RV Fire Extinguisher Helpful Quick Tip
Dave SolbergDescription
Disclaimer: There have been several recall notices for various brands of fire extinguishers provided as standard equipment in RVs for the past 20+ years. Verify the brand, model, and year of your product and check with the manufacturer for more information.
Department of Transportation codes determine what fire extinguishers are required to be included in all RV units. The RV fire extinguisher that comes standard with your unit will most likely be a 10BC extinguisher. This type of extinguisher is designed to handle electrical, motor fuel and car fires, however, it is not designed for and will not properly extinguish an ash fire on the outside of your RV.
It’s suggested that all owners purchase a few additional RV fire extinguishers to ensure the proper one is available for any type of fire encountered while RVing. The best fire extinguishers to purchase for RVs include those that are designated 10ABC. This type will also handle ash fires, as well as electrical, motor fuel and car fires. Ash fires can be common around campfires and when boon docking.
Purchasing a few extra RV fire extinguishers is a very inexpensive way to ensure you have the proper tools to put out a fire. Make sure your extinguishers are adequate enough to handle the space in and around the RV. A fire extinguisher should be kept in every major part of the RV, including the bedroom, living and kitchen areas.
A simple maintenance step will help ensure the RV fire extinguisher does not go bad and will work when needed. All you need to do is turn the extinguisher upside-down and smack the bottom of it. This will dislodge any powder on the inside, loosening it up so it works properly. This should be done at least once a year; regardless of if the gauge says the unit is full.
Having the correct RV fire extinguishers and keeping them properly maintained will help ensure you have a safe RV experience.
The fire extinguisher that comes with your RV is typically a 10B:C extinguisher. Now this is due to the code, which your motor home is gonna be registered by, the DOT code. And DOT requires a 10B:C fire extinguisher. BC is motor fuels and electrical. But a class A fire is anything that leaves an ash, fiberglass, carpet, wood, rubber, most of what your motor home and your travel trailer's made of. Now, I would recommend that you go get a 10ABC fire extinguisher from your local home repair facility, fire supply, equipment supply company, and put a couple of 'em in your RV. The one that typically goes inside does you no good if you have a fire on the outside. Put one in an outside compartment, put one in the bedroom. They're very inexpensive. Now, a real good tip with this is that every year, you should take this extinguisher out, turn it upside down, and make sure you dislodge that powder that's in the inside of it. Now, even though it says, right on the gauge here that it's good, or charged, doesn't necessarily mean that it will work. Fact, one year we were doing a fire safety video with my local fire department, and we pulled the unit out of my parent's RV that had been sitting in there for about, probably six, seven years. Our local fire marshals showed how to operate this. You grab the handle, you pull the pin, it's called the pass method, pull the pin, you aim, you squeeze and you sweep. And when he went to squeeze, it went phut, nothing worked in it. It had sat for many years. Nobody told us about this. So make sure that you have adequate coverage in the fire extinguishers. You have once a year, even in your home, take this out make sure that is dislodged, it's not caking in the bottom. 'Cause imagine what happens with this going down the road constantly pounding. And you do this, and you'll have a much safer RVing.
I used to be a certified Instructor and also went to State Fire School to get certified in a couple other areas during my time as an Officer with the Arizona Dept. of Corrections. I performed hands on fire extinguishing classes and monthly fire & safety inspections. Something I taught , a little different, was to invert the extinguisher monthly, to tap the bottom and listen for the dry chem. to slide down. When I had a class C motorhome I had an A-B-C extinguisher by the exit (where it should be) and one in an exterior storage compartment also accessible inside. Since most motorhomes sit a lot, the monthly inspection is important. Great video though! Thank you.
As a licensed portable fire extinguisher contractor tested by the International Code Council (ICC) to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards, specifically NFPA 10 standards, I am sorry to inform you & the RV public that the information given in this video is not NFPA-10 compliant. Please retract this video for the following reasons: 1) Unit shown is a dangerous RECALLED unit, subject to Consumer Product Safety Commission recall after deaths occurred due to the use of this model of Kidde plastic head fire extinguisher. 2) NFPA-10 & reputable service technicians do NOT recommend turning fire extinguishers upside down & striking them with anything. This could break or dislodge the fragile internal siphon tube, rendering the otherwise pressurized extinguisher inoperable. 3) Selection of typeeee
FIRE EXTINGUISHER ALERT ! ! ! If you have an RV that a manufacturer is aware you are the owner, you probably got a recall notice too. if not, Be aware of recalls on two different Kidde Brand Fire Extinguishers . . . 2003-2018 model R V 's . . . they can malfunction or fail to function, or even have a nozzel fly off, in projectile fashion. See website for info: www.kidde.com or call Kidde at 1-855-262-3540 for details and free replacement Fire Extinguisher . . . depending on whether your unit is one of the two defective types!
I would recommend that not waiting for 1 year to do basic maintenance to a dry chemical extinguisher. As part of your monthly maintenance or pre trip inspection per form the steps provided. Waiting a year to loosen up the power maybe too late. How many people will remember to do something once a year. I would suggest at a minimum once a month