A car fire extinguisher is one of the most essential safety equipment to have in your vehicle when you’ve built a high-performance street car or a track star. Hopefully, you’ll never have to use it but if you do, it may protect your vehicle from being totaled, and even more importantly, save lives. This is why you should seriously consider getting one for your car, and why we bring you this guide on automotive fire extinguishers.
Read along and find out what criteria you should consider, and what qualities to look for in a extinguisher.
What Are the Common Causes of Car Fires?
A car fire can break out for many reasons, with the most common being improper maintenance. Fires most commonly start because of leaking fluids (oil, gas, brake fluid, and such) caused by degraded hoses, seals, and gaskets. For example, oil from the engine may leak onto hot exhaust system components and catch on fire. Oftentimes, these accidents could have been prevented with proper maintenance and periodic technical inspections.
Other common causes include electrical short circuits, car crashes, engine overheating, and exhaust system issues, such as clogged catalytic converters. In some cases, fires have also been caused by design flaws. These are often fixed through recalls, but the issue is not always corrected before an accident actually happens.
On the other hand, contrary to common beliefs, electrified vehicles do not present an increased risk of fire. It is true that extinguishing the batteries of such cars is more difficult, can take much longer, and entails the risk of the batteries reigniting again but the risk of the fire breaking out is roughly on par with conventional internal combustion vehicles.
How Big of a Fire Extinguisher Do I Need for a Car?
A simple answer to this question would be “the bigger the better”. The larger the extinguisher, the bigger the fire you can potentially put out. On the other hand, size is always going to be a limiting factor, so you’ll need to find a balance.
The smallest fire extinguishers have a 1-pound capacity, and at this size, they are so compact that it really shouldn’t be an issue to make them fit in any car. Nonetheless, it might be better to aim for a 2.5-pound model instead. It should still be possible to mount it to the front of the seat or in the passenger footwell (these are the best mounting places, as they keep the fire extinguisher handy), and if not, it can be easily kept in the trunk without hindering practicality. A 5-pound would be the absolute largest fire extinguisher to have in a car. Such fire extinguishers are already about 15 inches tall, so anything larger would be vastly impractical, and even this size is borderline.
A golden mean is a 2.5-pound size. It will give you that slightly larger capacity, without being too impractical to always keep in your car.
Keep in mind that an automotive fire extinguisher will always have a rather limited capacity. This definitely isn’t to say that they are pointless but rather that you’ll be able to fight small fires before they spread. At the point where you see tall flames coming from under the hood, it is likely too late to fight such fire yourself, regardless of whether you have a 1- or a 5-pound extinguisher.
What Is the Difference Between ABC and BC Car Fire Extinguishers?
To understand the difference between the ABC and BC types, we need to know that fires are divided into five main classes, based on which substances are involved:
- Class A - combustible materials such as paper, wood, plastic, fabric, and rubber
- Class B - flammable liquids such as alcohol, oil, paint, and gas
- Class C - electrical malfunctions like overloaded outlets and short circuits
- Class D - metals including magnesium, potassium, sodium, titanium, etc.
- Class K - combustible cooking liquids, which include oil, grease, etc.
The combination of letters is used to describe for which types of fire the given fire extinguisher is suitable.
In cars, the most common materials are those found in the first three classes, so the majority of automotive fire extinguishers will be designated as either ABC or BC, both serving multipurpose use. Of course, the ABC type is more versatile, as it can extinguish combustible materials, flammable liquids, and electrical malfunctions. This makes it arguably better than the BC type, which lacks the Class A rating.
What Are the Qualities to Look For in a Fire Extinguisher?
Most automotive-designated fire extinguishers will work well but some may still be better than others. Foremost, you should consider the capacity or rather the size of the extinguisher. If you regularly transport large items and fitting them all inside your car might force you to take your 10-pound extinguisher out, look for a compact one instead. Having at least a small extinguishing power is better than having none, and having to deal with a fire that one time you had to leave the extinguisher in your garage would be unfortunate. Having a small extinguisher in your car is better than a big one in your garage.
Additionally, there are rechargeable and disposable extinguishers, and it is always better to have the rechargeable one. Even when not used, fire extinguishers require to be inspected and recharged periodically. Having a refillable extinguisher will thus save you the costs of having to buy a new unit every few years, and instead, you can simply refill it. It is generally recommended to refill every six years even without use.
Also, make sure that regardless of the automotive fire extinguisher you get, it is certified, and with good warranty coverage.
Fire Extinguisher in the Car - a Potential Lifesaver
A compact fire extinguisher in the car will never give you a hundred percent guarantee of stopping a fire. Nonetheless, it greatly minimizes the risks of harm to yourself, your passengers, and your car. If you detect the fire early on and know the proper steps to extinguish it, a car fire extinguisher is an amazing safety tool.
At the very least, it will prevent the fire from spreading too fast, and give you the precious time needed to get everyone safe. We hope you stay safe on the road. The chances are slim but being prepared even for rare situations such as a car fire can be invaluable.
