I am sure this is some sort of old fire control device. The house that i found this under a 102 yrs old house. Any reason to remove it?
Depends what is in it. any markings? it likely not much good without maintenance or testing .
I am not familiar with that particular device, but would guess from the pressure cylinder that it may have been CO 2 or an early halon such as carbon tetra chloride. It looks like something that may have been designed for an enclosed space such as an engine room on a boat.
I don’t see any real risk in leaving it in place, but maybe the owner would be happier with the money that they might receive if they sold it. Antique fire equipment is quite collectible.
Outdated equipment, w/o testing no way to verify functionality. Also if unit didn’t have any marking, no way to verify what might be contained in unit. I would recommend they contact a fire suppression contractor for more information on unit.
I am a fire fighter. Yes it is a early fire sprinkler/ extinguisher. It could contain carbon tetrachloride. It is found to prduce dangerous gases if heated to high temperature. Would recommend it be removed and disposed of properly. Some firefighters collect them. They will remove chemical and display the container. I have several of them in different shapes and sizes.