How do I choose a fire extinguisher?

How do I know which fire extinguisher to buy?

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provides minimum recommendations for the home: Primary Fire Extinguishers - For your main home protection, install a 2-A:10-B:C rated extinguisher on every level of your home - no more than 40 feet apart. Include all locations where a fire may start.

What fire extinguisher is best for home use?

Simply put, ABC extinguishers are the standard for home use. You can find a few kinds of ABC-rated extinguishers. The most common and affordable use monoammonium phosphate as the extinguishing agent.

How do I know what size fire extinguisher I need?

Consider the Size of the Room

For a room of average dimension, a 5-lb fire extinguisher may be sufficient. For larger commercial spaces and warehouses where a fire has more room to spread, a larger 10-lb model may be necessary.

Which fire extinguisher is good for everything?

Fire Class

Typically, the best option for household use is an ABC extinguisher that can combat all types of fire.

How to select the proper fire extinguisher

What does ABC mean for fire extinguishers?

Dry Chemical Extinguishers come in a variety of types. You may see them labeled: • "DC" short for "dry chem" • "ABC" indicating that they are designed to extinguish class A,B,and C fires, or • "BC" indicating that they are designed to extinguish class B and C fires.

What is the most common fire extinguisher?

Dry Chemical extinguishers: Dry chemical extinguishers are the most common and available in few types. These extinguishers will be marked for the classes they are designed to extinguish (e.g., ABC type extinguisher will put out Class A, B and C fires).

What are the 4 types of fire extinguishers?

There are four classes of fire extinguishers – A, B, C and D – and each class can put out a different type of fire. Multipurpose extinguishers can be used on different types of fires and will be labeled with more than one class, like A-B, B-C or A-B-C.

What kind of fire extinguisher should I have for my kitchen?

Class B extinguishers are rated for fires involving flammable liquids such as kitchen grease, gasoline, oil, solvents and oil-based paint. Class B extinguishers are numerically rated on the number of square feet of fire they can put out.

How long will a 10 lb fire extinguisher last?

The approximate discharge time for 10 to 20 pounds of dry chemical ranges from 10 to 25 seconds.

Is ABC fire extinguisher OK for kitchen?

For the kitchen it's generally recommended to have a multi-purpose fire extinguisher, such as one for Class A-B-C fires, or one that can specifically handle Class B or K fires.

How often should you replace your fire extinguisher?

The final word

Likewise, if you use the extinguisher, you may be able to recharge it rather than replacing it. Even in pristine condition, a fire extinguisher should be replaced every 12 years and may need to be recharged after 6.

Does fire extinguisher expire?

Although they don't have a true "expiration date," traditional fire extinguishers generally have a 10-12 year life expectancy. Disposable (non-rechargeable) fire extinguishers should be replaced every 10 years.

What does 4 A 20 B C mean?

These numerical ratings allow you to compare the relative extinguishing effectiveness of various fire extinguishers. For example, an extinguisher that is rated 4A:20B:C indicates the following: The A rating is a water equivalency rating. Each A is equivalent to 1-1/4 gallons of water. 4A=5 gal.

What does 2A mean on a fire extinguisher?

Fire Extinguisher Size Ratings

The Class A size rating represents the water equivalency. Each number represents 1 ¼ gallons of water. For instance, 2A means the extinguisher is just as effective as 2 ½ gallons of water. 4A is equivalent to 5 gallons of water.

Do fire departments give free fire extinguishers?

For decades, First Alert has donated smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, as well as fire extinguishers and other home safety products to local fire departments and non-profits across the country.

What's the difference between a regular fire extinguisher and a kitchen fire extinguisher?

A class A extinguisher can put out ordinary combustible fires such as wood and paper. Class B extinguishers are for use on flammable liquids fires such as petroleum, gasoline, oil, paint, propane and butane fires. Class C extinguishers are suitable for use only on electrically energized fires.

Can you store a fire extinguisher under the sink?

Storing your extinguisher

It's also extremely important that you know how and where to store your extinguisher so that it's readily available if and when you need to use it. Like Pressler said, you shouldn't keep it under a sink or in a dusty old corner.

What is the Colour code for fire extinguishers?

Blue – Dry Powder. Black – Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Cream – Foam. Red – Water (Spray and Mist)

What type of fire extinguisher is used for wood?

Water (APW) Extinguishers APWs are designed for Class A (wood, paper, cloth) fires only. Never use water to extinguish flammable liquid fires. Water is extremely ineffective at extinguishing this type of fire, and you may, in fact, spread the fire if you try to use water on it.

Which two fire extinguisher should not be used in confined spaces?

Since CO2 extinguishers don't remove heat, care should be taken to ensure that the fire does not re-ignite. It is advised not use a CO2 fire extinguisher in a confined space, as it displaces oxygen and could lead to asphyxiation.

What is a standard fire extinguisher?

Classes of Fires and Ratings

Every household extinguisher is labeled A, B, or C, which tells you the types of fires the extinguisher is effective against. A is ordinary combustibles like wood, paper, and cloth; B is flammable liquids, such as gasoline or cooking oil; and C is live electricity.

What is the universal fire extinguisher?

Class ABC fire extinguishers:

The ABC fire extinguisher is considered the “universal” fire extinguisher because it can combat A, B and C type fires. ABC fire extinguishers contains dry chemical, usually a mixture of monoammonium phosphate and ammonium sulfate.

What are the 3 most common types of fire extinguishers?

According to OSHA, air pressurized water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and dry chemical are the three most common types of fire extinguishers, with wet chemical extinguishers also used often.

Can an ABC extinguisher be used on all fires?

ABC fire extinguishers are considered “tri-class” or “multi-purpose” extinguishers which can be used on Class A, B, or C fires. Every fire extinguisher has an alphabet rating that tells you what types of fires it can extinguish.