Home fire extinguisher.

J

JohnF

Joined
Jan 8, 2001
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Hi everyone! I recently attended a disaster preperation class given by the Red Cross (evidently very popular these days in NYC). Among other useful information and recomendations they suggested a fire extinguisher for the home. Seems like everyone already had one...except me :eek: Anyone have a any ideas of what to look for in a good one?
John.
 
Be sure you get one that is ABC rated. These are good for all types of fires. You should think about more than one. One for just outside the kitchen and one for the bedroom. Also don't forget one for the car.

Bob
 
One for the car? Thats a great idea but would it not freeze up in the winter, or are there specific versions that can handle the temperature changes from summer to winter?
 
I've never worried about one in the car freezing as I live in Houston where we only see a few freezing daysa year. I would bet that a saleman for a commerical fire extinguisher would know the answer.

Bob
 
I have looked at two ABC extinguishers by different manufacturers at work and the both have temperature ranges of -40°F to +120°F.
Bob
 
Bob is absolutely on the right track.

My own practice, FWIW, is one smoke/carbon monoxide detector on each floor of the home (including the basement near the furnace and water heater).

I add to that several ABC extinguishers. One in the kitchen, one in the basement near the furnace and water heater, another at the end of the hall or in the bedroom (you never know when you may need to "fight your way out"), and one in the garage because of the fuels, oils, stored paint, etc.

I haven't had one in my car, but I know people that do. Strangely enough, they've never had to use them for their own cars, but in coming to the aid of others that they've seen in parking lots or on the shoulder of the road burning.

Also, check with your homeowner's or renter's insurance to see what kind of premium breaks or programs they have for smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
 
JohnF. There are two types you can get, the cheaper diposeable kind or a more expensive refillable kind.

The disposable kind can be found at any WallMart, HomeDepot, Ace, etc. and for most home purposes are just fine. All extingushers have to meet certain specifications so you don't really need to worry about which brand is better. Most are ABC. Get a couple of these for your house and car and you'll be just fine.

The reuseable kind are used more for industrial/commercial applications where one might use an extingusher more often. These are also often larger. These also come in more varieties A,BC,AC etc. There are usually stores that sell this kind of equipement so check your phone book or call the fire dept.

I have a funny story about my college roommate lighting the BBQ on fire (ie: fire on the OUTSIDE of the BBQ). My extingusher saved the day (and the house).
 
Hey everyone, thank's for the prompt and very useful replies. What's funny about this to me is that at work I'm VERY aware of the locations of all of the extinguishers, having had occasion to use them in the past. I work in a large photo studio, with lots of hot lights and noxious photo processing chemicals (including formaldehyde!) and every year the staff is required to watch safety videos on fire extinguisher use and toxic spills and emergency exit and safety. All of this and it never occurred to me to get a home extinguisher :eek: Someday I'll wise up! :)
Thank's again!
John.
 
:mad: :mad: :mad: Am I the only one that losses posts with this software :mad: :mad: :mad: After typing for an hour, my password and post both get lost and the "refresh" takes me to the login screen. Grrr

Anyway, get an ABC class fire extinguisher. These will normally be listed as dry chemical.

The 5 pound models are a little larger around then a vegtable can but are easy to store underneath a kitchen sink.

Ever notice how slow water runs out of a faucet when you are trying to put out a fire? Then you have some water to throw on a grease fire or a wall/exhaust hood fire? Try to smother a skillet fire with a lid or ABC fire extinuisher.

For utility closets (furnace, water heaters, etc.) or garages, get one of the bigger ABC dry chemical models you see at work. You will want more volume (run time), the wider spray pattern and, the reach (distance).

If you need the fire extinguisher bad enough to pull the pin, do it after the the Fire Department has been called. Fight the fire, if it's safe to do so, while they are on their way.

Have you ever rolled out of bed at night (moonless night, no night lights) and tried to crawl out of your house? I know it sound silly but, add panic, fear, smoke and, confusion and it ain't easy. Five minutes of practice could save your life.

When you stay at a hotel, do you know whether to crawl right or left? How many doorways will you feel before you hit the fire escape? What do you do if the door or handle is hot?

My rant about candles and halogen floor standing lights:
Don't let children burn candles in their bedrooms! Teenage Girls are typically burning scented candles when a bedroom fire occurs. If they must burn candles, make darn sure they have a good candle holder. One that won't tip but, if it does protects the flame and heat from whatever it lands on. Finishes on furniture typically light very easily. That stuff that makes it shine like new will also make it burn quickly (flash) burn the bedroom fast. In 5 minutes, you will be looking at nothing but charred wall studs and piles of ash where clothes, pictures, etc. used to be. 5 minutes is all it takes.

Floor Standing Halogens will light a fire in a heartbeat if it is tipped over or gets a curtain close to it. Keep them away from children!



Only you can prevent fires! Only fight them if it is safe for you to do so.
 
As a safety officer for projects I advise our employees to get a minimum of a 10 lb ABC dry type of extinguisher for each floor of their home and each outbuilding/garage. The same for each vehicle. A simple rule of thumb is that the rating is equivalent of the number of seconds that the extinguisher will work. Therefore a 10 is 10 seconds, 20 for 20, etc. Remember to heft the extinguisher and feel how heavy it is (a 20 is about as big as you want for the home). Dry run using it. Inspect it every month to make sure it hasn't lost pressure. Do NOT get the hairspray sized models for you house extinguisher. Keep one of these in the kitchen for pan fires if you want to, but a box of bicarb works almost as well and is easier to clean up.

For cars/trucks a dry type works for everything except tire fires. Sometimes big trucks get tire fires. They can only be put out with CO2 or water. This is because you have to rob the heat out of a burning tire as well as displace the oxygen or it will simply reignite.

Smoke detectors are valuable in every room in the house, but you may want to use the more expensive flame/heat detectors in your kitchen to prevent having to reset them during that big fry up for the gang. Walk around and look at where smoke would go and place your detectors there.

By the way, ABC can be thought of as Ashs, Boiling/Burning liquids, Circuits if you want to know what class of combustible materials they are appropriate for.
 
Originally posted by hso
... For cars/trucks a dry type works for everything except tire fires. Sometimes big trucks get tire fires. They can only be put out with CO2 or water. This is because you have to rob the heat out of a burning tire as well as displace the oxygen or it will simply reignite.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. Also, be aware that some vehicles have underhood components made of
a)certain plastics that can be fairly nasty and/or toxic when burning. You do not want to get a lung full of the fumes or smoke from certain materials. Acetals, such as Delrin and Celcon, for example, break down while burning to produce formaldehyde gases.
b)magnesium, which is particularly difficult to extinguish, since water and (most) liquids are the last thing you want to use for them. I believe there are certain foams used by fire departments that can be used. (According to several friends of mine in the fire service, for a while, years ago, when magnesium components were becoming widespread, there were certain cars that unofficial department policy was to allow to burn while containing the scene, as the technology and safety precautions to deal with a magnesium fire safely and successfully were still being developed.) Some smaller extinguishers, IIRC, may not have the "covering power" to put out a substantial piece of magnesium. If there is a particular part of a car that refuses to go out, you may simply want to shift your mind to an insurance settlement.
 
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