# Fire Extinguisher Co2



## joetaff (Jun 9, 2007)

Here is an interesting article I found from our friends across the pond at UKAPS. 

I've never heard of any doing this, and I don't think I would try it personally, it seems a little risky. But it is a neat idea I guess, so I thought I would link it for you guys to browse over and see what you think. Just to be clear, I am not recommending this haha. This seems like a bad idea to me, but I don't have enough experience to back that caution up with anything but intuition. 

Fire Extinguisher Co2 UKAPS

Cheers!


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## lexbomb (May 23, 2011)

Anything containing high pressure c02 and gaffa tape sounds dodgy


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## DaveK (Jul 10, 2010)

More to the point, you still need a regulator, bubble counter, solenoid, and so on. All your saving is the cost of the tank. IMO, it's not worth it.


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## Optix (May 31, 2011)

I wouldnt bother with it simply because the first sentence of...if you try this and it kills your grandma, not my fault

and since you can get used CO2 tanks pretty cheap and they are guaranteed to fit you reg/sol/bc ...I would go for the easy solution


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## joetaff (Jun 9, 2007)

yea I agree with everyone. Like I said This is absolutely not a recommendation. Just sharing for the sake of sharing.


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## spyderuk (Feb 22, 2011)

joetaff said:


> This seems like a bad idea to me, but I don't have enough experience to back that caution up with anything but intuition.
> 
> 
> Cheers!


So glad you cleared that up for us in such a comprehensive manner. 

Cheers. :flick:


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## robbowal (Mar 27, 2011)

Uh.
I use this system with a regulator its fine a Co2 canister is a Co2 canister and Fire Extinguisher costs a quarter the cost of a dedicated 2KG Co2 canister and is tested to a higher standard. 
So they are pretty much disposable 2KG tanks, it only in the US that the treads dont match so you guys dont use them and use paint ball instead.


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## PaulG (Oct 10, 2010)

Hey all,

I'm a regular over at UKAPS and have used this method without issue. It's difficult to find canisters this large for anywhere close to the price of a FE. Mine was £20 delivered for 2kg, super cheap. They fit the regulators we have perfectly.

I don't tape the handle down I use 5 large cable ties. The only thing that would happen if the handle popped up would be the co2 stopping. It's exactly the same as using any other pressurised canister.

The caution is for when you first fire up the cylinder, it's just the poster being overly cautious. The most you get is a small hiss when you first close the handles, as long as the reg is attached properly there's nothing that can go wrong, it's just like turning on a regular co2 canister.

Hope this clears things up a little.


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## George (Sep 11, 2004)

I've been using 2Kg CO2 fire extinguishers reliably for 6 years. I have no issue recommending them to anyone given the appropriate advice that's been nicely outlined by PaulG above.

The majority of UK planted tank enthusiasts I know also use fire extinguishers as their main source of CO2.

There is no added risk to using a fire extinguisher over any other pressurised cylinder. The disclaimer at the start of the linked thread is a warning because pressurised gases are dangerous and need to be treated with respect. To ignore the potentially beneficial content of an article because of a strong disclaimer may be a little overzealous. 

The only real difference between a UK fire extinguisher and a dedicated aquarium CO2 cylinder is the main valve is a press-lever instead of a twist-valve. As already mentioned, if for some reason the press-lever 'unsprings' then CO2 is shut-off, so there's no issue there.

The fact that fire extinguisher CO2 cylinders are around a fifth of the cost of "aquarium" CO2 cylinders, and that they're just as safe fully justifies their use and I fully support the author of the UKAPS article that's "shared for the sake of sharing". 

Please feel free to share other UKAPS articles for the benefit of fellow PT forum members.

Cheers,
George (co-founder, UKAPS)


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## robbowal (Mar 27, 2011)

PaulG said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I'm a regular over at UKAPS and have used this method without issue. It's difficult to find canisters this large for anywhere close to the price of a FE. *Mine was £20 delivered for 2kg*, super cheap. They fit the regulators we have perfectly.
> 
> ...


£20 i paid £5 for mine on Ebay and due to standard fittings they fit no problem even with the regs from Hong Kong.


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