OAUSA Net - January 19, 2017 - Fire Extinguishers

[DaveK]

QUICK PRIMER ON FIRE EXTINGUISHER DESIGNATIONS

Fire extinguishers use a classification system that use both letters and numbers. The letters represent the type of fire on which the FE can be used, as follows:

a. A for ORDINARY COMBUSTIBLES: wood, paper, rubber, fabrics and many plastics
b. B for FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS & GASES: gasoline, oils, paint, lacquer and tar
c. C for FIRES INVOLVING LIVE ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
d. D for CLASS D COMBUSTIBLE METALS OR COMBUSTIBLE METAL ALLOYS
e. K for CLASS K FIRES IN COOKING APPLIANCES THAT INVOLVE COMBUSTIBLE COOKING MEDIA vegetable or animal oils and fats

In connection with these letter designations, there are numbers that express effectiveness. For example, a 1A designation means that the FE is rated for class A fires and will dispense the equivalent of 1.25 gallons of water. A 2A designation means that the FE is rated for class A fires, but dispenses the equivalent of 2.5 gallons of water.

The effectiveness of class B FEs is measured by square footage. For example, a 10-B rating would mean the the FE is capable of handling a 10 square foot fire.

Only class A and B fires have this numerical designation. So, how do you determine what is best and how much you need? Join us on the net.

[DaveK]

For the average consumer, and in particular for the off-roading crowd, there are a limited number of fire suppression agents that are available for vehicle use (or the home, for that matter). Obviously, our fire extinguishers must be portable, easy to handle, relatively small, and readily available. For these reasons, our net will not cover large scale industrial agents, such as certain inert gasses, like argon. We will also not deal with large scale fire suppression systems, such as you may find in industrial and commercial settings.

For these reasons, we will focus on 4 basic types of suppression agents and their containers, all of which are suitable for the types of fires that are foreseeable. Finding the right type and size of fire extinguishers then will be our goal. These 4 suppression agents are:

1. Dry chemical
2. CO2
3. Halon
4. Halotron

Remember, this is an open net, and if you have a particular agent of which you are aware, or use, post up.

We will discuss the pros and cons of each of these 4 agents and make our recommendations. The process of selecting the right FE needs to take into consideration the specs for each.

Agent Comparison.jpg (47.73 KiB) Viewed 507 times

USEFUL LINKS

1. H3R primarily sells Halon and Halotron extinguishers which can be found here: http://www.h3raviation.com/products.htm

2. H3R has a very informative section on Halon, here: http://www.h3raviation.com/support_faq.htm

3. Amerex is one of the most well known and largest manufacturers of fire extinguishers. They offer a full range of fire extinguishers that can be found here: http://amerex-fire.com/products/

4. Basics on how to use a Fire Extinguisher (using the PASS system): http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/using.html

[KAP]

Dave
Just checked my garage extinguisher. Solid as a rock.

Please check me in.
Kevin
KK6DGL

[DaveK]

HONORABLE MENTION - PURPLE K

Purple K is a dry chemical agent and is primarily intended for class B and C fires. It sees applications in areas where there are large volumes of flammable liquids, such as refineries, service stations, military facilities, naval warships, and power plants.

Amerex makes a Purple K FE that fits our needs (in terms of size) and has this to say about it ( http://amerex-fire.com/products/purple- ... nguishers/ ):

PURPLE K extinguishers contain specially fluidized and siliconized potassium bicarbonate dry
chemical which is particularly effective on Class B flammable liquids and pressurized gases. It is
electrically non-conductive. Purple K has been the choice of oil, gas, chemical and utilities industries
as the preferred fire fighting agent.

NOTE: Some of the chemicals in Purple K can be corrosive, and clean-up should be performed as quickly as possible.

[JackM-KK6WXQ]

Hi All,
Please check me in for tonight's net on Fire Extinguishers.
Thank you!
Jack M. KK6WXQ

[KK6DYO]

Please check me in tonight. Thank you.

[JackM-KK6WXQ]

My Fire extinguisher mounted in my Jeep TJ.

Chose this overhead spot for its accessibility to the front and the back of the Jeep while keeping it out of the way of day to day activity.

[KK6ATH]

Could I get an early Check-in?
thanks

Gabe
KK6ATH

[KK6ATH]

I just bought some Fire Extinguisher Tamper-Safety Seals on the internet. I paid $6 for (40) tabs made by DeWalt. They are red and have a 14 lb. pull. I am going to tape an extra seal to the body of all of my fire extinguishers. That way I have a replacement in the event that one breaks or gets broken. I once had a fire extinguisher deploy accidentally while driving because a seal broke and I didn't replace it.

In addition to having a fire extinguisher in all my vehicles I have several around my house.
I bought Buckeye fire extinguishers, they are cheaper than Amerex and retain the same quality.

[KA9WDX]

I was listening to the dog sled races on the DAWGGONE Conference, then I attempted to connect to the WORLD Conference for the OAUSA Net, and could not connect. I tried everything that I could think of, for almost half an hour, then I noticed that, somehow, the mobile WI-FI hot spot in the netbook got turned on, and that's OK for other devices, to use it, but it also prevented me from connecting into the WORLD Conference.

Also, I thought that they were going to get rid of Halon, because they claimed that Halon destroys Ozone, and they used to sell Halon in the stores around here, but I haven't seen them for some time.

Also, I had purchased a fire extinguisher, back in 1977, and carried it in my first car, a 1964 Ford Station Wagon, and later on, in 1978 I put it in the home, and I still actually have it here, after all of these years, and it still has its original charge, so it probably wouldn't even work, as I have never used it, never discharged it, and never refilled it, so I wonder what it looks like inside, and whether it would even work anymore...and it still shows that it is fully charged...according to the gauge.