Do fires extinguishers need to be shaken to prevent settling?

[Doofy]

I bought Halon extinguishers for Computer Labs and Server Rooms before they took them off the market (suffocation hazard). I carried one in my work truck and finally got to use it. Snuffed a fully engulfed mobile home fire instantly. Most amazing.

 

[kcflhrc]

I bought Halon extinguishers for Computer Labs and Server Rooms before they took them off the market (suffocation hazard). I carried one in my work truck and finally got to use it. Snuffed a fully engulfed mobile home fire instantly. Most amazing.

Halon yes, will suffocate you but the reason it was taken off the market was Ozone depletion. CO2 will suffocate you too, any gas extinguisher is designed to remove oxygen from the air.

 

[ray66v]

I bought Halon extinguishers for Computer Labs and Server Rooms before they took them off the market (suffocation hazard). I carried one in my work truck and finally got to use it. Snuffed a fully engulfed mobile home fire instantly. Most amazing.

Halon was taken off the market due to ozone depletion.

There are more environmentally friendly versions available.

I have used halon in test conditions, several times. You only have to drop the oxygen level like 2% to put a fire out. You don't notice any difference in the air when you do that.

You have to be in a confined space, and discharge a substantial amount of halon, to have a risk of suffocation. Far more than it takes to put out a fire.

 

[sixdogs]

What is a good brand of extinguisher to get? We have mostly jumbo sized Badger and First Alert commercial versions and rated for all three fires but I forget that part.

 

[Doofy]

I use an assortment of brands and sizes. Small ones for all vehicles, large ones for garage and several sizes for home and kitchen. I check the gauges frequently and make sure the powder is loose a couple times a year.

 

[Doofy]

Swing by your local fire department for great info. Those folks are a wealth of information and good advice.

 

[buickanddeere]

Dry Chem extinguishers need to be agitated .

 

[ray66v]

What is a good brand of extinguisher to get? We have mostly jumbo sized Badger and First Alert commercial versions and rated for all three fires but I forget that part.

The only real critical point, is to make sure it does not have a plastic valve. No one will refill a plastic valve extinguisher. And, it is more likely for the pressure to leak out over time.

The other thing to remember is, it's only too big, if you can't run with it.

Less than a 10lb extinguisher, (dry chem), is only good if you are right there, at the time and point of ignition.

A 10lb used properly, will give you one real good chance to put out an isolated fire that you have discovered. However, if it flares back up, (that's the part they don't tell you about), you will probably not have the power left to put it out again.

 

[buickanddeere]

I’ll grab a 2-1/2 gallon pressurized water extinguisher treated with a cupful of dish soap over any 10lb class B extinguisher.

 

[4570Man]

A 2.5 gallon water fire extinguisher will put out a heck of a fire. If that won’t do the job you need a fire truck not a fire extinguisher.

 

[dnw64]

I’ll grab a 2-1/2 gallon pressurized water extinguisher treated with a cupful of dish soap over any 10lb class B extinguisher.

There are two (that I'm aware of) situations where you don't want to use a water extinguisher - electrical fires and flammable liquids fires.

 

[Diggin It]

What is a good brand of extinguisher to get? We have mostly jumbo sized Badger and First Alert commercial versions and rated for all three fires but I forget that part.

Four.

There are two (that I'm aware of) situations where you don't want to use a water extinguisher - electrical fires and flammable liquids fires.

Three.

Everybody forgets about Class D - Metals. Not much of a problem in most homes, but it can be in a shop that does metal working and has aluminum or other metal scraps and dust.

Add Class K if you deal with kitchens and cooking oils.

 

[Doofy]

I値l grab a 2-1/2 gallon pressurized water extinguisher treated with a cupful of dish soap over any 10lb class B extinguisher.

What is the purpose of the dish soap?

 

[4570Man]

Probably to make foam and reduce the chance of igniting again.

 

[orezok]

I respectfully disagree. Almost all Fire Extinguishers are refilled and tested locally. I used to do it in High School, yes that was a long time ago, but is still done locally.

First off, I was a Facilities Manager at a large school district. Our regulations required that every fire extinguisher we had, and we had thousands, were required to be services annually. The meant discharged, inspected, valves cleaned and inspected, refilled and repressurized and re-date tagged. Yes it was done locally at our maintenance facility during the summer break. BUT our district was in the desert where the humidity was single digit in the summer and therefore the powder was still dry for reuse. If done in a high humidity area the powder absorbs a significant amount of moisture which is the main reason the powder packs and therefore becomes defective.

 

[sixdogs]

What is the purpose of the dish soap?

I would guess to cut surface tension and help the water stick to material better, both burned and unburned. But that's a guess.

 

[bigtiller]

I’ll grab a 2-1/2 gallon pressurized water extinguisher treated with a cupful of dish soap over any 10lb class B extinguisher.

Is a cupful necessary? I put a big squirt, maybe <2 oz. in mine. I don't know what the Goldilocks amount is. Should I be trying to make lots of foam or is soft water and a little foam good enough?

 

[FTG-05]

I used to work for FE company in central FL during the mid-70's. Part of the process of "certifying" a dry chemical FE was to turn upside down and pound the bottom with a rubber mallet. Invariably, you could tell a difference in the powder inside, it was like a fluid, which is exactly what yo want when you use the FE during a fire.

That was the '70's, don't know if they still do it today.

 

[Toyboy]

I'll be doing that to all of my dry extinguishers today. I do that twice a year when we go on DST and off DST.
It works for me whether it should be done or not. To each their own.

 

[buickanddeere]

A 2.5 gallon water fire extinguisher will put out a heck of a fire. If that won稚 do the job you need a fire truck not a fire extinguisher.

Amen Brother . Plus the heat absorbing capability of water vs powder reduces flare ups .