

well wonder no more..

http://www.shootthestupid.com/2008/03/18/whats-this-button-do/

AJ

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

i can only assume only larger stations have large scale fire control systems like that. for most small stations, the button just kills the pumps.

that would piss me off if some moron coated my car or truck with that crap. a lot of powdered chemical agents used for fire control are pretty corrosive.

 

[97RangerXLT]

yeah, I think that is the exception rather than the norm. If you read through some of the comments, this happened at a Honda plant/facility in Ohio, a Japanese visitor there did not know english very well and was having difficulties.

The expense of having a system like this recharged is pretty expensive, and if I were a station owner, I would not want the ability to set it off to be available to the customers. I can see some asswipe coming in and hitting the button just for the hell of it. I would want that kind of power for the clerk or attendant only.

AJ

 

[dangeranger01]

that would piss me off if some moron coated my car or truck with that crap. a lot of powdered chemical agents used for fire control are pretty corrosive.

+1, I would have whooped his ass for that one.

 

[mjonesjr]

These systems is only part of my daily job description. I design and sell them. This happens more often than people think.

This video has been going around the fire protection industry for awhile know.

The company I work for:
www.vulcanfiresystems.com

The expense of having a system like this recharged is pretty expensive, and if I were a station owner, I would not want the ability to set it off to be available to the customers. I can see some asswipe coming in and hitting the button just for the hell of it. I would want that kind of power for the clerk or attendant only.

AJ

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association - the fire protection code authority) requires a manual release be provided at the pump.

The cost of a recharge can range from $1000 to $10,000 per system; depending on the size of the system. Not to mention the fine from the fire department for a false alarm; these systems are directly tied into the building fire alarm and automatically call the FD.

i can only assume only larger stations have large scale fire control systems like that. for most small stations, the button just kills the pumps

you are somewhat correct. Some states have mandated these fire suppression systems; California and Florida being a couple. The other states require these at unattended fuel stations (fleet fuel pump stations).

that would piss me off if some moron coated my car or truck with that crap. a lot of powdered chemical agents used for fire control are pretty corrosive.

You are correct. The ABC agent that is used in these systems is highly corrosive. It doesn't take no time before the agent will start corroding electronic parts and pieces.

 

[krugford]

That would really suck....

How corrosive are we talking here? I've got a couple of ABCs in my shop. The last thing I need is to get that stuff in all the nooks and crannies of any vehicle I've got in there at the time. If it's really nasty stuff, I'm gonna look into water or CO2 and save the powder for if I really need it.

 

[mjonesjr]

It will not start immediately, but it will if you let it set for a few days.

For automotive fires, I like to use either foam or CO2. I like CO2 better because there is no clean up. Yes CO2 is more expensive, but how much would you spend in cleaning up?

 

[metalmacguyver]

Good to know Mjones!

I am gonna pick up a CO2 extinguisher asap.

 

[svtranger04]

CO2 is a great extinguishing agent but it it heaver than AIR and will sink to the floor when used inside or could be "blown" away if used out side. CO2 also has the LEAST amount of range of any extinguishing agent, and you have to get close and set the bottle on the ground because they build up a static charge and it WILL shock you, think carpet and door knob shock X 10! ABC chem is great for most things but it is nasty, hard to clean up with out a vacuum. stick with ABC chem and you'll be ok.

see on ships we used to have a chem called halon great stuff but it depletes the ozone faster than motley crue with aqua net! Now we use CO2 and a lot of it, the ship i was on this summer had 95 75lb(7125lb) bottles and 25 50lb(1250lbs) bottles protecting the engine room(8375 lbs total). it had
another 12 75lb bottles protecting two generator rooms. the scary thing about a fixed CO2 system is once the lever is pulled you have 20SECONDS to get out of that space before the system is discharged.


but its still a funny vid.

 

[mjonesjr]

C02 is better for vehicle use than Halotron extinguishers. C02 has a farther range than Halotron. Halotron works better in sealed environents.

BTW Halon was outlawed for full extinguishing agent in the early 1990's. Now the normal agent is HFC-125 (FE-25 is the trade name) or HFC-227ea (FM-200 is the trade name). We use these in computer rooms or any other area where water sprinklers will do more damage than good.

 

[Simple_serf]

Hmmm...

I was thinking of getting a co2 unit, as I have had the occasional engine catch fire while running (Think a T carb, and open flame ignition... Fires happen on a somewhat regular basis), and Instead of either shutting the unit down, or waiting for the engine to suck the flame out (I run these at shows...Normally I just wait for the flame to suck out, but with people around, this isn't a good idea), a blast of co2 is used by some people to stop this.

I have used them before and have never gotten a shock.