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Old March 2, 2011, 10:09 AM   #26
Double Naught Spy
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You should have a fire extinguisher. It is just a nice piece of safety gear. We keep three in the house, one of which is in the work area of the garage.

I can't think of a single reason why you should not have one.
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Old March 2, 2011, 10:11 AM   #27
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I've actually been thinking seriously about adding a sprinkler head to my reloading room. It's in the unfinished portion of the basement.
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Old March 2, 2011, 10:15 AM   #28
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You WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EXTINGUISH ANY POWDER DEFLAGRATION, EXCEPT THE SMALLEST ONE, with any conventional extinguisher. The only practical use of an ABC would be to stop a primary fire, and prevent the secondary ignition of powder or primers. I do keep an ABC type within easy reach of the loading bench. However if the powder supply is in immediate danger of igniting and is more than a pound or 2, then your feet must come into play. The fire resulting from a small amount of powder burning may be controlled after the fact ,BUT the fumes produced by even a moderate amount of powder is very toxic and will by virtue of great expansion have displaced most of the oxygen in the immediate vicinity. I think the expansion ratio of smokeless is around 1000:1 so it would seem that the atmosphere in a 12X12X8' room would not be compatible with life until fully aired out. Dont go back to investigate too soon.
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Old March 2, 2011, 11:06 AM   #29
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My loading room is a walled off 10x12 portion of the garage, there's a door at each end and a fire extenguisher at each door. Ditto for the garage. Ditto for the kitchen. Ditto in my vehicles (and first aid kits). In some 50 years of adult living on my own I've never had an accidental fire but I'm prepared.
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Old March 2, 2011, 11:47 AM   #30
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Haven't thought about it, but it's not a bad idea.
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Old March 2, 2011, 12:12 PM   #31
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Fire Extinguisher

ABC in the Kitchen (near the sink not the stove)
and
another ABC in a book case just inside of the door of the room where I reload.

I keep my primers and my powder canisters a foot or two apart both horizontally and vertically.
When reloading I move the primers and powder to the reloading bench.

I actually have more concern about a possible error when reloading, no powder and therefore the primer jamming a bullet in the barrel, than I do about a fire.

But - the fire extinguisher and separation are one-time easy precautions.
Oh - Also made sure I have very good lighting at the reloading bench. Thats probably the most important issue (aside from caution/care/checking etc).
.
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Old March 2, 2011, 01:10 PM   #32
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I've got one but my reloading area, never used it, but I'm ready.
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Old March 2, 2011, 03:52 PM   #33
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Yep, got one about 3 foot away from me. Why not, an ounce of prevention..............I doubt it will ever happen but ya never know.
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Old March 2, 2011, 08:36 PM   #34
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I've actually been thinking seriously about adding a sprinkler head to my reloading room. It's in the unfinished portion of the basement.
Ditto here- I already have the sprinklers to do it, too
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Old March 2, 2011, 09:25 PM   #35
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Have a garden hose connected just past the water meter.
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Old March 2, 2011, 09:35 PM   #36
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Keep one right by the door.....even found a glow in the dark decal to guide me to it should the power go out.

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Old November 12, 2011, 11:46 AM   #37
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I know this is an old thread, but I think this is a worthwhile contribution.

For whatever it's worth, the A-Square reloading manual (Any Shot You Want) specifically recommends a CO2 fire extinguisher for the reloading room. Their reasoning is that since you can't extinguish gunpowder by denying it oxygen (gunpowder provides its own) the best tactic is to scatter it as much and as quickly as possible, reasoning that any very small quanitity, isolated from the rest, will go out very quickly. The CO2 will then smother any secondary flame ignited by the gunpowder.

I'm not sure I completely buy this, but the idea of a clean-agent extinguisher is very attractive, given the hours one might spend getting rid of residue off all the myriad bits and pieces in a reloading room.
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Old November 12, 2011, 12:51 PM   #38
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Normal ABC is fine, you can use it on whatever happens to be burning.

Nope, smokeless gun powder contains or produces it's own oxidizer, burns really fast. Best idea is to get out as fast as possible or install a sprinkler systems that goes off automatically. Other items in the room will catch fire that can be put out by an extingusher. CO2 or Freon extingushers will work the best by reducing the oxygen to the fire (spray at the base of the fire). Since both reduce the oxygen available in the room get out ASAP and dial 911 let the pros with air tanks on their backs put out any secondary fires.


Stay safe.
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Old November 12, 2011, 01:05 PM   #39
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Yep, I've got a fire extinguisher near my reloading room. Note the emphasis on "near". I got what seems like very good advice from a fireman one time. He said a lot of folks make the mistake of keeping a FE close to a possible source of a fire, when it should be kept a fair distance from it so you can actually get to it without the risk of it being out of reach when you need it most.

For example, you shouldn't have a FE in the kitchen, it should be easily accessible just outside the kitchen, maybe in a hallway or even a dining room cabinet. You want to fight a fire with an escape route always available - just in case.
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Old November 12, 2011, 01:08 PM   #40
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Nope, smokeless gun powder contains or produces it's own oxidizer, burns really fast. Best idea is to get out as fast as possible or install a sprinkler systems that goes off automatically.
Exactly, that's why I have the garden hose connection. You may not be able to take away the oxidizer, but you CAN take away the heat that the fire needs to continue burning.
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Old November 12, 2011, 03:42 PM   #41
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I keep extinguishers in the garage and kitchen. Awhile back my wife's cousin was over. He's a battalion fire chief. He got on me about not having one in the reloading room so I bought a third one not long after.

With the way real estate prices have dropped, I'm thinking I'll use the extinguisher to fight my way out to the stairs. Otherwise I may just let er burn
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Old November 12, 2011, 03:52 PM   #42
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I've been looking at used "2A" pressurized water extinguishers on eBay. I have one I bought new about 20 years ago and converted to a bug sprayer; think I might get a couple more to use as actual fire extinguishers.

I just found out there is a type of water extinguisher that's rated for electrical fires. It's called a "water mist" 2A:C extinguisher, they're painted white and filled with deionized (distilled) water pressurized with nitrogen instead of air. New ones don't cost that much more than new water stream types, the downside is you can't recharge them yourself.
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Old November 13, 2011, 01:17 PM   #43
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5 lb ABC

Sits between the kitchen and my reloading station. It's a price I gladly pay for permission to reload in the house. The biggest threat is, as somebody else said, vacuuming up powder followed by a primer, igniting all that dog hair in the vacuum bag. The powder flash wouldn't last long, but what it ignites might. Maybe the dry chem will at least help to mask the smell.

I was a firefighter in my youth, and met a lot of people who wished they had had even a small extinguisher.
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Old November 13, 2011, 01:23 PM   #44
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No FE that I know of will extinguish a powder fire.
considering that primers and powder will operate in a vacuum, even thinking of putting out q fire involving them is a waste of time.

The only thing you might put out is other materials in the room.
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Old November 13, 2011, 02:53 PM   #45
Mike Irwin
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"considering that primers and powder will operate in a vacuum, even thinking of putting out q fire involving them is a waste of time."

Powder fires can be extinguished.

Takes a ferocious amount of water to do it, though, and involves not only cooling the powder but also using water to force separation between the granules before they can ignite each other.

Remember, unlike primers, powder isn't an explosive. It's a flammable solid, and it doesn't burn all that quickly when it's not confined.
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Old November 13, 2011, 04:05 PM   #46
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Just remember:
Smokeless powder doesn't need to pull O2 from the air.
...but YOU do.

If you go the CO2 route, be aware of the air quality in the room, should you ever need to fight the fire. Oxygen-displacing extinguishers (CO2, Halon, Novec, etc) only worsen the conditions created by fires in the home/garage/shed/workshop/etc. If you pass out from asphyxiation, you probably won't have any luck putting the fire out.
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Old November 13, 2011, 04:13 PM   #47
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Powder fires can be extinguished.
Not with any fire extinguisher in existence.

A deluge sprinkler system might be able to deliver enough water fast enough to be useful, but it is more likely to be useful in preventing the spread of the fire than extinguishing an already ignited one.
Manufacturers concentrate on separation between large quantities and keeping bulk powder stored in water (especially for long term storage) instead of even considering extinguishing a fire once it starts.

The fact it is not an explosive is not material, most explosives are actually easier to extinguish, ad they burn slowly and steadily with no chance of detonating.

If a detonator is present IT can easily set off a high explosive .
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Old November 13, 2011, 04:20 PM   #48
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How big is "a fire extinguisher"?
How big a fire are you planning on fighting with it?
What type are you thinking of & to put out what kind of fire?
How much will you spend initially, & later for maintenance?

Serious questions.

As long as you don't get one of those tiny "feelgood" ones, and realistically decide on the type & use its a great idea. Unfortunately a lot of people get the tiny, disposable "ABC" ones because they are inexpensive. Then they feel "protected", it is a false sense of security & can get you into trouble.

Powder, for example has it's own fuel & oxidants. How do you put out a fire with an extinguisher? There are 3 ways. Fire has a "triangle" ( Heat, Fuel, Oxygen) to put out a fire you break the triangle. Powder has fuel & oxygen built in. because of this you MUST remove heat. That means water-based, or heat sucking extinguishing agents & in enough volume to suck out enough heat so that the fire freezes to death. ABC just won't do anything to a powder fire.

Should you get one? Probably. But don't go with the feelgood "buck 380" ones from W-M for $18.95, get some serious advice as to type, size & pricing. Then figure out if you have something useful, at a price & size you can use to extinguish the fire & at a price you can afford. If the answer is "yes" then go for it.
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Old November 13, 2011, 06:14 PM   #49
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Now here is something I can't understand. People storing and handling explosives and not taking the most basic precaution against fire. Powder can be ignited accidentally, even if it is a wild possibility. Heck, do none of you guys have kids that might go into the room and play? locked doors mean nothing.

The stakes are so high. if I dropped a cannister and it spilled, it would be everywhere. the chances of ignition are pretty slim, but not impossible, and spilled powder will create a big, intense fire.

I keep two down there, and a couple jugs of water.

Keep in mind that halon or CO2 will not do a bit of good against powder/primers. they will just blow it into a big cloud of flame that will eat you alive. Get a powder or water based extinguisher, water preferred. Nothing is smarter than putting a sprinkler over the bench that can saturate the area.


Seriously, most of the people here believe in carrying concealed weapons, some of us even carry in every waking moment, and I know some people here who even say that the pistol is under their pillows, just on the incredibly slim chance that a home invasion could occur, but some people won't put an extinguisher next to powder, oil and solvents?

Check into the laws. a commercial dealer has to have fire extinguishers. You also have to have specially built fire safe poweder magazines.
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Old November 13, 2011, 06:50 PM   #50
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Any fire extinguisher in a home or garage or shed is a good thing.
Baby fire extinguishers are mainly a tool for baby fires. We have several
25 lb'ers around, they will squash a pretty good fire.
I've seen 10 lb of powder (I know, not a lot) go up and it's nothing to run from, just let it burn out (won't take long) and squash the resultant fire. Not a big deal and certainly no reason to cut and run, letting your home catch fire.

Send the wife/kids outside but once the powder is gone you've got a pretty managable situation and you can minimize the loss easily. Panic never works well in a fire situation.

J
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