Fire extinguishers

[L Austin France]

I used my one & only extinguisher putting out a scooter on fire in the road outside out longere some months ago & have been rather dilatory replacing it.
Sensibly I should have one on each of the three floors of our gaff plus barn & longere workshop.
Trouble is I've no idea where the best place to get these things is & my thinking is muddied by the choice of water, powder & co2 for different types of fire.
Anyone got any ideas where to start?

[exile]

You could start here. The chart shows which types work on which types of fire. From there you can start to decide which types you need. I say types since if you have 3 floors there may be very different risks on each floor.
https://surreyfire.co.uk/types-of-fire-extinguisher/
For example, you may/should want to protect against a flammable liquid fire in the kitchen (chip pan fire for example) but it is unlikely you need that protection in the bedrooms.

Edit to add the link - doh!

[ajm]

Looking at the ticks it seems dry powder is the best bet.

[niemeyjt]

Well, I think the first question is how much do you want to spend? This will determine whether you have several on every floor or only the higher-risk areas?

I think priority one is probably the kitchen - and I would have a fire blanket for fat fires and probably a dry powder extinguisher for the rest. Plus heat and CO detectors. Don't forget the detectors!

Next, if you have a wood burner, have a water extinguisher nearby. Plus CO and smoke detector.

If you have a boiler room dry powder plus heat and CO detectors

Elsewhere, water and powder - or just foam (not quite as flexible) - as money allows. Or even a water hose reel - I have seen suggested in some places. Plus smoke detector(s)

And just be aware of what you can and cannot use on each type of fire. Oh, and if you do use dry powder, it can be messy (ask me how I know).

Then a dry powder in the car and other vehicles.

J (retired pyromaniac)

[niemeyjt]

Looking at the ticks it seems dry powder is the best bet.

But water is better on wood and similar combustible material - less cleaning up afterwards! Hence my suggestion of both if you can.

For example, you may/should want to protect against a flammable liquid fire in the kitchen (chip pan fire for example) but it is unlikely you need that protection in the bedrooms.

Chip pan fire use a blanket to cover it - never an extinguisher - as the fat will spray.

[Polarengineer]

Very good link Exile, however Niemeyjt has hit the nail. Why no mention of the blanket? Using a foam forever chemical is not today's solution. The old way with a blanket works so well. This from experience of two major firefighting courses. Fire is sustained by one of three aspects. Oxygen, heat and fuel. Remove one and the fire goes out. You will see from the table that the type of fire is tackled by one of these elements being removed by the extinguisher type. Check the concerned space for the most likely source of one of these elements and choose the extinguisher accordingly, then check this against the list in the link.

[Hotrodder]

I had an occasion to use a dry powder extinguisher on a boat when a paraffin heater caught fire and quickly went out of control. The extinguisher worked extremely fast to put out the fire but cleaning up the resultant mess took me most of the next day.

[Polarengineer]

I had an occasion to use a dry powder extinguisher on a boat when a paraffin heater caught fire and quickly went out of control. The extinguisher worked extremely fast to put out the fire but cleaning up the resultant mess took me most of the next day.

But you still had a boat? No?

[exile]

Chip pan fire use a blanket to cover it - never an extinguisher - as the fat will spray.

Fire blankets are very good but extinguishers are as well provided you know what you are doing - ie training. You never aim at the base of a liquid fire - chip fat, petrol or whatever - or the results are as you describe. Aim to hit the top part of the flame and work down as the flames reduce. It is more a smothering action than a direct hit on the seat of the fire.

[Lori]

This is all such a good reminder. There is one fire extinguisher in our house. It was here when we bought the house. I'll go have a look to see if it notes what kind of extinguisher it is. Also, don't they have to be maintained now and again - I mean even if they have never been used??

The house does not appear to have Carbon Monoxide detectors or smoke detectors. If I recall, there are detectors sold that monitor both right?

Are these best purchased in the big box stores (Leroy Merlin, etc.)?

Thank you for this very important thread.