Saver emergency breather

I was shopping for plumbing supplies in Home Depot the other day and saw the this product displayed. The canisters are about 2" by 4" and felt like about 1lb each. There is a mouthpiece like the one on a snorkel and a nose clip. They claim to provide 5 minutes of clean air in a fire. Was thinking about buying a couple for the 6A. Any better options/recommendations out there? John

Hood

You're not going to be able to see either. You need a smoke hood. I don't have a link offhand, but I've got a couple of them. They are about soda can size. You pull the top off and put it over your head and the bottom part of the can has a filter. Was marketed as a safety device to carry onto the commercial flight.

Ed Holyoke

It might give you piece of mind.

A lot of bad things and a lot of good things would have to happen at the same time in order for these to be useful and actually get used.

I think I have read every RV incident report, and a lot of other GA incident reports and I'm struggling to recall one where something like this, even if deployed correctly and in time would have changed the outcome.

Our flying club had an incident where a capacitor in the cabin failed, filled the cabin with smoke, and of course scared the **** out of the pilot. She wisely landed the aircraft in a field, about a mile from the airport, not knowing the cause or eventual extent of the fire or if she would be able to maintain control long enough to get to the runway. Minimal damage to the aircraft and humans.

What conditions were you thinking of that might be helped by these devices?

Smoke in the cabin

The original builder of our 6-A used braided stainless brake lines in the cabin instead of aluminum tubing. During an inspection, I removed and re-installed the battery and I failed to see how close the battery cable was to the hose. My nephew experienced acrid smoke in the cabin when it shorted and basically melted the rubber lining of the hose. His first thought was "I can't see." Then he realized that he couldn't breath either. He opened the tip-up canopy for air. Holding onto it with one hand and flying with the other, he located an airport and put it down with no other damage. Shutting off the master did absolutely no good in this case. It kept sizzling the hose as long as the battery had anything in it.

I can't say for sure that having a hood would have made it any better, but I don't think that just having some canned air without protecting his eyes from the smoke would have been enough. He survived because of superior airmanship. He was fortunate to be near an airport. A forced landing in inhospitable terrain isn't something that you need on top of an otherwise survivable emergency.

You are correct that such an occurrence is rare, and preventable in this case. In such a rare event, ten extra minutes might be enough to find a better place to land. And your implication is also correct. One would have to have the hood close to hand and know how to use it. It certainly wouldn't do any good buried under the baggage.

Can a slider be opened enough to clear smoke? Anybody know?

So glad he survived my negligence,

Ed Holyoke

rv8ch said:

A lot of bad things and a lot of good things would have to happen at the same time in order for these to be useful and actually get used.

I think I have read every RV incident report, and a lot of other GA incident reports and I'm struggling to recall one where something like this, even if deployed correctly and in time would have changed the outcome.

Our flying club had an incident where a capacitor in the cabin failed, filled the cabin with smoke, and of course scared the **** out of the pilot. She wisely landed the aircraft in a field, about a mile from the airport, not knowing the cause or eventual extent of the fire or if she would be able to maintain control long enough to get to the runway. Minimal damage to the aircraft and humans.

What conditions were you thinking of that might be helped by these devices?

Click to expand...

Saver

The Saver device is a filter of some sort. A seal is removed to activate it. It is designed for home use. John

I agree having a minute or two of good air to breath could only help, but what about a fire suppression system? I saw this for cars - a tube filled with something that automatically releases at 248 degrees. If you watch the video, it looks pretty impressive. Scroll down to watch the video.
http://jogrusa.com/collections/blazecut/products/blazecut-fire-suppression-system

My concern is having it in the engine compartment and the temp getting that high and releasing when you dont want it to. It says it is an ABC with no residue to corrode or conduct electricity.

I would be much more comfortable with an activating switch. Maybe for inside the cockpit? The breather would then be good once the fire is out.

tipper canopy

does not have to be held with one hand and flown with the other - unless trying to force it further open than it wants to "float." Moving it from its in-flight aerodynamic neutral position in either direction is VERY difficult.

jpowell13 said:

The Saver device is a filter of some sort. A seal is removed to activate it. It is designed for home use. John

Click to expand...

If the Saver device is just a filter, and you really want this type of protection in your aircraft, it may be more appropriate to carry in your seat pocket a half face respirator with the appropriate filter, which would leave your hands free for more important things in the case of an inflight fire.

But then, why not a full face respirator to also protect your eyes - helpful in the case of smoke and/or open canopy?

Then finally, why not the combined respirator smoke hood made specifically for that purpose? They seem to be readily available online for around $25.

Hood

aeromedix.com

Do Your Homework

This brings to mind the entire "what are you wearing" discussions. Helmets, fireproof clothing, that sort of thing. Do you have firewall insulation?

Make up a list of potential failure modes, decide upon the relative probability of events, and assess what you can do to prepare for them, based upon the relative likelihood of occurrence. It might very well be that something else (such as a helmet) might preclude having this. Or that the probability of needing this is low enough, compared to other more likely potential events on your list, that you decide to put your emphasis elsewhere.

I'm not saying to skip it - merely to decide systematically.

Dave

What I wear

Dave, On long flights I usually wear a fly fishing vest with a lock blade knife that has a point on it for breaking windshields. It's also loaded with a handheld gps locator, parachute goggles (in case a buzzard hits the canopy) a few medical supplies, space blankets and fire starter. I normally have a couple of water bottles in the plane. I don't wear a helmet, but wouldn't be averse to one of the old soft ones.

There is room in my map box for a couple of "Saver" type breathers and at $100 for two it would be cheap insurance. Thought about taping swimmers goggles to each cannister to keep smoke out of the eyes. You just hold the mouthpiece in your teeth so it would be "hands free". John

Malndi said:

If the Saver device is just a filter, and you really want this type of protection in your aircraft, it may be more appropriate to carry in your seat pocket a half face respirator with the appropriate filter, which would leave your hands free for more important things in the case of an inflight fire.

But then, why not a full face respirator to also protect your eyes - helpful in the case of smoke and/or open canopy?

Then finally, why not the combined respirator smoke hood made specifically for that purpose? They seem to be readily available online for around $25.

Click to expand...

That's a good idea! I have the 3M full face with organic filters that I used to paint the plane....If I was able to breath and see in that tent of a paint booth while spraying that fog of poisonous clear coat..........

The airlines carry them for their pilots having to walk back to the cabin with a fire bottle---but they probably cost a fortune. I'm seeing them here on Aircraft Spruce for $99.95 (for one model), or $179.99 for another.