Fire Suppressing Agents

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01-25-2006, 12:30 PM
RacerBill

For general information.

I received the following note from Jeremy Thoennes in Topeka in response to an inquiry I made concerning a new fire suppressing agent advertised by Racer Wholesale called FE36.

'We currently do not recognize FE36 in the GCR. I will forward your note
as a request to the Club Racing Board for their consideration.

-Jeremy'

The following is extracted from a white paper by Dupont on using FE36 in Surgical theaters.

Halon fire suppressants were in popular use for decades to protect high-value assets, including hospitals, airplanes, museums and computer rooms. While Halon provided excellent protection for people and facilities, ozone depletion resulted from its use. DuPont™ FE-36™ is a widely used clean agent that is an effective Halon replacement. FE-36™ is safe for people does not leave a residue, is electrically nonconductive and non-corrosive, and has no ozone depleting
properties. In addition, FE-36™ is effective on Class-A, -B and -C fires. FE-36™ has much lower toxicity than both Halon 1211 and Halon 1301, and can be safely used in small spaces and around susceptible (high risk) populations.

Sounds like a good alternative to Halon. I have not investigated the availability of refilling.
01-26-2006, 10:31 AM
1stGenBoy

Quote:

Originally posted by RacerBill@Jan 25 2006, 04:30 PM
For general information.

I received the following note from Jeremy Thoennes in Topeka in response to an inquiry I made concerning a new fire suppressing agent advertised by Racer Wholesale called FE36.

'We currently do not recognize FE36 in the GCR. I will forward your note
as a request to the Club Racing Board for their consideration.

-Jeremy'

The following is extracted from a white paper by Dupont on using FE36 in Surgical theaters.

Halon fire suppressants were in popular use for decades to protect high-value assets, including hospitals, airplanes, museums and computer rooms. While Halon provided excellent protection for people and facilities, ozone depletion resulted from its use. DuPont™ FE-36™ is a widely used clean agent that is an effective Halon replacement. FE-36™ is safe for people does not leave a residue, is electrically nonconductive and non-corrosive, and has no ozone depleting
properties. In addition, FE-36™ is effective on Class-A, -B and -C fires. FE-36™ has much lower toxicity than both Halon 1211 and Halon 1301, and can be safely used in small spaces and around susceptible (high risk) populations.

Sounds like a good alternative to Halon. I have not investigated the availability of refilling.

[snapback]72095[/snapback]

Bill, It is a start. I did mention this to John Bauer of SCCA on our last conference call. We will see where this takes us.
The refilling problem is not so much the actual refilling process but the, shipping of a refilled bottle. There are very specific DOT rules (ie: expensive)that apply to a refilled pressurized vessel. These were put into place or at least enforced after the Value Jet crash in Florida in the 90's where some type of refilled containers that were in the cargo area exploded and brought that plane down.
Just FYI

Bob
01-26-2006, 10:47 AM
ITANorm

I thought the ValuJet crash involved a crystalline oxygen generating compound, not a pressurized container. Oh well - yeah, it has gotten tough to ship lots of things.
01-27-2006, 09:53 AM
RacerBill

Quote:

Originally posted by 1stGenBoy@Jan 26 2006, 10:31 AM
Bill, It is a start. I did mention this to John Bauer of SCCA on our last conference call. We will see where this takes us.
The refilling problem is not so much the actual refilling process but the, shipping of a refilled bottle. There are very specific DOT rules (ie: expensive)that apply to a refilled pressurized vessel. These were put into place or at least enforced after the Value Jet crash in Florida in the 90's where some type of refilled containers that were in the cargo area exploded and brought that plane down.
Just FYI

Bob

[snapback]72260[/snapback]

Bob: Thanks for the reply. The reason why I posted was to alert drivers that although FE36 may be approved, it currently is not. I was surprised to see a retailer advertise it for sale as if it had been approved. Just goes to show that you have to ask even the obvious questions.
01-27-2006, 03:11 PM
jc836

For those interested in this product-please contact Firefox Industries (www.firefoxind.com). They have it and can supply you with the info you are looking for as to its efrfectiveness versus AFFF. They are one of the firms that has both materials available. It is important to understand that FE36 is a replacement material and is better suited to very specific use. I have asked them to work with me on my install of AFFF and how the GCR reads with positive results IMO. I will agree that there are a number of things the CRB should examine as to fire safety systems and their application to all classes. I still carry a 2.5 Purple K bottle simply because I want to. The Firefox AFFF system will disrupt most any fire that we might encounter. The gas version has similar charactewristics.
Need further contact help drop me an e-mail. My shop is very near theirs <G>.