Halon Systems

[redline]

So the other day we decided to test one of our halon systems. Spent all the time to safely route a pull cord so we coulkd be away from the bottle when we pulled it. Cominced count down, yelled FIRE, pulled the cable, and to our dismay thats all that happened. Just the cable came out but nothing else. Then taped on the bottle thinking the valve was maybe sticking only to find that the gauge was the only thing sticking.

So question is how often do other people test their systems? once a year, once every two years, or ahh screw it that thing is expensive to fill we will test it when there is a fire?

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[TUBETECK]

We test ours once a year. At the end of the season we dump our hand held extinguishers on the camp fire so they can be recharged for the season. Although we are using ABC dry chem extinguishers, playing/testing a halon system can be very expensive not to mention real halon sources are getting very scarce. If your serious about testing the flameout system disconnect the bottle from the system and micky mouse an air line where the bottle connects, then shoot compressed air, prefferably dry as possible, and check the flow at the nozzle/fogger heads. If there is question as to the effectiveness and coverage of the system add one or two more nozzles.
If you an endless supply of money build a mockup of your vehicle as real as possible and set the thing on fire and test the system that way. If your racing on a budget like alot of us then stick with the hand helds filled from a reputable extinguisher service. Just my two sense.

[Young&Fast]

In the lasteed episode of DATV it showed DJ saftey and their fire extinguisher system. It said if you put one with one nozzle on each side of your engine your engine will deffinetly be put out. Should you have one in the cockpit too?
I was thinking have one bottle for the engine and one for the cockpit. One nozzle for the driver, one for the co-driver. How does this sound?

[Rufrider]

Once you dump your halon, you cannot refill it. Halon has been outlawed for quite sometime now. It is still legal to use...BUT VERY DIFFUCULT TO FIND SOME ONE To REFILL IT. In the early 90's they found it was damaging our ozone, so the ARMY came in and bought everyone out to use in their vehicle systems.

On a seperate note...there is no need to EMPTY your halon. It is not like dry chemical and does not COMPACT. If your unsure about your system and dont know how to test it, contact a SPECIALIZED FIRE PROTECTION CONTRACTOR (c-16) that has a speciality with these types of systems.

[AZ45]

Halon is not illegal and is still very available. There are 2 types used in racing systems typically, 1200 and 1301. They both work,1211 is approved for closed spaces, 1301 is approved. There are couple other differences that I could explain if PM’d.

To check your Halon system, you need to weigh it. There should be a bottle weight on the label, subtract that from whatever the total weight is.
If it’s a 5lb system, the bottle probably weights 7.5lbs, so the unit should weigh about 12.5 lbs if it’s full.

Since the gauge on Halon system reads pressure, it could be half full of Halon and still read full pressure.

When routing your nozzle, point them down sow dirt won’t settle in the lines. One way to blow the lines out easily is to install a Schrader valve inline with a AN fitting, then blow the lines out when race prepping.

Jeff
www.upr.com