Bob and Marnie Falkiner wrote:

One of the reasons that you may want to reconsider keeping a halon
extinguisher while the rules still allow it is that it will "inert" a
situation without danger of actually causing an ignition, for example to
escape a post crash where there is a potential fire situation.  Carbon
dioxide and solid chemical extinguishers have been known to cause ignition
from static discharge due to two phase solid/liquid flow in the discharge
nozzle.  There are some potential downsides associated with toxicity of
reaction products ie get out fast!, but on balance, when I was flying my
combustable foam glass, I had a halon extinguisher, and there are a few more
of them in long term storage, and I do not consider that I am harming the
environment as result. These issues are a matter of public record with FAA
and Transport Canada, and form the basis of use of halon in aviation today.

Caution: one of our Q2 builder community was asphyxiated presumably with a
test of a halon extinguisher during building. Halon is a very heavy (dense)
gas that accumulates in low points upon discharge unless there is vigorous
mixing. While it is normally non reactive, and non combustable (and will
"snuff out" ignition sources), it is also "dead weight" that displaces air
and will cause death when present in excess by oxygen deprevation.
Oxidation products are very damaging to lungs, so the best use is to buy
time to get the hell out of there fast!

 
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