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Frequently, someone who needs a fire extinguisher will purchase an ABC fire extinguisher without providing much thought to the actual fire threats they need to protect versus. When purchasing fire extinguishers, you need to understand numerous aspects of extinguishers in order to make a notified decision, specifically, the fire class you have to safeguard against and special conditions you have to consider (computer system electronics, for example).

Classes of fire extinguishers

When it pertains to fire extinguishers, there are 5 classes of fires: A, B, C, D, and K.

Class A - Fire extinguishers rated for Class A fires have a green triangle with an "A" in the center in addition to a pictogram of a trash bin and wood burning. These extinguishers are utilized to put out fires for common combustibles like paper, cloth, rubber, and some plastics (materials that leave ash when burnt, hence, the "A";).

Class B - Fire extinguishers ranked for Class B fires have a red square with a "B" in the center as well as a pictogram of a gasoline can with a burning puddle. These extinguishers are used to snuff out fires for combustible liquids like gasoline, lubricating oil, diesel fuel, and numerous organic solvents discovered in laboratories (things found in barrels, thus "B";).

Class C - Fire extinguishers ranked for Class C fires have a blue circle with a "C" in the center in addition to a pictogram of an electrical plug with a burning outlet. These extinguishers are utilized to extinguish electrical fires for stimulated electrical devices, electric motors, circuit panels, switches, and tools (" C" for current-electrical).

Class D - Fire extinguishers rated for Class D fires have a yellow pentagram (star) with a "D" in the center along with a pictogram of a burning equipment and bearing. These extinguishers are used to snuff out fires from metals and metal alloys like magnesium, titanium, and salt.

Class K - Class K fire extinguishers are utilized specifically for cooking fires from grease, fat, and cooking oil (" K" for kitchen).

You can get fire extinguishers with a single class score or several fire class rankings (ABC or BC, for example).

Fire extinguishing products

Fire extinguishers use various products for snuffing out fires. When picking your extinguisher, you have to determine what type of fire you may be battling and after that select the very best extinguishing product for your application.

Water: Water, or APW, extinguishers usage pressurized water to extinguish fires. APW extinguishers can just be utilized for Class A fires (combustibles such as paper, cloth, etc.); they can not be utilized for putting out other classes of fires.

Dry chemical: Dry chemicals are utilized to snuff out A-, B-, C-, or D-type fires. Dry chemical extinguishers are extremely effective at putting out fires.

Carbon dioxide: Co2 works by getting rid of oxygen from the immediate vicinity of the fire. Carbon dioxide extinguishers are just ever utilized for B (flammable liquid) and C (electrical fires) extinguishers. For computer, scientific and medical devices, and airplane electronic devices, co2 would be a better option than dry chemical extinguishers since a carbon dioxide extinguisher leaves no residue.

Metal/sand: Some class D fire extinguishers utilize metal or sand, such as sodium chloride (NaCl) or powdered copper metal, to smother fires from metals and metal alloys.

Special applications

Some fire dangers need specialized extinguishers. Here are a couple of examples of those applications.

Metal or sand extinguishers are used to put out class D (metal and metal alloy) fires:

Salt (sodium chloride-- NaCl) is the most frequently utilized material in metal/sand extinguishers. NaCl extinguishers work well with fires including magnesium, salt, potassium, alloys of potassium and salt, uranium, and powdered aluminum.

Sodium carbonate extinguishers are also used on fires including sodium, potassium, and alloys of potassium and salt. Where stress rust of stainless steel is a consideration, this type of fire extinguisher would be a better choice than an NaCl extinguisher.

Powdered copper (Cu) metal is used for fires involving lithium and lithium alloys.

Graphite powder extinguishers are utilized on lithium fires in addition to fires that involve high-melting-point metals like titanium and zirconium.

Sodium-bicarbonate-based extinguishers are utilized on fires including metal alkyls and pyrophoric liquids.

Halotron I is a tidy representative replacement for Halon 1211, which was banned from use due to its ozone depleting properties. Halotron I extinguishers are used for extinguishing fires in computer rooms, tidy spaces, and where telecom equipment or electronic devices are present.

FE-36 (CleanGuard) extinguishers are another clean representative replacement for Halon 1211. FE-36 extinguishers are less poisonous than Halon 1211 and Halotron I and supposedly have no ozone-depleting capacity. FE-36 is likewise utilized for fires in computer rooms, clean rooms, and where telecom equipment or electronics are present. Unlike Halotron I, FE-36 is not prepared for phase-out.

Nonmagnetic fire extinguishers: Wherever strong magnets are in usage, for example, near magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers (NMRSs), nonmagnetic fire extinguishers must be selected. The strong electromagnetic fields produced by this type of devices can cause steel cylinder fire extinguishers to fly across a room with lethal force.

It is essential to make sure that you have the appropriate fire extinguishers for your environment or prospective fire risks. It can be the distinction between whether your fire is removed or causes a catastrophy.

Dry chemical: Dry chemicals are used to snuff out A-, B-, C-, or D-type fires. Dry chemical extinguishers are very reliable at putting out fires. Carbon dioxide extinguishers are just fire hose reels nz ever used for B (combustible liquid) and C (electrical fires) extinguishers. Halotron I extinguishers are utilized for extinguishing fires in computer system rooms, clean spaces, and where telecom equipment or electronics are present. FE-36 is likewise used for fires in computer system rooms, tidy rooms, and where telecommunications devices or electronics are present.