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safe in garage

By vove110,
in General Dirt Bike Discussion

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vove110

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Just realised how important Fire Extinguishers are in the garage.

Went to start my ktm 450, wouldnt fire on the elec so jumped on it and started to kick it over. Unknown to me at the time, petrol was overflowing from carb and going over left hand engine casing onto floor--then--woosh up she went in flames with me on it. I leapt off bike, stuck my hand into flames to turn fuel tap off and ripped the tank off and chucked it outside. back in garage bike was barbequeing nicely, no extinguisher or hose pipe.

Luckely there was plenty off snow outside so grabed snow shovel and pilled the snow onto bike and also garage wall which was also on fire at this stage.

You don,t realise how important a fire extinguisher is until you need one as well as a good exit. my garage doors were locked but also secured down to stop any thieving scum from getting bikes out but it would have been nasty if i couldn,t get out side door.

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kawi380

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Wow, Your lucky it wasn't worse than it was. That tank could have exploded and you would be pushing up daisey flowers today.. Post some pics..

Gasoline doesn't explode....and yes that would suck horribly. I've had en extinguisher in the garage since I watched my old man light his bike on fire a few years back.

Great advice:thumbsup:

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bassjam

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I would like to see some pictures too. Last time I checked, gasoline can not be put out with a splash of water. I wouldn't think snow would put it out either. I would really like seeing some pictures. Good story though. Just sayin:bonk:

The nice thing about snow is it can suffocate a fire if it's thick enough.

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motoxvet

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Ive had one in the garage for years. One point though. After you've had it in the garage for years, you kind of forget it's there. It would be very easy to not even remember where it is in a moment of panic. I glance at it every once in a while to look at the pressure gauge. Keeps it fresh in my mind....

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tribalbc

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Ive had one in the garage for years. One point though. After you've had it in the garage for years, you kind of forget it's there. It would be very easy to not even remember where it is in a moment of panic. I glance at it every once in a while to look at the pressure gauge. Keeps it fresh in my mind....

This ^^

Even though mines in an obvious spot I pretty much forget I have one for periods of time. It's getting old and time for a replace regardless of what the guage says as well.

Same goes with the boat. Carried one for so many years you kind of forget about it. Well last year I got an electrical fire in the stereo system. Was able to shut the power down fast enough before any real flames appeared but it was a real oh shit moment as I realized I hadn't repacked the extinguisher in the boat for the season.

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ridleyredraider

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Gas doesn't, fumes do.

True, it has to be in a gas state. If the heat is high enough in a room (or combustion chamber), the liquid will quickly turn to gas and be ignitable. Being in a gas tank with a fire underneath it at least gives you a little time to react.

Anyways, good to hear you got it under control.

For those looking for a fire extinguisher for their garage, you'll want something that contains Class A (materials, motorcycles, walls, etc) and Class B (liquid fuels) fires, possibly C if you think you may have an electrical fire. Most common would be a dry chemical extinguisher, but they could wreck your electronics if the bike is running. Otherwise, water or CO2 extinguishers would work, but water will make a mess and CO2 isn't the best idea for closed environments since it displaces oxygen, what you need to breathe.

As for size, that depends on the size of your garage. The one I have is a dry chem about the size of a two liter bottle. It's for a two car garage. Make sure to keep an eye on the gauge to make sure they aren't depleted. CO2 bottles don't have these gauges.

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Virginian

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Get an A,B,C rated one at Lowes or such. Go one size bigger than the small ones. I had to use the snow thing once fiddling with an outboard motor in a 55 gallon drum and instant blaze. Snow is actually much better than water.

Yes, gas don't explode, but the fumes from one cup of gasoline equal the explosive power of 15 sticks of dynamite.

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