Posted 3 years ago
ellensburg…
(1 item)
Found these five (5) Red Comet Fire Extinguisher balls in a case when cleaning out our old farm. Sounds like they are somewhat rare but dangerous
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Hi, ellensburg98926. :-)
Cool, but yes, potentially dangerous. Consult your local fire department for proper handling/disposal.
As long as it doesn't break or leak, your ok.
I believe "carbon tetrachloride" (if I spelled that correctly) is the liquid within this sort of fire-globe extinguisher, which is also the chemical that makes these considered 'hazardous' by today's standards -- it apparently has several rather scary side-effects aside from the fact that it can (or at least could) be effective to douse flames. When it remains sealed in its bottle it is perfectly inert -- but if its container should break or leak, bad things can happen. Your set of 'bottles only, in a case' is kind of unique -- most of these I've seen are used singly with a metal mounting bracket that usually includes a mechanism designed to be engaged by the heat of a fire and automatically break the glass to release the extinguishing liquid. Many varieties were made and examples can be seen here at S&T, including one of my own.
I agree that your local fire department personnel could be the easiest and most practical to consult for further specific information and advice for what to do with them, but I'd also guess (without knowing) that their opinion may also include some variety of 'mandatory confiscation' or at least strong persuasion to that effect -- I do not, however, believe it is generally considered "illegal" to possess these things.
This FIREX example is not mine but exactly like the one I have somewhere, I thought I'd showed it here already but maybe not...???
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/22491-firex-fire-grenades-from-my-century-old
ellensburg98926, Both dav2no1 and AnythingObscure make good points.
That is to say (1) as long as the glass balls don't break, they're probably safe (2) if you contact the fire department, they might get confiscated.
Opinion seems to be mixed as to whether the Red Come brand fireballs contain salt water (not dangerous) or carbon tetrachloride (dangerous:
*snip*
While some contained merely salt water, others were filled with carbon tetrachloride (CTC), a more effective fire suppressant suitable for both liquid and electrical fires.
The company that made the Spanaway Historical Society's Red Comet grenade began making them in 1919 in Denver.
The grenades came in a set of 6 or 8 in a metal container. The carbon tetrachloride that was used in the grenades is toxic, with high concentrations causing nervous system and internal organ damage.
*snip*
https://www.hawkeyefire-safety.com/post/fire-protection-history-lesson-1
https://searchresearch1.blogspot.com/2012/10/search-challenge-102412-what-could-go.html
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/case-of-vintage-red-comet-fire-extinguisher-balls-1
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/5518-red-ball-co-automatic-fire-protection
Improvement in fire-extinguishers
https://patents.google.com/patent/US117891
Hi again, ellensburg98926.
I found more information on the glass 'fire bombs':
https://saskmuseums.org/blog/entry/glass-grenade-style-fire-extinguisher-bombs-are-they-safe