Out dated Flares

[starcrafttom]

So I was cleaning out the boat and found that I have a lot of flares. I have two sets. One expired in 2008 and the other set in 2016. I have always wondered just how long these are good for. I expect a lot depends what condition they are in. How they have been stored. Mine are stored in the cabin in plastic zip lock bags. I live on 2.5 acres on the reservation so I can get away with a bit more them most people. I called the tribal police non emergency number and let them know what i was up to in case one of the neighbors complains. My neighbors are all great but the next subdivision up the hill is a more up scale development. They have a tendency to whine about anything out of the usual.

So in my gravel area I lit off 4 flares. One was a orange smoke and the others 3 were hand held signal flares. All 4 that expired in 2008 lit off with ease and burned as designed. I will not be throwing out any more flares. I will get some more so that I have flares up to date but not throwing out the rest of my expired ones.

[nordicstallion]

what to do with unused flares? CHP puts a bunch at every accident & leave them then traffic runs over remaining unignighted flares & the rain washes the residue off into the redwoods!! Good idea!!!!!

[JamesTXSD]

Hey, Tom. Having been through quite a few USGC boat checks, some of the CG officers don't like to see expired flares on a boat (this is on commercial boats). We got the OK to put the expired flares in a separate container clearly marked "Expired Flares." The purpose was to use them during crew training... until you are holding a flare in your hand, and having slag drip down, you can't appreciate the premise of "45º and on the downwind side." And, how long a hand-held flare burns.

My feeling about it is: if you need flares, the current date ones should be easy to grab, with the expired ones underneath, packaged separately.

[Kushtaka]

I responded to a boat adrift on an outgoing tide once. It was dark, we had communication with the boat but their lights were dead, and they used up all of their good flares before anyone even knew to look for them. If they hadn't had expired flares on board we would have had a heck of a time. The expired flares didn't all work, but neither did the good ones.

[hardee]

I have been told from the Vessel Safety Inspectors that it is OK to have the expired flares on board, BUT, they need to be stored in a separate container and marked, "Expired Flares - For training purposes".

A separate container is even just a different zip lock bag.

Harvey
SleepyC

[thataway]

As Jim suggests, we keep a sealed bag of "expired flares"--properly labeled aboard.

Way back I had a neighbor who had a business of repacking SOLAS rafts and emergency supplies for the large commercial ships in Long Beach and Los Angeles Harbor. He got me a number of SOLAS commercial rocket flares and smoke signals. The rockets have a min. height of 1000', burn at 30,000 candelabra, and at least for 40 seconds--all much longer and brighter than the recreational ones. We carried a large 50 Cal ammo box of those--never needed--but if we had...we would have been seen.

While on the subject--if you buy new flares--double check the dates. I bought some at West Marine (WalMart was out)--and 2/3 expired in Oct 2018! I got one set which expired in 2021 (as they should). Bad on West Marine for even putting those on the shelves!

[hardee]

My experience with Walmart flares was exactly the opposite. They had some 4 packs of flares that seemed really well priced, but they would have expired in the Fall, only about 6 months. I don't buy boat "anything" at WalMart.

Harvey
SleepyC

[localboy]

[little wing]

Pyrotechnic materials degrade over time, especially in high heat and humidity environments. Ignitability, flame temp, burn rate, and heat output, all suffer declines over time. There is a damn good reason there is an expiration date. Flares are safety devices, relied on to function to their fullest potential when they are most needed.

Will out of date flares work? Maybe yes, maybe no. And who knows to what extent of their designed potential. Would I stake my life on them? Negative.

FYI, Ziploc bags provide no effective protection from moisture, other than shielding from an occasional splash or a quick dunk in the drink. If you want serious protection from moist environments, try heat sealed Mylar bags with desiccant.

[Aurelia]

FYI, if you have any of these compact aerial models or similar, they have a pretty high failure rate as they age. They are great for in-water use by a person in a pfd, but keep them fresh.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/orion-skyblazer-ii-aerial-signal-flare-kit?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions

I have tested about 6 sets of 4 as the years have passed and they only work about 40% of the time after expiration. I have never wasted fresh ones for testing purposes, but I have confidence in them enough to buy them, but not enough to carry less than two at a time plus smoke and a strobe.

Greg

[journey on]

I will admit that in over 50 years of boating, I've never used a SOS flare in an emergency, for myself or someone else.

Thus the perfect case for the SOS Distress Light - Electronic Flare. It never expires, needs a new battery every 1-2 years and, with the supplied daytime distress signal flag makes the Coast Guard happy.

If you need the burning type of flares, use any outdated flares as opposed to trying to get rid of them. Just keep them out of sight of the Coasties during their examination. Thus, you don't need to argue over the best type of emergency signaling.

Boris

[colbysmith]

I recently purchased the LED light "flare", due to the no expiration date on it. However, batteries should be changed out annually and checked more frequently. Over the 4th of July weekend last year, I had several expired flairs. Around here they are a PITA to get rid of, as nobody wants them. So once the neighborhood fireworks started going off, I shot off a few of my own. Glad I did. It's good to see exactly how the flare guns work. (They are loud as well. Best stick your head under water or wear ear plugs. ) I'll admit it took a few minutes to figure not only the flare gun out, but the other aireal type that have their own launching mechanism. All and all, a good "training" opportunity. And I got rid of about half dozen outdated flares. BTW, only one did not work, and one failed to fly very high. As for the LED flare? I have it in my ditch/emergency bag. However, I still believe the pyrotecnic flares are going to get more attention faster. Especially if one is in any kind of heavy sea state. For that reason, I will still carry the standard flares. I just don't feel as concerned to insure they are not out of date!

[rogerbum]

I keep a few expired flares in my vehicles for use in case of an accident on the road.

[forrest]

Old expired flares work good as a mole repellant. Just dig out a wide enough slot for the flare to lie horizontally and gently shove them into the tunnel before lighting to make sure you have clearance. Make sure the tunnel is open and not blocked with dirt. Put a flare in each direction of the tunnel. Light them and reinsert them into the tunnel in each direction. Cover with a board and throw dirt around the edge of the board. If you have done it right you will see smoke coming out of the dirt in adjacent mounds. Mole-be-gone!

[Capn Jack]

Expired hand held flares are just the thing
for lighting a drift wood beach fire.