1y ago

Do You Have a Fire Extinguisher in Your Home and is it Still Pressurized?

107 comments

Yes I have 2 of them.
FYI you should turn over each of your fire extinguishers at least once every 6 months to keep them working right. That means pick it up, rotate it upside-down, and let the stuff inside slide to the top, then turn it back over. I learned this from a fire inspector that I had to guide through a datacenter once.
- It really depends on the kind of fire extinguisher as to whether that matters. That said, my understanding is that if it is a dry powder that has settled it would be visible on the pressure gauge.
  Really, that is about actually checking the pressure gauge every six months. If you tell someone to look, they never will. If you tell someone they have to do something, they might. Its the same logic behind "testing" a smoke alarm. The electronics are simple enough that you would REALLY need to try to damage them (and they are set up to piss you off with incessant beeping when failing anyway). But by pushing the button every six months, you actually check if there is a battery in it and so forth. Rather than hearing it beep in the morning, telling yourself you'll fix it when you get home, and never doing so.
  
  How does powder settling affect a pressure gauge? There has been no change to the internal pressure of the vessel, the change loose vs compacted powered will not change the volume of materials inside the extinguisher. The only way the pressure should change is if there’s a leak.
  
  It's* the same logic
- Those in the biz call it “fluffing” the FE.
- TIL, thanks

I have 3. 2 are still pressurized. One was used last night.
A note to everyone...do your welding before you paint and undercoat, or at least wait for it to dry fully first.
- Hope it all turned out ok! You’re posting so clearly you survived
  
  Everything is fine. I was welding in the outer rocker when it ignited. It was a brief flash and then it went out. I only used the fire extinguisher because I saw smoke coming from the seatbelt hole near the top of the door. I figured better safe than sorry. Of course now the inside of the rocker that I can't get to anymore is covered in white powder, but at least it's kinda fireproof now.
- Maybe I am just projecting here, but I believe the average Lemmy user to be too much of a nerd to be welding in their free time. Is it possible to be both Bonehead?
  
  You're projecting. I weld because I'm a nerd. This job is just helping out a buddy, but before that I was welding a new mount for my trailer hitch snow plow that I built a few years ago. And this summer I want to build a remote control lawnmower which is going to involve a lot of welding, plus some code to reprogram the hoverboards that I bought for that project. The real challenge there will be adding basic intelligence with a Raspberry Pi so that it will mow the lawn itself. But that's a few years away, since I still need to build it first. And that starts with welding the frame.
  It's not really possible to be both, since one is merely a tool that satisfies the needs of the other. Nerd always takes precedence...

Piggybacking on this PSA to remind everyone;
Attack the base of the fire, where the fuel source is. You need to break the fire triangle to stop the reaction, and drowning out oxygen is the easiest way.
Each rated pound of fire extinguisher yields approximately one second of use. They go quickly when you’re fighting any fire, and even small fires fight back. 5lb is the minimum imo, look at any commercial setting where OSHA applies and it’s big 10-20lb tanks generally.
Trainers advise to blow the whole extinguisher even if flames aren’t visible to prevent auto-ignition.
You really, really want a hose on any extinguisher. Invert the extinguisher to get under a car/cabinet/low obstacle and the extinguisher is useless as the pressurized gas escapes, leaving behind the powder/foam/water that actually stops fire.

I have four fire extinguishers:
One in the kitchen
One in the basement
One in my office (where I do stuff like soldering and 3D-printing)
One mounted to the roll bar of my Miata (I ought to get some for my other cars, but haven't gotten around to making mounting brackets yet)
However, I never would've thought to check them (or turn them upside down to "fluff" them) without this post, so thanks!

As a gift to my friends who were going to be first time parents, I bought them a pack and play, a first aid kit, and a fire extinguisher. They laughed at my fire extinguisher gift and told their other friends who also laughed.
- Laugh all they want burning alive is a shit way to go. And you might have saved them from that fate.
  
  Just to be pedantic, I think most people who die in building fires perish due to smoke inhalation. Still bad though, and almost completely preventable!
- Awh, that's kind of crappy. I'm hoping they just took it as a gag gift; be prepared for anything, a bit like Jack Jack in The Incredibles.
  I hope theynever have to use it, but I hope they do learn how important it is.
  Same for cleaning dryer lint; before I was born the entire family who lived across the road from my mum perished in a house fire from dryer lint catching.
  Also add Carbon monoxide detectors to that list of devices you never want to need, but should never be without
  
  Dryer lint fires are so strange to me. Cleaning out the lint trap takes less than 5 seconds, and I do it with every load. I pulled the dryer hose off last weekend to clean it, and it was spotless, presumably because I clean the lint from the trap.

Followed by: do you have a functional fire extinguisher in your kitchen and can you reach it immediately?
Stove top fires are usually easy, just put a lid on whatever to put them out, but there's always going to be someone who panics and dumps water on a grease fire.
- Not too immediately. Take 3 steps back/towards the nearest exit, that’s where you want the extinguisher. Not right next to the stove that’s going to be on fire when you need to get to the extinguisher.
  Keep in mind that a standard ABC extinguisher isn’t rated for grease fryers. If it’s just the fat needed to sautee something you’re good, but for an actual deep frying fire you want something in class K.

Absolutely it is one of these products that you probably never need. But when you do you are so happy you had it standing around.
I do routine inspections once a year when I do my fire alarm testing so every time I switch to daylight saving time.
- Just caused an oil fire last week and fortunately it was working. I've since replaced also.

I'm a professional fire performer, so I have four :P
(Admittedly two need refilling)

Those years of safety training finally paying off:
Do you know what types of fires your fire extinguisher is rated for? There are several different types. Most modern home fire extinguishers are rated for A (wood/paper), B (liquids like oil fires), and C (electrical), but you may have an older fire extinguisher or landlord who cheaped out on one that only works on some of those types.
If you have a fire that's based on metals (like fireworks) or exothermic chemical reactions, have a different fire extinguisher or call the fire department with special instructions.
Always remember the acronym PASS when using a fire extinguisher:
Pull the pin
Aim at the base of the fire
Squeeze the trigger
Sweep the fire extinguisher side to side to cover all of the fire till the fire is extinguished
- If you have a fire that’s based on metals (like fireworks) or exothermic chemical reactions, have a different fire extinguisher or call the fire department with special instructions.
  It ought to go without saying, but maybe not for some, so it's worth pointing out that there's a difference between a fire started by fireworks and one fueled by fireworks.
  
  Great point! So if you have a firework that sparks some dry grass or brush, your home fire extinguisher will likely be fine as long as the fire doesn't get too big before you can grab it.
  However, if you have a hoard of fireworks that catch fire, you're better off running and calling the fire department than trying to quickly put that out with your home fire extinguisher as it likely won't work.
- My extensive training has left me with the impression that yelling "SHORT BURST" and pointing at any red LEDs is equally important

Yup. We had one but after we had a smouldering fire in our outdoor trash can we got several for different points in the house. We also have escape ladders in the bedrooms.
- After being directly adjacent to three separate apartment fires, we also have several fire extinguishers and escape ladders stashed around the apartment.

Fire blankets are good to have as well

Currently have 6. I need to get more, and larger ones. We live in a log house, in an area that takes a minimum of 20 minutes for emergency services to get to, and heat with a wood stove. We absolutely need to practice fire safety all the time.
- Oh man, definitely get more!
  
  That's the idea. The really big ones get pretty expensive though; a 30# fire extinguisher starts at around $500, and can get up to about $1500. But that size gets you about 20-30 seconds of continuous use, which is enough for a pretty big house fire.

To tag on to all the good advice, you should DEFINITELY keep a decent sized fire extinguisher in your car as well. I've stopped one engine fire on a car not my own from spreading by having one. Pop the hood (if it's safe to reach the latch) and unload that shit.

Do they go bad even if they are still pressurized? I'm thinking they are nearly 20 years old now...
- Yup. And you're supposed to have a professional inspect them annually. You're supposed to inspect them every month.
- Good question.
  Yes the dry powder type which is most common, can go "bad" usually from excessive moisture in the pressurization gas. This causes the powder to clump and no longer come out.
  This can be prevented by inverting the extinguisher a few times a year to make sure the powder is still "fluid" and to break up any clumped up powder.

Nope, don't even have a fire alarm.
- I am sure the insurance company loves you.
  
  Falls asleep with a cigarette in his mouth every night
  
  I don't remember them even asking for either one.

I have one that's over 20 years old and it still shows proper pressure. I haven't tested it, but I have replaced it.
I should start a fire...
- Some times being able to start a fire is just as important for survival as putting one out.
  
  My SO is really good at starting fires. She just says something, then stops and says never mind. Works every time.

I don’t use permanently pressurized fire extinguishers anymore, as they are hard to maintain and rarely reach a life span of 20 years.
Make sure to check at least once every 3 years if the pressure is still in the green. If not, replace it immediately.
- Can they be repressurized at all with a regular pump? Or is it something more in depth than that
  
  If you look at the gauge, you can see that the ideal pressure is 1344 kPa or 13.44 bar. If you own a pump capable of using at least 14 bar, you are good to go.

2 here, still full, and thanks for the reminder to check!

I've never had to directly deal with a fire, but after an incident where a roommate took the only extinguisher in the house when he moved out and an electrical short from an old crappy dimmer switch, I'm big on having a couple on-hand.
I also have way too many hobbies involving stuff that can easily catch fire and they're so cheap that I have multiple on each floor. 2 on the upper floor where my sim-rig, 3D printers, reloading supplies, and electronics soldering bench are. One in the kitchen and one in the master bedroom. 2 in the garage (excluding the one that's mounted in my old MG), and finally one in the basement since there's basically nothing down there.
- We only have the one, but it's in the laundry room, close to, and roughly equidistant from, the garage with the woodshop and laser engraver, the office with the 3D printers, and the kitchen.
  
  I take the "Two is one, and one is none" mindset on it. I don't think most people need to have 2 on every floor like I do, but I still would be very concerned about having any sort of shop and it not having its own dedicated extinguisher. I've got the little 2.5lb guys in the house, but I want a 10lb'er anywhere with fuel sources. They're so cheap and take up so little space, I really don't get why you wouldn't want more than one.
  I've never really had anything more than some brake cleaner residue catch fire or a flare up in the kitchen, but it's just such a cheap form of insurance that I'd rather have "too many" than too few.

Probably yes, and probably not

Yes. Also have a fire blanket in the kitchen in case of grease fire.

One 2.5 in each bedroom, a 5 in the kitchen and a 5 in the rest of the downstairs, a 10 and a 20 in the garage, and then a 20 CO2 for my servers.

I do, bought it when I bought my 3D printer.

Yup, one for every floor!

I have one in my car, I check it every 6 months. I was trained to do full inspections and repairs at my last job. I only have a fire blanket in the house though.

Yes and yes

Yes, 4 easily accessible in various locations in the house and 1 in the garage. I check them all when I change out the batteries on my smoke alarms, which I do all at once when one starts to chirp.

Not really, my family looked at me like i was mad when i suggested it. Got an out of date powder extinguisher from Volvo tho. Seems to be intact

I have one and pressure is OK (at least if the gauge isn't stuck). Is there anything else that you can check yourself instead of having it professionally inspected once a year? Does anyone know what they inspect?
- Fire related: If you have smoke detectors there should be a button on it to check the battery.
  Not fire related: You can check if your home first aid kit needs to be restocked. Sometimes you might take out some bandages and forget to replace them.

I have a few in the house and one in the car. I just updated the batteries in all my smoke and carbon monoxide alarms too.

Not directly in my home, but there‘s one in the stairway

I have five! And I just checked them as part of my semi yearly maintenance.
Kitchen under stove, laundry room by dryer (wife and kids refuse to empty lint trap, smdh), one each by both furnaces (different parts of the basement), and one in the garage.
Never had to use one, hope to never have to.

One for every room I intent for humans to survive in, plus one in each car. Also recently upgraded to hardwired CO/smoke detectors and each bedroom also has a combination alarm that uses Z-Wave to alert me anywhere, just as a backup. Also, we practice fire and earthquake drills monthly, along with a couple of other scenarios that are more rare/less dangerous.
- Where do you live that all of these things are such a risk?
  
  Take a look at the fault lines around California. There’s lots of seismic activity, and we’re close to train tracks so we have gas mask drills too (added after what happened in East Palestine). Given the major large-scale risks in our area are fire, earthquakes, and a train derailment spilling chemicals, those drills seem prudent.

I do and I get it checked and retagged every year.

I have 2. One in the kitchen and one in the garage. It's a cheap insurance

Yes and yes, bought it for PCB rework but in general we should all have them.

One in the kitchen. One in living room next to the fireplace.

Yes I fire extinquisher in my home all the time

Yeah, three. One in the kitchen, one at the bottom of my basement stairs, and one in my laundry room.

no, because my family insists it's not worth it.

Yes; yes.

Yes, and yes, that's what maintainence is for.

Yes, one in the basement and one in the kitchen

Yeah, 4. Bought when we bought the house. Kitchen, bedroom, garage, and living roon where the wood stove is. Little one-time use ones in basement and kitchen again.

107 comments