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Fire extinguishers

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OM617YOTA

Solar Enthusiast
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May 27, 2021
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What kind of fire extinguisher do you have mounted near your systems? I've had zero issues, nor reason to think there will be an issue, but this is the kind of thing you have to set up before there's a problem.

Probably going to go with a basic 5lb or 10lb BC extinguisher. I know Halon or CO2 is better for this kind of thing, and there are specific lithium fire extinguishers, but the cost vs. odds of needing it ratio isn't there for me.

This seemed like the most fitting place to post this question, even though it's not discussing an actual problem.
 
This may not be the thing to use, but maybe better than nothing if you want the least expensive route. I tuned some steel drums for a guy who had designed a product that he was selling on QVC or something like that. It was a towel you could throw over a burning pan on a stove to put out a fire. It was an ordinary terri cloth hand towel, white, looked like a normal towel. He had it packaged in a little cardboard box that you could grab the corner of the towel and pull out. The towel had been soaked in a solution of boric acid and borax, then dried. We took a propane Benzomatic torch and melted a penny in the towel. The towel scorched black, smoked a little, but didn't burn.

I read up on this recently, and I bought some heavy cotton painters drop cloths, found a recipe online, soaked them in borax/boric acid (cheap, easy to find), and we have them lining our tent, just to help with fires.

I think multiple layers of drop cloths like this, hung up over your system where you could pull a few ropes and drop it over everything might be helpful.
 
Great ideas! Thank you both!

This is what I wound up with. Nothing special, but something. There's another extinguisher 20ft away, beside my back door.

IMG_20230805_085108.jpg
 
 
I have an Ansul CleanGuard. But that's for my electronic test equipment, higher value.

I previously selected Halotron for a lab, but it appears effective concentration of CleanGuard is less toxic.

Mixed messages in MSDS and documentation, but these compounds might produce HF in some combustion conditions. Evacuate and ventilate after using.

Of course ABC will corrode things.

Always cut electric power to a fire. In the case of electronics, should only keep burning with power applied.
 
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Not exactly a fire extinguisher reccomendation, but having spare tools nearby, like larger 2-handed wire cutters, socket wrench, etc - would be helpful in quickly dismantling a smoldering battery or cell and getting it out of the building. A surplus gas mask with one of the charcoal filters used for pesticides/chemical vapors would be handy for keeping most of that nasty smoke or fire extinguishing powder out of your lungs while you work.
 
sollap said:
Not exactly a fire extinguisher reccomendation, but having spare tools nearby, like larger 2-handed wire cutters, socket wrench, etc - would be helpful in quickly dismantling a smoldering battery or cell and getting it out of the building. A surplus gas mask with one of the charcoal filters used for pesticides/chemical vapors would be handy for keeping most of that nasty smoke or fire extinguishing powder out of your lungs while you work.
Click to expand...
On the wire cutters I recommend the gear reduction type. Love mine.
 
you will need 2 type - ABC regular that you can buy like in Costco for 40$ , that is fine for electric fire but fo LIFEPO4, that won't help..
you need D type fire extinguisher, those ones cost around 800$ a pop
Other things u should do and recommend by code, use fire resistance drywall for 90 Min, cost 20$ a drywall , heat detectors and smoke detectors also recommended for faster reaction
 
Interesting product.

It would be nice if it could initiate a panel level shutdown activate some disconnects if it sensed a problem instead of just providing an alert.
 
I work for a fire equipment dealer, I'd keep a CO2 or clean agent type fire extingusher (halotron/halon/hfc227/FE25/etc) for most sensitive electrical equipment but for lithium batteries, you are very limited on options. Most common Class D specific fire extinguishers won't extinguish a lithium-ion battery fire. There are some manufacturers that do make extinguishers capable of putting out lithium-ion battery fires but usually they aren't readily available for purchase. My opinion, if money is not an issue, I'd go with a battery cabinet capable of containment/suppressing fire. Like the Cellblock FCS or Denios battery cabinet.
 
I keep thinking bags of sand that just live on top of the batteries wouldn’t be a bad plan. If one were worried. Or big pieces of sheetrock rested on top.
 
At first I thought special extinguisher needed for lithium battery fires, but lots of field experience by fire departments with EVs have been reported. They just use water.

The key would seem to be an enclosure so batteries get immersed instead of the water running off.

A thermal element in sprinkler head, fed by tank or pipe, would make this automatic.
 
Just saw the CellBlock system, looks slick but the "request price" on the website makes me think these things are gonna be expensive (edit: yeah, 17K is not gonna work). Also the video below shows their retardant being dropped onto individual battery cells, I question how effective it would be dropped on the kind of batteries we use (where the individual cells are encased in a metal box).


We have our 38KW of Pylontech in a solar shed we just built, but we built it on top of a root cellar because I wasn't sure if I could just insulate the batteries and keep them warm enough in an Alaska winter (narrator: "he couldn't").

The root cellar is a 12' diameter stainless steel culvert with a concrete floor. So this summer I'm going to move the batteries down into the cellar. It's only 6 foot high though, and its roof is the wood floor of the shed above it.

Thinking about the best way to insulate that roof/floor to keep any flames from lighting the wood structure on fire. The concrete cellar floor and metal culvert sides won't be a problem. But if that roof/floor goes up, then the shed goes up in flames and possibly the forest depending on the winds.

There is only about 3 feet from the batteries to the roof/floor. I think perhaps a metal enclosure around the batteries might be good (although would need a hole for cables), and then some thick fireboard on the roof/floor in case some flames got out of that somehow (perhaps through the cable hole). Although lithium can burn up to around 4900 F and I'm not sure any metal would really fit the bill. And any metal that did would be a real pain to weld into an enclosure I would think. Concrete doesn't have the temp rating either.

Some metal enclosure plus that CellBlock stuff they sell, plus fireboard above might be the best I can expect I suppose.

ETA: maybe I'm jumping the gun on the risk. Checking out Will's thread now on LifePo4 chemistry...

diysolarforum.com

Can LiFePO4 Batteries Combust in Thermal Runaway Event?

I would like to challenge anyone reading this to find a photo or video of a LiFePO4 creating internal combustion from thermal runaway event. I keep seeing people comment that LiFePO4 can combust, but UL listed companies and battery studies are telling me otherwise. Where are people coming up...
diysolarforum.com diysolarforum.com
 
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