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Old 12-10-2018, 05:12 PM
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Default Fire suppression system recommendations?

So, the new toy has a fire extinguisher bolted into it, which I think meets the minimum SPB club racing rules. However, I would really like to install a fire suppression system instead, and am looking for recommendations.

What would you recommend? I want something reliable, effective, low maintenance and cost efficient, in that order.

OG Racing has SPA AFFF systems that look pretty easy to install, I think that's what we put in the Lemons car. However, I have read about problems with the AFFF in pressurized systems corroding the internals of the pressure gauge, so you don't really know if the system is ready or not after some time. ApexPerformance has ESS AFFF systems that aren't pressurized until fired, but I don't really know much about them.

Are there any other readily-available choices beside AFFF? One of the big complaints about AFFF that I've read is that it can freeze and wreck the tank. Halon would probably be ideal, but I'm sure that would be $$$.

Thanks!
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Old 12-10-2018, 05:37 PM
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Doing a little more searching, and it looks like the FE36-based (Halon replacement) systems aren't quite as pricey as I though, but still about $200+ more than AFFF systems.

Anyone use one of these?

How picky is PCA about re-certifying fire suppression systems? Apparently SCCA wants it done every two years.
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Old 12-10-2018, 06:02 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BillC View Post
Doing a little more searching, and it looks like the FE36-based (Halon replacement) systems aren't quite as pricey as I though, but still about $200+ more than AFFF systems.

Anyone use one of these?

How picky is PCA about re-certifying fire suppression systems? Apparently SCCA wants it done every two years.
Depends how picky you are about getting your panties singed I guess. Fire is no joke!!
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Old 12-10-2018, 06:29 PM
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Far more important than the system selected is the install and deployment. I have seen plenty of OK to good hardware poorly installed.

Any form of safety pin / disable should always be placed in both visual and easy physical reach of the Belted in Driver. Period. /

I treat the fire system like a soft body part. The core system should be located near the driver and the drivers portion of the system kept short, simple and close. The rest of the system tubing and the like should be located in the car core radiating out to the areas to be protected. As example I inspected a CR system that had passed before and the car had a CR log book. The bottle was mounted in a 911 in front of the gas tank. Where it was the first to go in a wreck. The system checked all the boxes but it was more susceptible to damage than the same hardware installed elsewhere.
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Old 12-10-2018, 07:42 PM
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Bill, I went through this a couple of years ago. I ended up purchasing AFFF, and got the steel tank because the weight difference (about 2-3 pounds at the time) didn't seem worth the $$. The newer systems use Dekabon tubing, which is easily cut and bent by hand (I used a graduated wine bottle to get smooth curves), making installation a breeze.

Part of the advantage of AFFF is that OG Racing is a certified recharger for the SPA systems.
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Old 12-10-2018, 10:44 PM
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I recently swapped my SPA AFFF bottle to a new Lifeline Fire marshal Zero360. The lines are vasty superior and are wrapped in heat proof material. Also, it saved nearly 10lbs from the SPA AFFF bottle.
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:08 PM
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I did a pretty minimal amount of investigation before replacing the extinguisher in my (street) 914, and ended up going with Purple K. Supposedly about as effective as Halon but less corrosive. I don't know the extent that it's suitable or available in suppression systems, but perhaps worth a look.
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