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Can those brass fire ext. be refilled and with what kind of fluid?

They were filled with carbon tetrachloride, aka carbon tet, which is very nasty stuff. Check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_tetrachloride

I'd recommend that you use the extinguisher as a showpiece, and mount a modern ABC in a out of sight location.

Cheers...

Dave

Most of the older chemical extinguishers are no longer serviced and in most cases because the chemicals were placed on the hazardous list. The only old style fire extinguishers I am aware of that are still refilled today are the CO2 units and the hand pump water units. The newer stuff from Halon on up are usually refillable. Another issue is bottle maximum life allowed by DOT and those with remaining life require a hydrostatic check periodically and this check must be current before any service department will service the bottle.

A little known hazard with displaying these old bottles is in an emergency someone may grab it and try to battle a blaze and find out the hard way he came to a gunfight with a knife. It is best to only display the old bottles at shows and have a tag on them ID'ng them as empty. In fact it would make good sense to place a modern extinguisher in front of your display then in the event of a fire it becomes the obvious one to grab.

Pyrene invented Carbon tet and Halon replaced Carbon tet in motor vehicle use. Chlorobromomethane CB replaced the Carbon Tet CTC in the aviation world.

Pyrene was a brand name. There were several manufacturers who made carbon tetrachloride (CARBON TET) extinguishers.

There is a company that refurbishes them to display condition.

Check out http://www.vintagefe.com/home.html

wesk wrote:...Another issue is bottle maximum life allowed by DOT and those with remaining life require a hydrostatic check periodically and this check must be current before any service department will service the bottle.
.

Not exactly- Carbon tet extinguishers were not pressurized cylinders. They normally had only the fluid inside. You pressurize it by pumping the handle when needed- hence no DOT hydrostatic check required.

A common problem was that carbon tet would seep out over a long period of time, and you would end up with a half-empty container. That's why they sold replacement carbon tet in cans at the local hardware store- back when REAL hardware stores existed.

You could also Hi-Life stray dogs with it....


Jim in Darkest Arkansas

The Carbon Tet extinguishers I have dealt with are pressurized bottles. I have always associated the hand pump bottles to WWII and early post war period.

Due to the corrosive nature of CTC I believe cylinder integrity is still a required inspection item though it may be just a visual inspection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher

I have a pyrene carbon tet firexe on the M38. it is empty and just for display since carbon tet is essentially banned. I keep a new type firex in the toolbox for emergencies.

I remember reading something a while ago about the carbon tet fir exes in the military were often empty as the soldiers used to use the carbon tet to get stains out of thier uniforms.

Hi Steve! Stu here. On the subject of Carbon Tet fire extinguishers. As you know I found that vintage one for my M38, and it is half full. What is the disposal protocol? Stu

I agree with DaveO. The fires likely to happen in a Jeep or other vehicle are going to be electrical (type C) or flammable liquid (type B.) So a type BC or ABC is preferred. (Type A is ordinary combustibles.) Do some shopping around. Prices vary like anything else. Pressurized vessels need to be hydrostatically tested and the test involves so much labor you will likely prefer to buy a new one for less money. Also, every year, check the extinguisher thoroughly for damage and shake it or tap it with a rubber mallet to make sure the powder stays loose inside. Sometimes they tend to cake up on the bottom and then the powder doesn't flow when discharged. You can also ask your local fire department for recommendations.

We used out of date ABC fire extingushers in training
in the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and you'd be surprised
at how short the usable time you get out of these. Most
of our boats carried two for that reason, and that you'd
still have one ready if you used one on someone else's
boat fire. They don't 'run' very long at all. Never had to
use one in 21 years. If you get a chance to try one out,
by all means do so.

Jim in Darkest Arkansas
USCG Auxiliary, Retired.

Hello Stu good to see you on the site. I would take it to one of the firehalls in the city that has the chemical disposal area and they will take it. You can also take it to Spyhill landfill they have a chemical disposal also.