Fire extinguisher

[Millsy 82]

What fire extinguishers do you carry for soldering? I have 1 hidden somewhere in my van I think it's behind a load of junk in the corner but I very rarely do any soldering at the moment.

I'm going self employed soon and know I need 1 do you have to have a certain size etc to keep insurance happy?

 

[woodytheplumber]

this might not go down too well but the last time i saw mine was a good 5?? years ago when i was working for a landlord who was a bit keen i usually have a bucket or tub with my flux cleaning rag in so if needed would just use that

 

[townfanjon]

mine is in the box with my superfire, flux, solder etc etc , I can never forget it.
A lad I went to college with set fire to something in a loft once and ended up putting the fire out with his flask of tea, good job he had nt drunk it eh

 

[Best]

Looks very professional to carry a fire extinguisher in the van I think.
Keep it visible between the seats at front of van clipped to bulkhead, so you have it at hand.
Remove all risks that you can of fire starting before soldering, - i.e. old hair felt lagging, cardboard, newspapers, clothes/towels in airing cupboards, curtains & any rubbish lying below floorboards.

 

[Ermintrude]

Ldf is my favourite extinguisher. The powder or co extinguishers are best as they won't freeze in the van.

 

[Millsy 82]

this might not go down too well but the last time i saw mine was a good 5?? years ago when i was working for a landlord who was a bit keen i usually have a bucket or tub with my flux cleaning rag in so if needed would just use that

Thats like me I know its in there but where I havent got a clue. Really I should be quite hot on this as a company I used to work for an apprentice set fire to a bungalow roof which cost a fortune to repair as it had all the alarm cables for the rest of the bungalows running through it.

 

[Masood]

mine is in the box with my superfire, flux, solder etc etc , I can never forget it.

Same here. Hope I never have to use it but I'd rather it be there than give the insurance company an excuse to weasel out of a claim. Touch wood it's never needed!

 

[lame plumber]

always work with a full bladder

 

[tamz]

Check the small print of your PL insurance. Usually you need a 4kg ABC extinguisher which you can buy for about £35 but you also need to get it checked annualy. You will find out the hard way if you ever have an incident as the insurance will find any excuse to not pay (which could mean you loose your house, your car, your wife and your kids) so don't give them one. I have a roofer mate who had a fire after his guys had been doing some torch on stuff. The fire happened 4 or 5 hrs after the work was done and affected 2 houses. The claims were near the million pound mark and the insurance weren't for paying out even though he had adhered to all the conditions. He took it through the courts as he was in a position to defend it, eventually ending in the big court in London. He won the case which is just as well as the legal costs were over 100k. ALWAYS READ THE SMALL PRINT> IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU.

 

[WHPES]

6kg Powder extinguisher. If I'm doing a lot of soldering I have a bucket of water handy and a sponge so I can damp down potentially scorched areas as I go along.

 

[Spreck]

I remember at college the suggestion was that we carry two extinguishers in the van if we carry gas.

same subject does anyone know if we should have any exterior notices displayed on the van for the Primus and Map gas we all carry?

 

[lame plumber]

fireman wont be impressed if your van goes up in flames and as he is stood by the rear door ,you mapp gas bottle exits it and you dont have a flammable gas sign

 

[Best]

If you get a few different signs on your van for each gas type, - like Propane etc, they will look like extra plumbing / heating qualifications to a lot of the public & do your image no harm at all! (I am being serious)

 

[Spreck]

Thanks for the reply, as per my prior post I was trying to ascertain if I am required to display a sign.
in the area I cover south midlands I think I've seen one in a hundred vans with gas carried signage.
Am I to understand that in Nth Devon they all do?
I'll ask my mate who is a fireman for exact requirement and feed back to the forum

 

[Dotty]

fireman wont be impressed if your van goes up in flames and as he is stood by the rear door ,you mapp gas bottle exits it and you dont have a flammable gas sign

I will not have any signage or distinguishing features on my van.

I like my knees the way they are.

 

[Ch4 plumbing]

Fireman won't be impressed when they evacuate all buildings in a 2 mile radius because you have a sign for gas but only have 2 bottles of Mapp rolling around! As far as I'm concerned unless you have a van full your wasting everyone's time with a sticker!

 

[Ermintrude]

I don't even have stickers for oxy set ! I'm not a compete idiot use a 110 to carry it round- then at least if it blows up just one more heap off the road! - not my words that of the welder

 

[kirkgas]

I remember at college the suggestion was that we carry two extinguishers in the van if we carry gas.

same subject does anyone know if we should have any exterior notices displayed on the van for the Primus and Map gas we all carry?

You don't need signs on your van for "normal" loads of gas ie one or two bottles