How To Take Care Of Your Fire Extinguisher

Your fire extinguisher is your first line of defense against fire. The saying “it is better to have one and never need it, than need it however, you have none” is indeed the best thing if your fire extinguisher is surely functional.

Most of the dry chemical powder consists of mono-ammonium phosphate and it has the ability to extinguish class A (for control of class A with fire source: paper, wood, etc.), class B (fire source: gasoline, oil, etc.) and class C (fire source: usually in electric) fire incidents. As soon as the chemical contacts fire, it gets fused while absorbing flame heat and breaks down to form a glassy, non-flammable film that covers the flame and deprive it of the air, thereby contain or wipe out the fire.

The cylinder is either a pressurized one or a cartridge type. Pressurized type is most commonly seen because a gauge is displayed on the neck of the cylinder that shows its operating pressure, and the cartridge type features a special cartridge used for discharging the contents.

Inspection on these types of fire extinguisher should be done~ought to be done} periodically specifically when the devices are exposed to components that can cause defects. For the pressurized type, the pressure gauge should indicate operating pressure like the pointer is on the “charge” status. If the gauge pointer is on the “discharge”, remove this unit and inform your service maintenance for the reconditioning or recharging. Make sure that the gauge is functional. Furthermore, look for the safety pin, lever, hose and some features of corrosion. It is a habit by firefighters to let the content to be stirred by shaking the cylinder to prevent chemical “caking”. Cartridge type is inspected by the particular weight of the cartridge. With this inspection method, it’ll assure that the pressure is still reliable. With this type of fire extinguisher cylinder, a nozzle is attached to the discharge hose, which requires checkup for wear and tear, and that they aren’t obstructed.

For Carbon Dioxide (CO2) type fire extinguishers, it’s obviously seen that a horn is coupled to the hose. This type should be stationed or placed to a well-ventilated and / or low temperature room since this type is pressurized with Carbon dioxide gas which is a non-conductive and non-corrosive gas. It is actually obtained from the atmosphere and stored at high pressure in the liquid state inside of a cylinder. The basic use of this sort reduces the amount of oxygen available to the fire.

Be certain that you do not overlook the inspection of your fire extinguisher because this safety machine might save your own life in the future. You ought to be sure that it is kept in good shape for it to be capable to serve its purpose effectively.