Home Fire Extinguishers

hdh74

What kind offers the best protection for your money? Forking out for one of each kind would add up to a fair sum, but it would be good to have something on hand just in case. What does anyone else do, please?

Alter_ego

Fire blanket in kitchen. Should be plenty of water in your taps. Perhaps a dry powder.

Ebe_Scrooge

Alter_ego said:

Fire blanket in kitchen. Should be plenty of water in your taps. Perhaps a dry powder.

^^^^ This.  If nothing else, a fire blanket in the kitchen is probably the single most useful one.  On the assumption that a chip-pan-type fire is probably the most common household fire, then a fire blanket will deal with that (although a damp tea-towel would do the same job).  But a fire blanket can also be used to wrap around a person (perish the thought).

A dry powder extinguisher can be useful, as it'll deal with electrical fires and also (if you have a garage and are fond of DIY), flammable liquids.

But don't go getting too paranoid and spending loads of cash.  Really, for anything other than the most minor of fires, if the worst should happen it's a case of get the hell out of there and call the fire brigade.  There's only so much you can (or should attempt to) tackle as a "layman".

casper_gutman

One thing worth avoiding would be extinguishers (of whatever type) intended for commercial environments that need periodic inspection/servicing/repressurising.

The ones aimed most squarely at the home market are usually of a sealed aerosol-type design and the marketing blurb will probably say they're "maintenance free" or similar.

Eldi_Dos

@hdh74, have you thought about doing a fire safety awareness course, you might be able to get your employer to organise or pay for one.Well worth doing.

The first one I did when I went home I got the deep fat fryer  and cut the lead off and put in bin. On the Monday when I went into work one of my colleagues had done the same. Never had one in the house since.

Jonboy_1984

casper_gutman said:

The ones aimed most squarely at the home market are usually of a sealed aerosol-type design and the marketing blurb will probably say they're "maintenance free" or similar.

I was given one of these a few years back, it only had an 18 month shelf life (from time I received it), printed in small font on the base of the cylinder

casper_gutman

Jonboy_1984 said:

casper_gutman said:

The ones aimed most squarely at the home market are usually of a sealed aerosol-type design and the marketing blurb will probably say they're "maintenance free" or similar.

I was given one of these a few years back, it only had an 18 month shelf life (from time I received it), printed in small font on the base of the cylinder

That's a bit rubbish! Having looked into it a little bit more, the maintenance free ones worth having seem to be "P50" extinguishers - see e.g. P50 Service-Free Fire Extinguishers (safelincs.co.uk) - and have a service life of 10 years without requiring maintenance or servicing.

Interestingly, that site says dry powder extinguishers are no longer recommended for indoor use as they can affect vision and breathing. They suggest a 2kg water mist extinguisher for home use, which is good for Class A (solid combustibles), electrical equipment up to 1000 Volts, and also "small" Class F (cooking oil / fat) fires.

hdh74

Eldi_Dos said:

@hdh74, have you thought about doing a fire safety awareness course, you might be able to get your employer to organise or pay for one.Well worth doing.

The first one I did when I went home I got the deep fat fryer  and cut the lead off and put in bin. On the Monday when I went into work one of my colleagues had done the same. Never had one in the house since.

Haven't had a deep fat fryer for years. 

casper_gutman

hdh74 said:

Eldi_Dos said:

@hdh74, have you thought about doing a fire safety awareness course, you might be able to get your employer to organise or pay for one.Well worth doing.

The first one I did when I went home I got the deep fat fryer  and cut the lead off and put in bin. On the Monday when I went into work one of my colleagues had done the same. Never had one in the house since.

Haven't had a deep fat fryer for years. 

On the flip side, if you do want to be able to deep fry the occasional treat, a thermostatically controlled electric fryer will be safer than a pan of oil on the hob.

Emmia

We have a fireblanket, which I think I bought at Ikea, no chip pan or other types of fire extinguishers. 

Powder is incredibly messy, many years ago I worked at a fast food restaurant and a disgruntled colleague set off all the powder extinguishers as he marched out of the place - the cleanup required the place to be closed for about 2 months, and refitted.

twopenny

If you go to your local fire station thry will advise.
Your question prompted me to make a note of that - once it's not freezing.
If you ask them to call they sometimes do.
Just remember to remove any kettles and toasters from near sockets and overhead cupboards. They take a dim view. And you will be paranoid by the time they've left