Element fire suppression device

[lance corsi]

I was watching one of my Sunday faves today and saw something I’d like to share. A sponsor called Element was offering a fire extinguisher which you must see to believe. There are 2 sizes, 50 second and 100 second. This is the amount of time the device will deliver flame retardant. The company claims it to provide 5X what an ABC 5lb fire extinguisher will deliver, from an 80% smaller/lighter package. They also claim no harmful after effects, corrosion etc. safe to breathe (in small amounts)! It is available with a holder that zip ties to your roll cage, or there are alternate mounts available. They are fairly priced and far less than a conventional fire suppression system. True, prolly not as good from some standpoints, but possibly superior in other situations. For $49 I don’t feel you can go wrong. It’s cheap insurance for these hand built cars. I have one on the way! Check out Element.com for the rest of the stats.

[lance corsi]

Bump

[flynntuna]

Lance is this the website?

https://elementfire.com/

[lance corsi]

I think so. The extinguishers are between 11 and 13” long and about 1.5” diameter just so you recognize them. I doubt that anyone else has a similar product.

[lance corsi]

Yes that’s the website.

[Mark Eaton]

Wow, that thing looks really slick! I have been looking into fire suppression systems quit a bit. I've been thinking about getting one of the Fire Bottle AMRC- systems from Lucas oil. The advantage of those is they can activate if you are disabled and you can have extinguishing ports in the engine compartment, fuel cell compartment as well as the cockpit. However, this is certainly a simpler and less expensive starting point.

[Arrowhead]

For $49 I don’t feel you can go wrong.

Yes, I saw these a couple of years ago, every vehicle should have one. Are you sure that's the correct price? According their website they are $79.95. The $49 is just for the roll bar mount I believe, the E50 is not included. Now if you fond them for $49 - please share.

[lance corsi]

Here’s what I know: I ordered a “roll bar mount” which I thought included the extinguisher plus a roll bar mount. What I received was a 50 sec extinguisher with a flat surface mount. It’s okay tho because I wouldn’t have wanted a roll bar mount if it was $50. I was billed $49.00 plus $9.99 shipping. Total was $58.99. They may have lowered the price since you looked at them.

[lance corsi]

Maybe I should hold off on posting. I double checked the Elementfire.com website and the advertised price was $79 for the 50 sec extinguisher and $49 for the roll bar mount. I can’t explain why the television show stated $49 for the extinguisher. I also can’t explain what the heck happened with my order. I guess I’ll have to send the balance $ to them. Unless someone can talk me out of it.

[lance corsi]

Maybe they sensed that I was way over budget on my build and decided to give me a break?

[Bob Cowan]

I carry one in the Cobra, and one in the truck.

[Just puttering]

They may be stuck if the add said 49 they may need to honor it!

[alexmak]

So did anyone actually try these? Are they any good?

[Bob Cowan]

Fortunately, no. :)

[Salty Chief 35]

I am a fire equipment dealer and service fire extinguishers on my days off from the fire department. I am very skeptical about new products. The company makes claims that are unsubstantiated. All fire extinguishers are tested and verified for use by a third party testing lab (UL or FM). Think of new drugs not corroborated by the FDA. I don’t see a UL listing on this device. They claim it is safe to breathe but don’t say what is in the gas that is created. They demonstrate the product inside a closed area with no breeze. It appears it would work in an engine compartment inside a garage. However, how does it work outside if there is any wind as gas is dissipated and blows away? A CO2 extinguisher is ineffective in this way as well. Your best bet is a designed fire suppression system with FE36 (halon replacement) or Sapphire.
Stay away from ABC powder extinguishers if you can as the powder is very corrosive when it is exposed to moisture (humidity in the air). It will ruin your motor if it gets in your carburetor and will eat up your wiring causing all sorts of electrical problems. A FE36 or halon extinguisher discharges as a liquid and then evaporates, displacing oxygen to break the chemical chain reaction to extinguish the fire.
Respectfully,
Jeremie

[JohnK]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a FE36-based system with automatic (heat) triggered nozzles that I could install in the roadster. Looking primarily for engine compartment and trunk coverage. I'll still have a regular fire extinguisher in the cockpit.

[FLPBFoot]

I work at one of the renowned test and certification agencies and managed the Fire Protection unit that tests extinguishers. These are pure "snake oil". They may give you some benefit but maybe not. IMHO, with my $50K Roadster on the line, I prefer to have a UL Listed extinguisher available. Actually I have 2 Halotron extinguishers in the trunk.

I'd like to see this thing demonstrated to the actual test method done for Class B fires. 2.5' square pan filled with 2 inches of n-Heptane. That 7.79 gallons. Lit and let burn for 30 seconds then fight the fire with the extinguisher. Their video shows it extinguishing only 2 liters of gasoline in a small pan. I agree with Jeremie, am very skeptical about this product.

Steve

[lance corsi]

I’d rather have one than nothing. Nobody said that these would be a replacement for a halon system.

[Salty Chief 35]

you can find a FE36 system at summit, jegs etc. here’s a link to Pegasus racing too. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/group.asp?GroupID=FIRESYSSFI

Jeremie

[FLPBFoot]

I’d rather have one than nothing. Nobody said that these would be a replacement for a halon system.

Lance

True. Better than nothing. Seems If you are going to spend $30K, $40K, $50K on a car, spend another $80 to $150 on a decent fire extinguisher.

Murphy's law says, "if you have them you'll never need them".

Steve

[Olli]

I find this thread very interesting. I searched for FE36 handhelds and in doing so found Halotron-1 hand helds. I actually have a Amerex 1.4lbs Halotron-1 in my Mk IV. I bought it on sale a few years back. Here area links for Halotron-1 handhelds.
http://www.safetyemporium.com/09634
https://fireextinguisherdepot.com/fire-extinguishers/halotron-fire-extinguishers.html


Olli