fire extinguisher

[Dave Lehnert]

With the time change I changed each smoke alarm battery and got me thinking about fire extinguishers.

-Noticed home owners models that are refillable. Is this something worth looking into or is it not cost effective?
-Is it worth my time to check with a local fire extinguisher co or just buy from the big box stores?
-Want at least one for the house and each garage. Anyone put one in their car/suv and maybe a Zero Turn mower?
-Any other tips I should know?
-Why is the white Kitchen fire extinguisher only B and C and the Red fire extinguisher is A and B and C and is a little cheaper?

[Zachary Hoyt]

The commercial ones are refillable, so I like them, but they do cost a bit to maintain with testing and such. I used to carry one in the car, but the pin got knocked out somehow and it discharged and made a mess, so I haven't carried one lately. It would work better with some sort of box to put it in, or bracket to hang it on or something to keep it safer.

[John K Jordan]

I buy all my fire extinguishers from a local commercial fire extinguisher company. This guarantees quality, that parts can be replaced, and that they actually can be refilled. Yes they cost more, sometimes a lot more, but what is that compared to losing the building and contents or worse? They sometimes have used cylinders at a discount.

I keep three in the house (kitchen, garage, laundry), two in the shop, two in the barn, one in the truck.

The local extinguisher company provides tags for inspection/service intervals. A reminder on the phone calendar is helpful. An extinguisher that is ignored until needed is worthless if it has lost it's pressure.

They also gave me vertical signs to put up with a big red arrow to point to the extinguisher.

JKJ

With the time change I changed each smoke alarm battery and got me thinking about fire extinguishers.

-Noticed home owners models that are refillable. Is this something worth looking into or is it not cost effective?
-Is it worth my time to check with a local fire extinguisher co or just buy from the big box stores?
-Want at least one for the house and each garage. Anyone put one in their car/suv and maybe a Zero Turn mower?
-Any other tips I should know?
-Why is the white Kitchen fire extinguisher only B and C and the Red fire extinguisher is A and B and C and is a little cheaper?

[Dave Lehnert]

I buy all my fire extinguishers from a local commercial fire extinguisher company. This guarantees quality, that parts can be replaced, and that they actually can be refilled. Yes they cost more, sometimes a lot more, but what is that compared to losing the building and contents or worse? They sometimes have used cylinders at a discount.

I keep three in the house (kitchen, garage, laundry), two in the shop, two in the barn, one in the truck.

The local extinguisher company provides tags for inspection/service intervals. A reminder on the phone calendar is helpful. An extinguisher that is ignored until needed is worthless if it has lost it's pressure.

They also gave me vertical signs to put up with a big red arrow to point to the extinguisher.

JKJ

Do you have a business or home shop?
Here is the rechargeable ones I was looking at. Going to guess just as cheap or cheaper to buy new vs having recharged????
https://www.lowes.com/pd/First-Alert...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Jerry Bruette]

With the time change I changed each smoke alarm battery and got me thinking about fire extinguishers.

-Noticed home owners models that are refillable. Is this something worth looking into or is it not cost effective?
-Is it worth my time to check with a local fire extinguisher co or just buy from the big box stores?
-Want at least one for the house and each garage. Anyone put one in their car/suv and maybe a Zero Turn mower?
-Any other tips I should know?
-Why is the white Kitchen fire extinguisher only B and C and the Red fire extinguisher is A and B and C and is a little cheaper?

I would buy from a commercial supplier. You'll get a better product without plastic valves which can be a problem.

Chances of refilling are slim. The "shell" may be out of date by the time you use the extinguisher and would have to be pressure tested before refilling. The company you buy from may not be able to do this and will just sell you a new one.

You can purchase brackets and hangers for the extinguishers. Some of the hangers and brackets are Coast Guard approved.

The white kitchen models have a different chemical in them. The units that are rated BC have Sodium Bicarb as the main chemical and the ABC units have MAP as the main ingredient. The MAP chemical is commonly referred to as FORAY and will be a yellow color.

There two main types of fire extinguishers. One is called "stored pressure" they have the gauge you can look at and tell if the unit is still pressurized. The other type is called "cartridge operated" These units have a CO2 cartridge for pressurizing the extinguisher. They are more robust in construction and cost more.

The smallest extinguisher I would have would be a two and a half pound unit. You can buy them all the way up to a 20 pound unit. A 20 pounder can way as much as 38 pounds and might be a little heavy for a homeowner to use. 5 and 10 pound units would be good for garage and workshop and 2 1/2 pound units would be god for kitchen use.

I work for a company (that shall remain unnamed here) that makes extinguishers and engineered fire suppression systems. I'll try to answer any questions you have.

[Keith Westfall]

I've heard that for the smaller "home" style extinguisher, that they should be shaken every once in a while to keep the stuff inside from settling into a lump. Any truth to that?

Thanks.

[Jerry Bruette]

I've heard that for the smaller "home" style extinguisher, that they should be shaken every once in a while to keep the stuff inside from settling into a lump. Any truth to that?

Thanks.

No truth. Please don't tip them over and hit the bottom with a plastic or rubber hammer either. This does nothing but put you in danger or damage the extinguisher. The stored pressure units we make have about 190 psi of a air/helium mixture for a propellant.

[John K Jordan]

Do you have a business or home shop?…

My shop is home/hobby but with space for things related to our (non-commercial) farm. I built a 24x62’ building near the barn for the shop.

[Jim Becker]

You bring up a good point...a lot of folks buy fire extinguishers and tuck them away, sight unseen. They forget that they either "expire" and need either refilling or replacement. (the latter for non-refillable, compact extinguishers popular as consumer products) And the tucking away also means they are often inaccessible when actually needed. Human nature is what it is...

[Dave Lehnert]

I would buy from a commercial supplier. You'll get a better product without plastic valves which can be a problem.

Chances of refilling are slim. The "shell" may be out of date by the time you use the extinguisher and would have to be pressure tested before refilling. The company you buy from may not be able to do this and will just sell you a new one.

You can purchase brackets and hangers for the extinguishers. Some of the hangers and brackets are Coast Guard approved.

The white kitchen models have a different chemical in them. The units that are rated BC have Sodium Bicarb as the main chemical and the ABC units have MAP as the main ingredient. The MAP chemical is commonly referred to as FORAY and will be a yellow color.

There two main types of fire extinguishers. One is called "stored pressure" they have the gauge you can look at and tell if the unit is still pressurized. The other type is called "cartridge operated" These units have a CO2 cartridge for pressurizing the extinguisher. They are more robust in construction and cost more.

The smallest extinguisher I would have would be a two and a half pound unit. You can buy them all the way up to a 20 pound unit. A 20 pounder can way as much as 38 pounds and might be a little heavy for a homeowner to use. 5 and 10 pound units would be good for garage and workshop and 2 1/2 pound units would be god for kitchen use.

I work for a company (that shall remain unnamed here) that makes extinguishers and engineered fire suppression systems. I'll try to answer any questions you have.

Is there a reason I WOULD NOT want an ABC extinguisher in the Kitchen vs the Kitchen extinguisher that is only BC?

[Bill Dufour]

I buy co2 extinguishers I see at yard sales if they are cheap enough and they are holding pressure. No real maintenance for them other then verify pressure from time to time. They are less powerful then almost anything else but... I would be more likely to use them since they do no damage and need no cleanup.
If it was a powder kind I would probably try other methods first like a damp towel etc. When that failed it would be too late to bother with the extinguisher. With CO2 I think I would use it sooner rather then later and it might help enough so I can call 911.
Bill D

[Jerry Bruette]

Is there a reason I WOULD NOT want an ABC extinguisher in the Kitchen vs the Kitchen extinguisher that is only BC?

I don't think so. Remember The ABC rating is for the type of fire. A is paper, wood or anything that leaves ash. B is liquids especially fuels,oils etc. C is electrical. I can see a kitchen fire starting with over heated cooking oil and then spreading to maybe a towel or wood cabinets and maybe even the over head range exhaust. That's all three types of fire without leaving the immediate area of your stove.

The chemical for ABC rating maybe more corrosive than the BC chemical, but hey who's worried about that when your house may be burning down. The ABC extinguisher will be painted red and not white, may not go with your decor, but that doesn't bother me.

Our fire school also teaches that you always call 911 first then try to put out the fire. You may get the fire out before help arrives but that's okay. You don't want to spend time trying to extinguish a fire then determine you're in over your head and need to call 911.

If you're unfortunate enough to have to use an extinguisher in your home you will be in for a huge clean up. If you can picture 5 or 10 pounds of flour being blown around by 190 psi of air pressure that's the type of mess you'll have. That clean up is worth it if you save your home, shop, or business though. Fire fighting chemical will go into places water won't go.

[Jerry Bruette]

I buy co2 extinguishers I see at yard sales if they are cheap enough and they are holding pressure. No real maintenance for them other then verify pressure from time to time. They are less powerful then almost anything else but... I would be more likely to use them since they do no damage and need no cleanup.
If it was a powder kind I would probably try other methods first like a damp towel etc. When that failed it would be too late to bother with the extinguisher. With CO2 I think I would use it sooner rather then later and it might help enough so I can call 911.
Bill D

The CO2 hand portable units we make are charged to about 600 psi vs the 190 psi for the dry chemical units. Also they're not rated for class a fires.

Don't waste time trying to get a wet or damp towel. Call 911 and use your extinguisher on the fire. That's why you have it. Don't worry about cleanup chances are your house insurance will help pay for that.

Remember call 911 first or have someone call while you start to fight the fire. That phone call should never be step two.

[Keith Westfall]

Thanks for the info!! Good stuff that is not always shared in the normal course of the day....

[Dave Anderson NH]

Just a quick note about CO2. Don't use it on a wood stove. The thermal shock is likely to seriously crack a cast iron stove and allow any remaining fire to spread.