Best fire extinguisher for garage?

[fizzy]

I probably have about 30 or 40 fire extinguishers in my warehouse. A mix of water, foam, CO2 and 2x powder ones. Along with my precious 6 or 9kg Halon
We have perhaps 12 on contract with Chubb. But when they expire they just throw them away
So I keep the lot. Got quite a few at home. Along with fire blankets as well.

And on topic and apt today a very good friend of mine works as a minimum wage carer for disabled people. He is over 60, and only has one leg. Kindest person you could ever meet. African and been here many years. Today the care home he works in caught fire. It is basically 2 large bungalows connected together. He had stayed overnight and was due to finish work at 4pm. About 3.30pm one of the residents altered him to a bad fire at the back of the building. He was there on his own with 5 disabled people. He managed to get them all out. Including one who is bed ridden and oxygen. He then went back in to remove the other oxygen bottle. Then he started moving the cars as well to stop the fire getting even worse. 5 fire engines turned up.
One side of the building is fine but the other is in a bad way. Might have started in an outside garage and spread to scrub behind the building. They had a fridge freezer running in there. Been very hot lately.
I have visited the place a few times and got to know some of the residents. It will really hurt some of them to be out of their safe place for a while. At least nobody was hurt. Imagine if it had been in the early hours of the morning.

Mate said perhaps he should have tackled the fire. I said no way - getting everyone out definitely the main priority. Quite the hero bless him.

 

[Memmeddu]

Do you have some some cows nearby? my neighbor always tell me about decompression chambers (he was a diver) and he told me about the problem of having to get rid of fire inside that specific and very particular environment due to high pressure and often higher O2 levels, and most importantly small and sealed space.
Well coming back to the first statement they used cow blood extinguishers.
The Companies that provided them essentially turn blood into pouder once dried out.
The main advantage is the non toxicity nature of it wich is something very important inside a small and restricted environment like a decompression chamber.
About fire extinguisher in general, over here in Italy pouder ones are just the standard for mostly everything.
6kg is standard size.
CO2 ones are usually employed on electrical panels or where powder would cause damages.
Foam are pretty unused here and water are practically inexistent, it's a lot easier to find a sand bucket especially at gas stations than to find water extinguishers
Fortunately fire extinguisher are a lot cheaper over here

 

[fizzy]

Do you have some some cows nearby? my neighbor always tell me about decompression chambers (he was a diver) and he told me about the problem of having to get rid of fire inside that specific and very particular environment due to high pressure and often higher O2 levels, and most importantly small and sealed space.
Well coming back to the first statement they used cow blood extinguishers.
The Companies that provided them essentially turn blood into pouder once dried out.
The main advantage is the non toxicity nature of it wich is something very important inside a small and restricted environment like a decompression chamber.
About fire extinguisher in general, over here in Italy pouder ones are just the standard for mostly everything.
6kg is standard size.
CO2 ones are usually employed on electrical panels or where powder would cause damages.
Foam are pretty unused here and water are practically inexistent, it's a lot easier to find a sand bucket especially at gas stations than to find water extinguishers
Fortunately fire extinguisher are a lot cheaper over here

The cow blood you refer to used to be used for making the foam used for fire fighting years ago. I dont think it's used any more due to concerns over BSE and other prion type diseases.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

The cow blood you refer to used to be used for making the foam used for fire fighting years ago. I dont think it's used any more due to concerns over BSE and other prion type diseases.

The RN do have some in stock, to be used as and when.
Not for fire fighting.

 

[fizzy]

The RN do have some in stock, to be used as and when.
Not for fire fighting.

I have about 100L of the stuff as well. My last industrial unit was the old fire station in the Swansea Ford factory! Nothing very useful left behind sadly
Still had the pole coming down from upstairs. and it had the fastest roller shutter doors I have ever seen

 

[pint]

always have more than one.

but prevention is always better, pre wet stuff, keep oils and solvents cleaned up etc once it's alight getting the extinguisher and discharging it seems like an age

 

[jimbo84]

No need to buy extinguishers, every business has complementary ones, they even put them next to the exits so you don’t have to carry them as far to your car.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

No need to buy extinguishers, every business has complementary ones, they even put them next to the exits so you don’t have to carry them as far to your car.

True, they do.

But Mr Plod will have strong words with you.
"For willfully endangering the life of others."

 

[Turbo]

No need to buy extinguishers, every business has complementary ones, they even put them next to the exits so you don’t have to carry them as far to your car.

You usually find them propping open fire doors and emergency exits so that staff can nip out for a smoke!

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

You usually find them propping open fire doors and emergency exits so that staff can nip out for a smoke!

I do, so I close the doors and leave them outside.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

I once set fire to some paper when welding in the garage so hit it with the co2 extinguisher, it blasted the burning paper into about 20 smaller pieces of burning paper all round the garage. That made me laugh.........afterwards.

 

[addjunkie]

I once set fire to some paper when welding in the garage so hit it with the co2 extinguisher, it blasted the burning paper into about 20 smaller pieces of burning paper all round the garage. That made me laugh.........afterwards.

Dont forget the cost of a new extinguisher as part of your claim should you have a fire! And you were not welding, honest gov

 

[Farside]

No need to buy extinguishers, every business has complementary ones, they even put them next to the exits so you don’t have to carry them as far to your car.

Along with the cut price castors.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I once set fire to some paper when welding in the garage so hit it with the co2 extinguisher, it blasted the burning paper into about 20 smaller pieces of burning paper all round the garage. That made me laugh.........afterwards.

Then use the right extinguisher for the right fire.

The training is FREEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bornfree]

Year's ago I was oxy acetylene cutting something on a truck over an inspection pit and totally my fault the pit had straw spilt oil and diesel in it. Because I had cutting goggles on I didn't notice until it was really going. All the wooden pit covering boards were in there stacked against the side all covered in oil and grease they had all caught fire the flames were three foot out of the pit and hitting the truck over it. In a total panic I picked up the nearest extinguisher which happened to be a Halon and it put the entire fire out in one burst. Since then I always have one in my van.

 

[skotl]

I was looking at screwfix etc but expensive

The likes of this may be a good idea and get several

View attachment 509006

Zackly. I got six unused used (if you know what I mean) extinguishers from an industrial auction site for around £20. They are all showing green, several years later and I’m confident I’ll get my hands on at least one working one in the event of a conflagration in my garage.

Never pass a site inspection but good enough for me at home.

 

[fizzy]

Year's ago I was oxy acetylene cutting something on a truck over an inspection pit and totally my fault the pit had straw spilt oil and diesel in it. Because I had cutting goggles on I didn't notice until it was really going. All the wooden pit covering boards were in there stacked against the side all covered in oil and grease they had all caught fire the flames were three foot out of the pit and hitting the truck over it. In a total panic I picked up the nearest extinguisher which happened to be a Halon and it put the entire fire out in one burst. Since then I always have one in my van.

Best extinguishers ever. I am sure a fire is worse for the ozone layer!

 

[More Amps]

Just saw this on farcebook - no idea of it's age, maybe Vark could re-fill it?

Vintage fire extinguisher

Vintage fire extinguisher, empty and safe. Location near greenlaw

www.facebook.com

 

[addjunkie]

Best extinguishers ever. I am sure a fire is worse for the ozone layer!

Not sure if they still use halon 1211 for explosion suppression in tanks, they used too! Not good for human life though in a confined space. 1301 was used in enclosed spaces at 5% by volume, and you live to tell the take if you were inside.

 

[fizzy]

Not sure if they still use halon 1211 for explosion suppression in tanks, they used too! Not good for human life though in a confined space. 1301 was used in enclosed spaces at 5% by volume, and you live to tell the take if you were inside.

I don't think Halon was any worse than any other gas designed to suffocate