jerrytug
Member
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- 1,837
- Location
- Isle of Wight
I was shocked to find one of my three 6-litre AFFF extinguishers totally empty, with nothing on the pressure gauge.
(Yes I should check the contents gauges frequently, guilty as charged..)
We just removed it from the bracket, to clean and paint behind it.
The other two, same age same batch, are fine.
They have all been in the same environment for their lives, about 4 years old.
I am unable to understand how this could even be possible.
Presumably just a random slow gas leak, caused by a manufacturing fault?
The safety pins have all been pulled out and replaced, for crew demonstrations, but the trigger handles never been pulled. (Although that shouldn't cause self-discharge anyway.)
If it had been emptied by some prankster pulling the handle, there would have been foam all over the boat.
Q: If the gas has leaked out, but the AFFF-causing stuff remains inside, unused, would it be safe to hack the cylinder open for a look?
Is there a way to find out what happened? Or just bin it? I have already bought a replacement.
Much obliged for any comments from the fire experts.
(Yes I should check the contents gauges frequently, guilty as charged..)
We just removed it from the bracket, to clean and paint behind it.
The other two, same age same batch, are fine.
They have all been in the same environment for their lives, about 4 years old.
I am unable to understand how this could even be possible.
Presumably just a random slow gas leak, caused by a manufacturing fault?
The safety pins have all been pulled out and replaced, for crew demonstrations, but the trigger handles never been pulled. (Although that shouldn't cause self-discharge anyway.)
If it had been emptied by some prankster pulling the handle, there would have been foam all over the boat.
Q: If the gas has leaked out, but the AFFF-causing stuff remains inside, unused, would it be safe to hack the cylinder open for a look?
Is there a way to find out what happened? Or just bin it? I have already bought a replacement.
Much obliged for any comments from the fire experts.