A soda-acid extinguisher expells water (actually a dilute sodium sulfate solution formed by the reaction of the soda and the acid). Therefore, it's used on the same types of fires as normal water extinguishers; wood, paper, textiles and so on. It must NOT be used on burning liquids (which would be splashed around, sperading the fire) or on live electrical equipment (becuse of the risk of electrocution).
Weak sulfuric acid was contained in these obsolete extinguishers, and the acid would mix with the sodium bicarbonate extinguishing agent, producing Carbon Dioxide gas to pressurize the container, resulting in acid/bicarb mixture being expelled under pressure, through the hose.
A soda acid fire extinguisher will discharge water under the pressure created by the production of carbon dioxide gas. The creation of the carbon dioxide is due to the chemical reaction of acid an soda mixing.
$200
A soda acid fire extinguisher uses water as a carrier of the soda/acid. A television fire is primarily an electrical fire. Adding water to an electrical fire will only complicate the problem by introducing the possibility of shorts and electrocution. bock442
It is the propellant used to force water out of the extinguisher.
hydrochloric acid and hydrogen
Currently silver colored, older ones are brass.
Acid can corrode the metal shell of the extinguisher. When it is rapidly pressurized, it may explode. They are no longer an approved extinguisher in many nations.
It doesn't. The soda solution mixes with the acid and the chemical reaction FORMS carbon dioxide gas, which pressurizes the extinguisher.
baking soda
In older soda/ acid extigushers, it generated carbon dioxide gas that propelled water from the extinguisher. In modern dry chemical extinguishers, it is the extiguishing agent- the same CO2 gas cuts off the oxygen to the fire.
spraying it with a c02 fire extinguisher
One OLDER style of extinguisher was filled with water and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)- AND had a small bottle of an acid. When it was turned upside down, the acid ran out of the bottle, mixed with the soda, and produced carbon dioxide gas. The gas forced the water out under pressure. NOT USED ON MOST MODERN EXTINGUISHERS.
In the USA it is no longer permissible to have soda-acid extinguishers for fire protection. They are obsolete. NFPA 1: 13.6.6 (2009). In other places, however, you would invert the tank, causing the acid to mix with the soda, creating CO2 gas, which pressurizes and pushes the acid/soda/water mixture out through the hose. Some units require you to whack a knob on the top to break the acid bottle before inverting the whole unit.