Fire Extinguishers

A fire extinguisher requires routine maintenance and testing to ensure proper function during an emergency. The date, which is often found on a service tag attached to the extinguisher, will either indicate the date of the last test, or the date on which re-certification is required. For most areas in North America, Extinguishers in commercial buildings are to be inspected and re-certified annually, and extinguisher systems in food preparation/commercial kitchen areas semi-annually.

In many cases, there is a chart on the flip-side of the service tag, which is to be signed monthly by a responsible person from wherever the extinguisher is installed. This person is often an in-house health and safety representative, who simply checks that the pressure gauge of the extinguisher is in the green or 'charged' zone, and that the extinguisher is accessible and visibly in good condition.

Yes, you can, but it would violate the fire code and common sense.

Uncharged fire extinguisher

The bottom or base- where the fuel is located.

Yes, portable dry chemical fire extinguishers are pressurized by means of nitrogen (expellant gas used to discharge the extinguishing agent from its container). Carbon dioxide can also be used as expellant gas. Usually carbon dioxide is used for temperatures ranges of 0oC to +49oC, and nitrogen for extreme temperature ranges of -54oC to +99oC.

It is recorded on a label on the unit itself, together with it being entered in to a log that the service company provides to the customer who either owns or leases the equipment. It can also be recorded in a fire log record book.
Monthly maintenance is typically noted on an annual tag attached to each fire extinguisher, with office notation that all of them were inspected, plus annual testing, as may be required, all of which is logged in the fire prevention files.

yes

"Class K" covers cooking oils and fats .

Much like modern ones, antique fire extinguishers used a range of extinguishing agents. Carbon tetrachloride, water, and carbon dioxide were most common.

Carbon tetrachloride is a liquid that was used in glass grenade-type extinguishers or pumped metal extinguishers. While it is quite effective at putting out fires, it is extremely poisonous, and should be disposed of by professionals. This material fights fires by disrupting the chemical chain reaction. When exposed to high temperatures, it can produce phosgene, an insidious poison gas used during both world wars. Halon extinguishers replaced this type, and have, in turn, been replaced by newer clean agents less harmful to the ozone layer.

Water extinguishers were either operated by a hand pump or propelled using a soda-acid system. In the latter, a glass vial containing sulfuric acid was suspended over baking soda. The vial was shattered, spilled, or unplugged by a plunger or other mechanism when the extinguisher was needed. Instructions on this type typically started by telling you to turn the extinguisher upside-down and strike the top against the floor. The sulfuric acid reacted with the baking soda much as vinegar would, only faster and more violently. The resulting carbon-dioxide gas would propel the water, typically 2.5 gallons, out through the hose. This type was removed from service by 1982 because the reaction would often not last long enough to expel all the water and the containers had an unfortunate tendency to explode when used. The similar air pressurized water extinguishers have replaced this type.

Carbon dioxide extinguishers remain in use and are easily identified by the horn used to direct the extinguishing agent and the lack of a pressure gauge. These extinguishers contain liquefied carbon dioxide. While carbon dioxide gas mixed with dry ice is what comes out when you use the extinguisher, internally, the agent is a liquid under those pressures. Because carbon dioxide extinguishers in service, it is possible to have tested and refilled an extinguisher of this type. While an extinguisher has an expected service life of 25 years, they are often overbuilt and underused. I recently had serviced two carbon dioxide extinguishers that were manufactured in 1960, and used from then until 1992. Interestingly, even though they were not entirely full, they retained significant pressure even after having been stored for 18 years.

Some fire extinguishers are simply filled with compressed Nitrogen, which choke out combustion because it cannot survive in a pure Nitrogen atmosphere. The Simplex-Grinnell UN 1066 is such an extinguisher.

Just about three hours ago I inhaled a good bit of halon while extinguishing an engine fire on an airplane. So far I felt very jittery and had a hightened heartbeat as if I was on way too much caffeine. I have a sliggt headache, irritated throat, cough. Immediately afterwards I wheezed for about half an hour. I also feel fatigued, this could be due to the halon displacing the oxygen in my body.

B : c

Yea the water conducts the electricity through the stream. The best way to put out an electrical fire is with a class c extinguisher.

However, fixed water mist extinguishers ARE used on high-voltage systems, with enough clearance to avoid arcing, where the safe design is done according to NFPA 750 Standard on Water Mist Fire Protection Systems.

Each one has its advantages and drawbacks, depending upon circumstances.

For example, dry powder residue may be very difficult to clean from the area surrounding its use (assuming it put the fire out), but it is often a general-purpose extinguishing agent that can be used on several types of fires.

A foam extinguisher may contain water that would not be safe near energized electrical fires (unlike dry chemical powders), but may cover a larger area of fire with a smothering blanket of foam.

Yes, the only such product available anywhere in the world is the FireStopper Portable Fire Extinguisher. For more info, try www.firestopperinc.com

No. Charles Law describes the relationship between a gas and temperature. (gases expand when heated)

You are thinking of "Boyle's Law" which is the relationship between a gas and volume and pressure. With the fire extinguisher example, a lot of the gas (even though its a mixture of chemicals, it behaves like a gas) is compressed into a small volume and so when you pull the handle, you give it room to expand and it shoots out until it reaches equilibrium.

No. They emit no odor and of cause being inanimate object they can not smell things themselves.

No Flow at all

Yes, sometimes if the fire is noticed by a person while it is small, that individual can grab an extinguisher before the sprinkler system is activated. There is a code on portable fire extinguishers published by IFSTA.

Yes, if the boat is under coast guard jurisdiction, or some other place that has adopted coast-guard regulations for fire extinguishers, then any REQUIRED fire extinguisher aboard must be coast-guard approved and labelled accordingly.

When a fire has flames higher than your waist, or has dangerous fuel available to burn, or is more fire than your extinguisher is rated for, you need a trained firefighter with proper safety equipment and extinguishing agents.

There are a few simple reasons: it is possible for the person that it is used to suffocate, and it is also possible that the person will suffer frostbite on top of burn (causing greater skin damage) due to the expansion of the gas.

You can fill a fire extinguisher with any substance you like. Whether it will work as a fire extinguisher afterwards is a different matter. The old pump-style water fire extinguishers in college dormitories have occasionally been found to contain beer (which at least still works for the intended purpose) or gasoline (which is not so effective), which is one reason you don't see that type so much anymore.

HaHa im gonna gues no

A Class A (or ABC) extinguisher would be used to extinguish a paper fire.

Class A - Ordinary Combustibles

Class B - Flammable liquids

Class C - Electrical fires

Class D - Flammable metals

Class K - Kitchen fires (organic fats/grease)