# Garage / Van / Home Fire Extinguishers.



## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Following on from a bit of interest in the garages section i hope you find this guide useful for a bit of information and what to look for when selecting a fire extinguisher/s for your property..............

First things first Fire extinguishers are a last line of defence..... You want to prevent fires from starting in the first place Good house keeping such as getting rid of the accumulated pile of crap in your garage should be a priority...... Reduce the amount of fuel and any fire will likely only be small and easy to contain.......

Also switch off any appliances when not in use,

Dont over load sockets,
ensure any tools are in good repair, 
and take care if your a dirty smoker with your tab ends 

and when welding have a mate there watching over you with a bucket of water or a hose pipe to damp down if the worst should happen and check regularly after welding for a few hours to ensure no hot smouldering lump of slag is sat smouldering away under that pile of microfibres.....

So you have the "housekeeping" sorted

Next think about alarms

in a garage standard Ionisation/ Optical smoke alarms are likely to give false alarms due to smoke form welding or dust... Saying that i have optical smoke detector heads linked into the garage intruder alarm in my garage and not had a false alarm yet except from when welding  . Heat sensors are ideal for relative early warning you have trouble (they are not as fast as Optical or Ion sensors however) its a catch 22 situation of balancing the early detection and false alarms. ..... You can get standard smoke alarm type heat detectors that run off a 9v battery...

eg

http://www.safelincs.co.uk/Ei603TYC-10-Year-Heat-Alarm/

They should be mounted as per the makers instructions.....

Now onto extinguishers............

There are LOADS to choose from Different sizes, Different extinguishing mediums, Different colours (although they are now all mainly red to EN3 standards)

So what to go for......

Although some fire extinguishers can do most fires there might be better extinguishing mediums for a particular fire .......

Fires in the UK are classed as one of 5 types.......

A= "solid" materials such as Paper/ textiles/ foam rubber/ wood









B= Flammable Petrochemical liquids such as Petrol/ Diesel / Paints/ glues/solvent cleaners








C= Gaseous fires eg LPG/ Natural gas/ Acetylene THESES FIRES SHOULD ONLY BE TACKLED IF THERE IS NO 
EXPLOSION RISK EG YOU CAN PUT THE FIRE OUT TO SAFELY SHUT OFF THE GAS VALVE. if you cant leave it to burn and call the fire service........ burning gas is safer in most cases than a gas fire been put out then the gas building up and reignition leveling the house....









D= flammable metals eg magnesium / lithium Not really in the interest of a detailer / home owner seek advice on the specialist dry powder units available










F= Cooking oils/ fats eg Chip pan..........










(Many also carry the electrical flash mark showing safe to use on live electrical equipment) Ideally turn off first.........

So what to get and how big.........

Water / water +additive = Class A fires










AFFF Foam spray Class A+B (some newer units are also safe if used on live electrical equipment to 1000v hence its important to read the instructions as some older units will conduct electric and give a lethal shock )









BC Dry powder B+C fires

Multi-purpose Dry Powder Class A+B+C safe on electrical fires 









CO2 (carbon dioxide) class B f(and electrical fires)









extinguishers able to deal with Class A and B fires carry a number relating to the effectiveness of the extinguisher

Most basic 9l water extinguishers hold a 13A (newer ones hold 21A) rating which involves a crib of wood allowed to pre burn for 10 mins before been tackled...

eg:






BUT as you can see a 2kg powder unit can tackle the same size fire all be it creating much more mess Trust me the powder gets everywhere....






and for information purposes a car size 1kg powder unit usually come as a 5A to 8A depending on the certification






And class B fires involve a Tray of fuel at set sizes

This is a 2kg CO2 been used on a 34B fire






This shows a 144B fire using a 6l AFFF spray

This is a 183B test using 6kg dry powder






and the same 183 test using a 9 litre AFFF






So Dry powder looks the best for general fires Yes its MESSY its also corrosive to metal. But in a garage which is not heated it wont freeze in cold weather..... BUT fires can relight if you cant fully extinguish it before the extinguisher runs out






As for CO2 its ideal when the fire is in electrical equipment and you cant get the the fire base so you turn off the power and blast it through any vents you can.... Its also OK on say solvents burning in a tin can as the CO2 can settle and quell the fire but on a windy day or in the case of a fire that has been burning a while once the CO2 has dispersed the residual heat can cause the fire to re light.......

And quickly touching on Chip pan fires

Class F or a fire blanket are the only 2 mediums to be used.....










as normal Foam despite been known to tackle flammable liquids wont handle the problem and make it worse and dry powder will just knock the fire down and it will re light (same as i found trying to tackle a bitumen fire at work)






So you have made you mind up on what you want.....

For the average home garage i would look at getting a 6kg or larger Dry powder unit minimum.....

ideally along side a foam and a CO2 unit to cover all bases....

So when you get it home or the courier drops it / them off GET IT UNWRAPPED AND MOUNTED and read the instructions especially the temperature range in winter in an unheated garage water and foam units can become frozen destroying the internals You can get frost resistant water and foam units but its a trade off as the frost proofing agent reduces the fire fighting ability of the unit 
....
Ideally it wants to be on an escape route you dont ever want the fire to get between you and the exit trapping you!

Keep it simple........

FIRST Evacuate the building and ensure the fire service have been called....

Isolate any services (gas/ Electric ) if you can this makes it safe for you as possible and also for the fire crews should you not manage to put it out..... And remove any gas bottles from the building if you can

Ideally you want another person to back you up should you get into trouble (goes without saying dont put yourself in harms way if the fire is growing rapidly or heat forces you back be sensible and get to a safe distance

Only now that the building is evacuated and the fire service is on the way should you go for your extinguisher having made sure you have a safe way out DO NOT LET THE FIRE CUT YOU OFF FROM YOUR ESCAPE ROUTE

Grab the appropriate extinguisher and calmly

To use

Pull the pin twisting it first to break the security seal

If your panicking Stop what your doing and think.... Put the extinguisher on the floor let go of the handles break the seal and pull the pin then pick it up again....Some people grab them in a death grip and this grip holds the pin in place (i have seen it done) .......

Aim the jet or hose at the base of the fire....

Squeeze the handles together

then rapidly sweep from side to side

see below for the relevent type and more detailed usage





















So you get it mounted on the wall... Dont forget about it.......

Monthly check it.......

New CO2 units come with a new weight on the label so use some fishing scales to check it new 2kg co2 units typically weigh about 5kg....... if it drops to 3kg its safe to assume its totally empty...............

For the others

Check the safety pin and seal are still intact.....









check the hose for signs of perishing... (replace if perished)

check the jet isn't blocked 









Check the gauge if fitted is still showing green......










And check the cylinder / handles are not corroded / damaged










(ordered a replacement for this one tonight) 

Then your into the battle of common sense vs uk law if your a trader / own commercial building you must have your extinguishers serviced yearly...... If your at home it is a good idea BUT the cost of a call out/ service charge for a couple of units might easily exceed the new price of a extinguisher..... so on your head be it i replace mine at home every five years (ok that chubb one above was given to me  )

Their is a caluclator for class A extinguishers here:

but i would take it with a pinch of salt its based on floor space and the minimum required by law but not taking into account higher risks.... I'd rather waste a few KG of powder or a few litres of foam than not have enough

http://www.safesmart.co.uk/calculator.html

http://cherwellfiresafety.co.uk/calculator.php

http://www.jewelsaffire.co.uk/calculator

It goes without saying if your in Doubt, Get out, Call the fire service and stay out until they tell you its safe!

bit more info on car extinguishers here plenty of overlap on the above however

http://www.fiatforum.com/miscellaneous-guides/286552-choosing-car-fire-extinguisher.html


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Thanks Andy very helpfull


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## Krash (May 9, 2012)

You've missed chemical ones? We have fire blanket and a chemical one backup for deepfat fryer fires ill get a pic when I'm at work if you like 

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk 2


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Krash said:


> You've missed chemical ones? We have fire blanket and a chemical one backup for deepfat fryer fires ill get a pic when I'm at work if you like
> 
> Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk 2


Chemical? I assume your referencing to Wet chemical class A/F see the heathrow airport video above and the fire blanket pic with the class a b f modified afff with class F capability extinguisher 

The Industrial Wet chemical










are a bit overkill at home for the average chip pan more suited to fish and chip shop /restaurant fat pans and useless on burning petrol / paints / solvents

Halon was made illegal in the late 1990's due to the ozone damaging layer its very effective granted but no one will be able to buy them now or get them serviced.............

methyl bromide, use in Pyrene extinguishers went out with the ark

Newer innovations such as Water mist are a new interesting concept

http://www.safelincs.co.uk/E-Series-Water-Mist-Fire-extinguishers/

but the class b aspect of them is very poor (6l water mist = 21B where as a 1kg powder is 34b and 6l foam is 144b


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## Johnnyopolis (Oct 25, 2005)

Thanks Andy that was really helpful. 

A great read too


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## WD Pro (Feb 7, 2006)

Yes, very helpful thanks, along with the pm's 

I guess I may have been partly responsible for you writing this lot from my questions on the other thread ...

This is what I currently have in my single garage :










I got them for a good price (free !) including some nice plastic brackets :










But after reading your guide I will look around for a foam or powder to join them 

Thanks again,

WD 

ps : I am surprised this thread hasn't had a bit more interest, it's ok having a well polished car but it would be nice to keep it that way if the worst was to happen ...


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

i was thinking the same WD still if it enables one member to save their home / garage i will be happy 

Unless you have LPG bottles or a gas meter in there or its unheated i'd go for AFFF Foam.

(although you can get frost proof foam extinguishers which due to the anti freeze chemical used reduces its effectiveness slightly on class b fires)

eg

http://www.firemart.co.uk/6ltr-foam-kitemarked-anti-freeze-protected-foam-extinguisher

with the added bonus its much easier to clear up unlike powder which gets EVERYWHERE and some powder mediums containing amonium phosphate can be corrosive to metals

see here:

http://www.safety-marine.co.uk/spages/engine-fire-extinguishers.htm

to be fair ANY extinguisher is better than no extinguisher even a Big red bucket of water or sand with a lid is better than nothing but many people spend a fortune on detailing gear / their car/ the latest in house entertainment system but dont see the need to invest in a few £20 fire extinguishers to dot round the house then again a good few people dont even have a working smoke alarm.........

this is another interesting idea ideal for elderly relatives people with mobility problems or someone with no training in the house although of limited use in the car as no mention of petroleum fires ...

is this based on the standard domestic aerosol can..

http://www.maplin.co.uk/tundra-fire...m_campaign=N80GQ&utm_content=Fire+&+CO+Safety

http://www.firstalert.com/fire-extinguishing/tundra-spray/tundra-fire-extinguishing-spray/tundra






i got a few cheap copy versions a few years ago and for what they are intended for they are very good on burning paper / textiles but it was useless on petrol (can in middle had about half a pint in)....


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## angelsguardian (Jul 8, 2012)

And the best product to keep them shiny?  Thanks for a great post.


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

angelsguardian said:


> And the best product to keep them shiny?  Thanks for a great post.


Fk1000 claims to be heat proof :devil:


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## Marcos999 (Aug 16, 2010)

Great right-up, very informative. If you have dry powder extinguishers in your garage it's worth turning them upside down every couple of months, it can pack down in the cylinder. I'm not sure if it's commonly available but Monnex is the best powder to go for, knockdown is better than ABC.

As far as in-car goes, for engine bay fires a decent size powder is your best bet in the absence of a fire appliance. It makes a mess but that's the point, it smothers and chokes the fire.

What do I have in my car, a 2kg dry powder and a BCF but you won't get that at Halfords!


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Marcos999 said:


> Great right-up, very informative. If you have dry powder extinguishers in your garage it's worth turning them upside down every couple of months, it can pack down in the cylinder. I'm not sure if it's commonly available but Monnex is the best powder to go for, knockdown is better than ABC.
> 
> As far as in-car goes, for engine bay fires a decent size powder is your best bet in the absence of a fire appliance. It makes a mess but that's the point, it smothers and chokes the fire.
> 
> What do I have in my car, a 2kg dry powder and a BCF but you won't get that at Halfords!


Its more of an issue on mobile plant the powder packing down 

Monnex is great on fuel fires but is only B/C rated ok in track day cars where they have had most of the plastic bits ripped out and soundproofing removed,

in 9kg they are rated around 233b over a 183b traditional Dry powder unit so a 50b higher rating which is equivalent to about 1.5kg more abc powder..

Coupled with its a bit more complicated to use it correctly unlike dry powder which is just blast at the fire base and sweep rapidly

You will find that most Motorsports forbid dry powder in car as good as it is if you fail to get it out completely it will relight as soon as the powder cloud disperses if there is enough residual heat / a small flicker of flame left...

As you say BCF or Halon is very good but on a windy day........


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## DampDog (Apr 16, 2011)

Apparently quite handy when being mauled by a Tiger too, though it doesn't say whether it was CO2 or powder...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19685839


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Probably Co2 if you watch any of the police raid a drug dealers house type programs there is usually one officer on the lead entry team armed with a co2 extinguisher to distract any savage dogs in the house they are raiding...


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