Fire Extinguishers ?

[HenryJ]

There are a wide variety of extinguishers out there. Quite a few above have covered good points. I'll add a few more.
If your ABC extinguisher is high quality and has a metal valve assembly, the lifespan can be very long. In excess of 20 years easily with proper service.
Commercial requires monthly inspection. Annually they are treated to a quick service and a new tag is installed. Every five years they require a professional service disassemble and hydrostatic test the cylinder integrity. The valve and drop tube are also inspected and repaired at that time before reassembly.
Monthly inspection is easy. Gauge in green. Pin and retainer in place. Nozzle in place and clear of obstructions.
Annual inspections do the same as a monthly with the addition of checking the hydrotest date stamp, or label. The Dry chem ABC extinguisher is inverted and a rubber mallet is used to dislodge the caked powder. You can feel is flow back and forth by rocking it gently on its side when you get done. Do use a rubber mallet so you do not damage the pressure vessel. Last is replacing the monthly inspection tag.
Extinguishers with plastic valving are disposable and not serviceable. You can still do monthly inspections and annual service. Dispose if they do not pass inspection. Using them for practice is a great plan. Everyone in the household should have used a fire extinguisher at least once before it is ever needed for real.
CO2 are fun, but not a good choice for a household extinguisher. They can put out fire, but lack the residue from the dry chem that continues to suppress the smoldering fire. The ABC dry chem may have some mess, but is a more efficient choice and works better for a wider variety of fires.

More than 20 years in the fire service I picked up a little about extinguishers

 

[RicInOR]

This seems to be a good write up on what to look for at the store:

The Best Fire Extinguisher

 

[Argonaut]

We use Halogen in the boats but it isn't ideal either. The material if breathed in stays in your lungs so with engine room systems, an automatic alarm is required before it actually goes off to allow everyone to evacuate the area. It is very effective other than that. This is my fire extinguisher here at the ranch.........

 

[Defense Minister]

Henry above has some good advice. They actually require a full service (new O-rings, gauge, etc.) every 6 years, a hydrostatic test and full service every 12, and checking the gauge while tapping them with a rubber mallet monthly to keep the dry chem loose is important. A quality extinguisher body and valve can literally last a lifetime with proper maintenance.

CO2 extinguishers are not just more expensive but require more maintenance and are specifically designed for expensive electronic/electrical equipment that you don't want covered in dry chem in the event of a fire. This is not necessary or desirable in a residence.

 

[AMProducts]

How about getting a CO2 extinguisher? No reason to worry about the powder clumping.

CO2 extinguishers are often only rated for BC fires, for most household stuff you want an ABC. These extinguishers work differently. I have a CO2 BC for my car, but I keep ABC FE's for the home and shop.

Usually what I do is I buy new FEs every 2-3 years first year they stay in the shop, then they get checked and go in the house for year two, then for year 3 they go in the car as backup. At the moment I have two ABCs in the car plus the BC CO2 unit. After year 3, I may blow them off, or if they're still in the green I'll keep them as extra backups for shop/house.

 

[Alexx1401]

When this thread came up it got me thinking about how many old ones I had around. Looked at Amazon, my favorite place to shop and found these. I had forgotten about these. We had something like this when I was a kid and they worked quite well. So ordered a couple to see. Very nice for what they cost. Less than $22 for 2. Am going to order several more to keep scattered around the house and one for each vehicle.

 

[HB of CJ]

Do not laugh. You can cheaply try this out yourself. Fun. Cheap. Harmless. (mostly) Go down to the local discount grocery store and buy some seltzer carbonated water in the big 2 liter bottles. Gently unscrew the cap. Plug the top with your strong thumb.

Shake the plastic bottle or just bang it hard on the ground. You have just created a very good expedient and cheap pressurized water fire extinguisher. With some practice and a little money one can but out quite a big fire with one or a couple. Much fun .

Continue to shake while squirting the contents using your thumb as the nozzle. Amazing extinguishing capability. We keep a couple of them inside the front and rear doors just for that non expected small home fire. Usually the kitchen. Usually my fault.

Might work on the bigger more grown up Halloween Trick or Treaters. Especially when they threaten a trick. Only water. I am a retarded Engineer from a ISO Class 1 Fire Department. A fun idea from long ago. Bear with me. Cheap fun for Halloween for sure.

 

[ditchtiger]

As a side note/question. Is there a down side to using an old extinguisher for target practice. Non-pressurized. At hundreds of yards out they will puff a white plume will hits from a rifle. Is the stuff toxic?

 

[HB of CJ]

Not toxic in small ingested amounts and/or inhaled in very small quantities. You will tend to cough it out. Not so good in larger amounts. Sweeping up the results of discharged dry chemical bottles is not a good idea. Sweeping raises dry chemical product dust. Using a good vacuum cleaner is usually indicated.

We have seen numerous examples of a small kitchen stove top or oven fire that could have easily been put out by snuffing turned into a major clean up because large dry chemical extinguishers were employed. The clean up costs greatly exceeded the actual little or no fire damage other than sooted kitchen surfaces.

Sometimes we cleaned up the stuff. Sometimes not. Situational. Also depended upon the point of view/attitude of the Batt Chief.

 

[kamaaina1]

Fire Extinguishers should be Hydrostatic tested as follows:

• Pressurized water, carbon dioxide and wet chemical extinguishers – every 5 years
• Dry chemical extinguishers – every 12 years

 

[AMProducts]

As a side note/question. Is there a down side to using an old extinguisher for target practice. Non-pressurized. At hundreds of yards out they will puff a white plume will hits from a rifle. Is the stuff toxic?

The stuff inside is not toxic, however it is highly irritating to the eyes and respiratory tract, monoammonium phosphate is the chemical, it's also used as a fertilizer to supply fixed nitrogen and phosphorus to plants. It also tastes terrible.

In general I would rate it about twice as obnoxious as range dust, and about 1/10th as bad as tear gas.

 

[RicInOR]

I picked up 2 First Alert ABC at the local CostCo - $25 ea ( 10 off regular price )

 

[KKG]

As a side note/question. Is there a down side to using an old extinguisher for target practice. Non-pressurized. At hundreds of yards out they will puff a white plume will hits from a rifle. Is the stuff toxic?

Shooting such isn't a real good idea. Mainly because a bullet can go all sorts of directions(including straight back at and possibly into the Shooter) when it hits the Round surface. Why not just recycle the empty as scrap metal? This is the kind of JUNK that is showing up all too often when people "Shoot & Run" leaving their garbage for somebody else to pick up and dispose of Properly.

 

[KKG]

And for those who are still talking water hose; I strongly suggest you get the quick disconnect type fittings BUT make sure you get all of them the same. This is a case where one size does Not always fit. And that goes for the same brand. Some manufacturers Don't use the same fittings; connections etc. from one year to the next. You can waste a lot of time trying to make sure you have enough hose in the right place. Also, I suggest you look at getting a proper nozzle for each location. If you have to run from the front to the back just for a nozzle you are going to waste a lot of time. I can also make lots of comments about trailers and just how fast one can be turned into a pile of rubble. I've been there.

 

[CHLChris]

Practice is super important. Seeing a fire spring up is exceptionally stressful, in a way that cannot be fully grasped unless you've been in the situation. Using this piece of equipment is not necessarily automatic under stress. We have to make sure everyone in our family is given the opportunity to put out a campfire or something like that. Just replace them every now and then and use the old one to put out a fire.

 

[ditchtiger]

Shooting such isn't a real good idea. Mainly because a bullet can go all sorts of directions(including straight back at and possibly into the Shooter) when it hits the Round surface. Why not just recycle the empty as scrap metal? This is the kind of JUNK that is showing up all too often when people "Shoot & Run" leaving their garbage for somebody else to pick up and dispose of Properly.

They are quit thin, rebound aint going to happen. Recyclers do like a container that may be pressurized.

 

[ditchtiger]

I've a scrap steel bin at the shop. I return everything. Well perforated.

 

[TOVO]

Must say I enjoyed reading this tread and made me think to check mine. I even ordered a few more. Thanks

 

[Heyjoe]

Do not laugh. You can cheaply try this out yourself. Fun. Cheap. Harmless. (mostly) Go down to the local discount grocery store and buy some seltzer carbonated water in the big 2 liter bottles. Gently unscrew the cap. Plug the top with your strong thumb.

Shake the plastic bottle or just bang it hard on the ground. You have just created a very good expedient and cheap pressurized water fire extinguisher. With some practice and a little money one can but out quite a big fire with one or a couple. Much fun .

Continue to shake while squirting the contents using your thumb as the nozzle. Amazing extinguishing capability. We keep a couple of them inside the front and rear doors just for that non expected small home fire. Usually the kitchen. Usually my fault.

Might work on the bigger more grown up Halloween Trick or Treaters. Especially when they threaten a trick. Only water. I am a retarded Engineer from a ISO Class 1 Fire Department. A fun idea from long ago. Bear with me. Cheap fun for Halloween for sure.

Sounds fun, Thank you for the tip!

By the way, your paragraphs are looking darn good!

 

[CHLChris]

Must say I enjoyed reading this tread and made me think to check mine. I even ordered a few more. Thanks

@TOVO Dude, that is the coolest avatar on here right now!!