Dry powder fire extinguisher and electrics
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Category: General
Forum Name: General Forum
Forum Description: Open Discussion / Questions
URL: https://forum.speakerplans.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=107517
Printed Date: 21 March 2023 at 12:19pm
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Topic: Dry powder fire extinguisher and electrics
Posted By: monkeypuzzle
Subject: Dry powder fire extinguisher and electrics
Date Posted: 29 November 2022 at 4:05pm
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So I had a dry powder extinguisher go off in the back of my van at the weekend. Everything is covered in a fine snow resembling that last scene in Scarface. I seem to remember that they leave a film thats bad for electrical stuff. Almost everything was flight cased but there may be a few things that weren't. Any recommendations for cleaning? Cheers ------------- blah blah blah blah blah...... |
Replies:
Posted By: FOO
Date Posted: 29 November 2022 at 8:23pm
| The powder particles are very fine which makes it easy for them to spread across a large area. They can affect a vast array of materials, corroding metal and damaging electrical equipment and machinery. |
Posted By: teeth
Date Posted: 30 November 2022 at 7:37am
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ionised / distilled water and a good drying out our good friend IPA and a toothbrush
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Posted By: Bams
Date Posted: 30 November 2022 at 9:10am
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Do not open the flightcases before cleaning them thorougly if possible! the particles get everywhere and will cause havoc long after you even remember the incident. they act corrosive so enhance or start deterioration of the electrics. if gear itself is covered in it; do not use it in critical conditions anymore and try to write them off/ claim them for insurance as damaged beyond repair. andd... pics or it didn't happen! ;)
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Posted By: kedwardsleisure
Date Posted: 30 November 2022 at 11:20am
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I've seen a couple of pcbs mounted in a sarel/himel/rittal style steel enclosure with just fan grilles open, which had a powder extinguisher go off in the same room. The owner left it for a few months and then brought it to me. All the copper on the pcbs had dissolved. ------------- Kevin North Staffordshire |
Posted By: Randy Bohannon
Date Posted: 30 November 2022 at 12:52pm
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If it's the standard fill of ammonium phosphate powder then clean it up with very hot and slightly alkaline water as it is acidic in solution. Failing to completely flush equipment with copious amounts of hot water will almost certainly result in trouble down the road as the stuff is hygroscopic and will absorb enough moisture from the atmosphere to give the damage described above. Hose it down and if it can't be hosed, be prepared to write it off I'm afraid.
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Posted By: monkeypuzzle
Date Posted: 30 November 2022 at 2:14pm
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Cheers, I've just spoken to my insurers and they are suggesting that I'd need to get a written report or testing for the kit. The only thing i'm remotely concerned about is my inverter. It sits on the back of a steel enclosure as you described Kev and there are plenty of holes cut in it for breakers and such like. Given whats been said here, I'm pretty sure I may need to claim for that... ------------- blah blah blah blah blah...... |
Posted By: GAZ.
Date Posted: 30 November 2022 at 9:17pm
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I had someone do some welding on my van a while back and he managed to set it on fire. That got put out with extinguishers, and although I bought it back from the dead and still using it, there is rust now inside the roof frame and in other places. So bear in mind your van is going to suffer too at some point. Obviously it’s near on impossible to clean out the roof frame and rear door pillars etc. ------------- 100% Earth Moving Bass |
Posted By: monkeypuzzle
Date Posted: 30 November 2022 at 9:29pm
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Cheers Gaz, that all sounds very dull. I've worked hard and spent quite a lot on this van over the years and it still has a lot of life in it, is the rust slow? ------------- blah blah blah blah blah...... |
Posted By: GAZ.
Date Posted: 01 December 2022 at 3:38pm
 This it what fire extinguisher does to a van. The fire in mine happened march last year and that picture was taken earlier today to give you some idea. ------------- 100% Earth Moving Bass |
Posted By: APC321
Date Posted: 01 December 2022 at 4:17pm
| Why not use a vacuum cleaner to remove the majority of the particles before trying other things? |
Posted By: monkeypuzzle
Date Posted: 02 December 2022 at 8:54am
Oof, has that eaten through the paint work then? I've done a sweep and vacuum in the back but it certainly hasn't got everything out, I feel I may need to pull up the floor and get plenty of buckets of hot soapy water or maybe even a pressure washer on it. What do you think? ------------- blah blah blah blah blah...... |
GAZ. wrote:Posted By: GAZ.
Date Posted: 02 December 2022 at 5:15pm
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Yes it’s got through the paint and rusting away. Problem is that’s inside the roof frame and there’s no way of cleaning it out in there. Even if you spray water in it probably won’t clean everything. Mine also had the added problem of soot from the fire which I’ve done my best to wash off everywhere.I think your best bet is to strip out your interior and jet wash as much as you can. I’m thinking about getting a chassis sprayer and blowing a load of clear waxoil or similar in mine to try and stop it getting any worse. ------------- 100% Earth Moving Bass |