Element Fire Extinguisher

David in San Antonio

David in San Antonio

Well-known member
Has anyone had experience with an Element brand fire extinguisher? It looks like a road flare but sprays out some non-toxic chemical that is advertised as leaving no residue.
Jay Leno showed it.
I’m particularly interested because I recently carried a regular fire bottle in the Wretched Roadster when I had just siphoned out and replaced the fuel. It kept rolling around on the floor and hitting my ankle, very annoying. So when I was about to leave the gas station after refilling with fresh non-ethanol fuel, I reached down to push the darn thing away from the driver’s side of the floor. Sure enough, I managed to trigger it and the interior, my face, clothes and a bit of my mouth received a ten second blast of micro-ground mica dust. Just a moment prior to my impersonation of the Pillsbury Doughboy in a talcum storm I had welcomed a young couple to get behind the wheel and take pictures. As I emerged from the roadster, coughing and blinking, the young lady said, “Glad that didn’t happen when I was in there!” I drove home leaving a small cloud, though it seems most of that micro-fine powder has phenomenal clinging properties and glued itself to every surface and in every slight crevice of the interior. It even got under the floorboards.
So yeah, a non-toxic fire extinguisher that leaves no residue is of interest.
I love laughing at myself, but prefer to not go out of my way to create the opportunity.
 
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I have a piece of leather that I use to hold the extinguisher that I lift the seat bottom and tuck the ends in, it’s like a little sling but with nothing anchoring it except the weight of the seat bottom there is nothing to fumble with to get the extinguisher in a emergency.
 
David, I carry an element fire extinguisher in my Model A and my truck and have them in my house and shop. I have not had to use one and hope I never will. But it is a lot more convenient than the other kinds. I have it mounted with a magnetic clip under the gas tank where it is handy but out of the way.

The videos that show it in use are very impressive. For one thing, it lasts a lot longer than the other types.

It is not approved in the US. At least that was so a few years ago. I don't know if that has changed.

One potential problem I see is that if there is a strong wind the fumes may be blown away. But perhaps that would just require moving up wind.

It may be a good idea to start as gasoline fire in a steel tray to try one out. When I was employed they had training where they started a gasoline fire and had the employees put it out with the usual fire extinguishers.
 
Yeah, I had to use a couple of squirts from a dry chemical fire extinguisher in my shop when some welding sparks lit off a piece of paper (yeah, I know, clear the area of all combustibles before welding). It made a huge mess, but my mess was yellow, not white. Finally cleaned up after sweeping, vacuuming and washing with soap and water.
 
I think the element works the same as Halon - chokes off air to the fire with a cloud of chemicals. The downside to either if there is a breeze blowing it will be carried away from where it's needed.
Dry chemical is the old standard - and cheap. It works by smothering the fire in a cloud of dust that some have noted is hard to clean.

Halon is required in my race car but I've got dry chemical ones in my street cars.
 
I have Element extinguishers everywhere. All the cars, my workshop, garage and the kitchen. My daughter actually had to use one in her 56 Chevy. ****** fluid soaked the wrap on her header and caught fire. Worked great for her --- saved the car.
 
I hadn’t heard of the Element not being approved in the US on their website.
I did hear that halon was problematic for environmental reasons.
The idea of practicing in advance is smart. As is commonly said, I hope to never have the occasion to report on its capability in a real emergency.
Thanks to all.
 
Here is a test. Looks a bit disappointing.
Didn't do nothing.

I carry a 1 kg for easy quick starting. And an element, as you call it, to go the distance. After reading the instructions, of course.
A small trans fluid fire on a manifold takes about four 1 kg extinguishers to do anything, from experience.

https://youtu.be/WzV07iUE9eQ?si=byM99jiFI0Ixz_-p
 
It looks like the element extinguisher did not put out the fuel-in-the-tub fire. Disappointing. I think I need to do a test for myself. It looked like the heat was conducting the gas from the extinguisher away from the burning fuel.

When I bought my last boat the previous owner had hidden all the extinguishers in cabinets and lockers. The first thing I did was to move them to very visible places so that they could have be found in the case of a fire. The engine compartment had an automatic halogen extinguisher that could not be refilled, but the surveyor said to just keep it because it would still put out a fire.
 
JayJay said:
Yeah, I had to use a couple of squirts from a dry chemical fire extinguisher in my shop when some welding sparks lit off a piece of paper (yeah, I know, clear the area of all combustibles before welding). It made a huge mess, but my mess was yellow, not white. Finally cleaned up after sweeping, vacuuming and washing with soap and water.
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That's why I prefer the CO2 fire extinguishers.
 
So, the plot thickens ...

Supposedly it is certified here in Oz due to certification in the UK. A lot of our laws are downloaded from there.
It is called a Fire Stryker here and an Element in the US/Canada.
https://firesafetystick.com/certifications/

"What is fire extinguisher certification?
1. Maintenance Certification: This refers to the process of a qualified technician inspecting and servicing a fire extinguisher to ensure it meets safety standards and functions properly. This typically involves a tag or sticker placed on the extinguisher indicating the date of service and the next due date."

It seems that, as it is not a traditional pressure vessel extinguisher the normal certification laws don't apply? That is my reading.
 
Ray in La Mesa said:
The old Halon has been replaced by the "new" Halitron & is still available, even here in California.
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I carry a Halotron extinguisher in my trunk.

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nkaminar said:
The sticker is a good idea. Could you get it quickly enough in an emergency?
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Since the extinguisher is not inside the car, Hopefully I or a member can get to it. Most that I travel with know where it is or have a similar one. The trunk is not locked.
 
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