Cars & Fire Extinguishers: 8 Common Questions (Answered)

According to Charleston SC, vehicle fire causes an estimation of 480 civilian deaths and 1,525 injuries annually in the USA.

Car fire outbreaks have been contributing highly to accidents in recent years. Many people have lost their lives to car fires while others sustained substantial injuries because of it.

Car fires mostly occur because of electrical faults, poor maintenance, a car crash, faulty fuel system, or overheating.

Servicing your car regularly will solve most of these causes of fire outbreaks, but not all. It is why some car owners have adopted the use of fire extinguishers.

Fire extinguishers are used to quench the fire in cases of emergencies.

They prevent fire outbreaks by interrupting the components that ignite a fire. These components are the fire triangle namely, heat, fuel, and oxygen.

In this article, we answer eight common questions about fire extinguishers.

Do Any Cars Come With a Fire Extinguisher?

Very few cars come with fire extinguishers and they are not regular cars. They include race cars or high-performing cars.

Consumers know these cars for their special design to perform at high speed. It is why they have built-in fire suppression systems that extinguish fire upon detection.

Most regular cars demand you purchase a fire extinguisher separately for your use. Car manufacturers do not include extinguishers mainly because of these two factors:

1. Cost: Including fire extinguishers in cars will lead to extra expenses most consumers try to avoid.
2.  Maintenance: The need to maintain the fire extinguisher system requires extra time, effort, and cost that most consumers will avoid.

Is It Legal to Have a Fire Extinguisher in Your Car?

There are no legal demands for fire extinguishers in cars and you are not breaking any legal law by having one in yours.

Some states legalize the use of fire extinguishers in commercial and recreational vehicles. But they recommend it in standard cars. You should have a fire extinguisher in your car regardless your state requires it or not.

Fire accidents will not warn you before they happen. Get a fire extinguisher to protect you from the claws of fire. It can also save your car from the destruction caused by fire hazards daily.

Do Fire Extinguishers Actually Work on Cars?

Fire extinguishers work on cars. They are very effective in putting out fire outbreaks on cars. Fire control professionals recommend the ABC powder fire extinguisher for an exceptional result.

To get a successful and quick result, make sure you have some basic training about how to use a fire extinguisher. Do not employ your idea while there is a real-life situation of a fire outbreak.

Previous training on using a fire extinguisher to quench actual fire builds your confidence. That way, situations where the fire doesn’t react to the extinguisher on time will not discourage you.

Lack of knowledge about how to employ a fire extinguisher may lead to injury and loss of your car. You may also end up losing your life in a deadly case.

A fire extinguisher is very effective in quenching fire, but do not risk using it in ignorance.

Also, make sure the content of your fire extinguisher has not expired for the best result. You should check its content regularly and change it at least once a year.

Where Do You Put a Fire Extinguisher in a Car?

Keep your fire extinguisher where it will be safe. You can keep your fire extinguisher in the front passenger seat, on the floor. Keeping it there will make it accessible, visible, and safe.

Make sure you secure your fire extinguisher to its spot and that it is not obstructing the passengers. You can secure your fire extinguisher with brackets. Some manufacturers include them in their products.

You can also keep your fire extinguisher in your car trunk. Having to reach your fire extinguisher in the trunk may even help you get out of your car in time.

Vehicle fires are very swift at spreading and damaging cars.

You will be safer outside your car while trying to reach your extinguisher.

You should make sure you keep your fire extinguisher somewhere protected from direct sunlight. Exposure to sunlight will dry out the hose, or cause the fire extinguisher content to expire quickly.

The exposure will also cause the instructions on it to fade out. Faded instructions may pose a problem when you need crucial details about your fire extinguisher.

Related: Do All Cars Come With Floor Mats? (Checked)

What TYPE of Fire Extinguisher Is Best for a Car?

There are mainly 5 types of fire extinguishers. They include water, foam, powder, CO2, and wet chemicals.

The powder fire extinguisher further includes the ABC type. Consumers know the ABC powder fire extinguisher for its multi-purposefulness. They use it in all settings.

Just like its name, ABC, it works for the type A, B, and C fire. It employs mono ammonium phosphate to interrupt the reaction causing the fire outbreak. It cuts off the oxygen supply to eliminate the fire source.

The ABC fire extinguisher is the best type for your car. It employs layers of powder to smother the flames of fire. It causes no further damage to your car after it has absolved the fire.

Apart from its capacity to extinguish any type of fire, the ABC fire extinguisher gives you peace. This is because you can rely on it to take care of your car’s vulnerability to all kinds of fire.

Related: Do All Cars Leak Water? What To Expect (For Beginners)

What SIZE of Fire Extinguisher Is Used for a Car?

There are different sizes of fire extinguishers. These sizes determine the quantity they can hold.

The smaller they are, the lower their contents and vice versa. Fire extinguisher sizes car owners get range between 1kg and 2kg.

Car fire extinguishers need to be portable. Also, its contents have to be enough to quench a fire outbreak.

The size of your car is also a factor to consider when getting a fire extinguisher. The space in your car will determine the size of the fire extinguisher you will buy for it.

These mentioned factors determine if you need to buy a 1kg or 2kg fire extinguisher. However, your car may need lesser or more than this, depending on the circumstance.

Related: Sirens Explained: Police Cars Vs. Ambulances And Fire Trucks

Do Fire Extinguishers Have To Be Mounted in Vehicles?

You need to mount fire extinguishers in vehicles to keep them safe, accessible, and secured. Failure to keep them adequately can damage or make them ineffective.

Damaged fire extinguishers are as bad as not having any. They are incapable of quenching fire in cases of ignition.

The protection mounting your extinguisher gives reassures you. Your extinguisher will be in a good condition to serve its purpose in cases of emergency.

There are many places drivers can mount a fire extinguisher in their cars. Some use the floor of the front passenger seat. Some employ under the driver’s seat.

Some car owners prefer the back passenger seat while others keep it in the trunk of their cars.

Wherever you mount your fire extinguisher, make sure it is visible, spacious, and protected.

Car owners make use of brackets to mount their fire extinguishers. There are many bracket brands available for you. You can browse them online to get the best choice and design that suit your preference.

However, some fire extinguishers come with their brackets. You don’t need to buy them separately.

Can Fire Extinguishers Explode a Car?

A fire extinguisher can explode in your car if you don’t maintain it properly. Ironically, your extinguisher can be the source of the fire it is supposed to prevent.

The cases of fire extinguishers exploding are very rare, but it is not nonexistent.

Exposure of fire extinguishers to extreme heat, rough handling, and high pressure can cause them to explode. It is why you should store your extinguishers in secure places.

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