Domestic fire extinguisher advice

[Sergeant Pluck]

If you were going to have one fire extinguisher in your home, which type would you choose?

[mrcharly-YHT]

I would always have a fire blanket (the safest option for any stove-top fire).

Powder, if I really want to put out a fire. Best general use extinquisher.

CO2 if I'm worried about the powder cleanup - but powder works on most types.

[Ham]

Ditto. Powder is a bit shit to clean up, but works across a range of stuffs, and the extinguisher is only there as insurance.

https://www.fireprotectionshop.co.uk/ is where I have bought mine. Very cheap and effective protection. (I note they have specialist Li-ion type now)

[Sergeant Pluck]

Powder would have been my initial choice, but I see there are now water mist and “wet chemical” extinguishers which are new to me. Are they worth considering?

Agree re fire blanket.

[Kim]

I have a powder one for the kitchen (though as already suggested, you only want to let one of those off if you really mean it - if a blanket will do the job that will save you all kinds of horrible clean-up) and a CO2 one next to the desk where I fettle electronics.

I note they have specialist Li-ion type now

Oh, that's clever.  A liquid spray that forms a layer of gloop over the fire that absorbs heat and prevents air getting in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSTqEslKka0

[mrcharly-YHT]

Powder would have been my initial choice, but I see there are now water mist and “wet chemical” extinguishers which are new to me. Are they worth considering?

Agree re fire blanket.

They are useless on gas fires or electrical (can even be dangerous).

Powder is the most versatile.

I've done fire training and it is very interesting seeing what happens when a liquid fuel or gas fire is sprayed with a water-based extinguisher. Can you spell kerblooee?

[Kim]

On a related note, this seems to be as good a time as any to re-hash the old grumble about changing the colour code from extinguishant type to 'red for fire extinguisher'.

[rafletcher]

Powder would have been my initial choice, but I see there are now water mist and “wet chemical” extinguishers which are new to me. Are they worth considering?

Agree re fire blanket.

They are useless on gas fires or electrical (can even be dangerous).

Powder is the most versatile.

I've done fire training and it is very interesting seeing what happens when a liquid fuel or gas fire is sprayed with a water-based extinguisher. Can you spell kerblooee?

At the Bucks County Show several years ago the Fire Brigade were in attendance. They deliberately set fire to a chip pan full of oil, then sprayed it with water. Kerblooee doesn’t do it justice. The wave of heat even 15m away was extraordinary.

[philip]

The modern watermist fire extingushers are safe to use on most fires, including cooking oil and electric fires.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Powder is still better for gas and electrical.

Anything where there is a continuous supply of fuel is better extinguished with either powder or foam, and foam isn't suitable for electrical.

[Kim]

A more general piece of advice concerning fire extinguishers, blankets, alarm call points, isolator switches, etc:  Think about where you position them.  You don't want to have to go past the fire to get to the extinguisher, or indeed having failed to extinguish the fire, your exit route.

[Tim Hall]

And get rid of that chip pan ffs.

[Kim]

And get rid of that chip pan ffs.

Yes.  One good thing about the rise of Deliveroo etc. is there's basically no reason for drunk people to muck about with hot oil any more.

[T42]

I must check the "use-by" dates - or rather "don't use-after" dates - on ours.  We have several round the house and I have one in the workshop but I haven't looked at them for years.

I also have one in the "billiard room" that I was given over 25 years ago when a client was changing his.  The thing has a pressure gauge in it with the needle still in the green section of the dial.  I suppose the contents might have deteriorated...

[Sergeant Pluck]

https://www.safelincs.co.uk/fire-extinguishers-for-domestic-use/

his guide explains the different extinguishers available for domestic environments.

WARNING: If a fire has already taken hold in a room, filling the room with fumes, do not attempt to extinguish the fire. Leave the room immediately, close the doors behind you and alert other people in the building, evacuate to a safe place and call 999.

In the past Powder extinguishers were considered “all purpose” and were the go-to extinguisher for most applications and a lot of write-ups recommending them are still available, but current recommendations discourage their use indoors. Discharging a powder extinguisher will result in a large cloud of fine powder which, while being very effective in extinguishing fires, blocks vision and can cause breathing difficulties. Therefore, we would not recommend a powder extinguisher to be used inside your home.

[Kim]

I must check the "use-by" dates - or rather "don't use-after" dates - on ours.  We have several round the house and I have one in the workshop but I haven't looked at them for years.

I also have one in the "billiard room" that I was given over 25 years ago when a client was changing his.  The thing has a pressure gauge in it with the needle still in the green section of the dial.  I suppose the contents might have deteriorated...

AIUI a failure mode of powder extinguishers is the powder becoming a solid clump over time.  Apparently picking them up and shaking them from time to time can help mitigate this.

I can't imagine a liquid or gas based extinguisher with a pressure gauge showing the correct pressure is likely not to work, unless the valve seizes up.

[Sergeant Pluck]

I have gone for a 3l water mist extinguisher (and a new fire blanket) but I think I will choose one further extinguisher (small, powder probably) in due course when I have played around with the locations of the aforementioned. 

[Cudzoziemiec]

I've just had a look at ours: it's foam. It is actually colour coded; well, at least, there's a cream background where it says "Foam". I thought we also had a fire blanket but I couldn't find it (the extinguisher is in the corner of the kitchen, next to the door and reasonably near the cooker). As we don't deep-fry or smoke, that should do. Oh, and someone's coming round to check it and the alarm on Tuesday (which is a pain as one of us will have to stay home, and I'm not entirely sure he does anything effective anyway).

[JellyLegs]

Powder would have been my initial choice, but I see there are now water mist and “wet chemical” extinguishers which are new to me. Are they worth considering?

Agree re fire blanket.

They are useless on gas fires or electrical (can even be dangerous).

Powder is the most versatile.

I've done fire training and it is very interesting seeing what happens when a liquid fuel or gas fire is sprayed with a water-based extinguisher. Can you spell kerblooee?

At the Bucks County Show several years ago the Fire Brigade were in attendance. They deliberately set fire to a chip pan full of oil, then sprayed it with water. Kerblooee doesn’t do it justice. The wave of heat even 15m away was extraordinary.

I have done that exact demonstration a large number of times at open days and it still amazes me just how much heat and flame you get from one small cup of water into one inch of hot oil alight in the base of a pan.  A video is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1aK2zDAUew .  Imagine those flames and heat contained by the kitchen ceiling and walls. Horrific.  Take the firefighter in the video’s advice and turn off the heat if you can, then get out, shutting the kitchen door on the way, and call 999.  Even using a fire blanket can end with nasty burns if you don’t know exactly how to do it and NEVER try to take the pan outside.  Spilling boiling oil down yourself is not a nice way to go.