What size fire Extinguisher???

chico922 · Dec 30, 2003

I read about a grage fire now i worried about my grage. This person was working on his car when it backfired and set the car on fire. His fire extinguisher wasn't big enough to put it out. So what size do i need for my grage? I have a 30' X 46' stell pole shed. I keep 2 cars, tractors, gas cans, ect. I also have a solvent tank but i'm not worried about that. It's on a fire proof tank. I have a 3 pound Extinguisher now but I want to make sure it will do the job.

chico922@excite.com

Golfgar4 · Dec 30, 2003

If your garage is anything like mine, you have quite a variety of substances located throughout the building. I think the minimum size you should have is a 10 lb. ABC extinguisher, although a 20 lb. would be better. Or get two 10 lbs. and have one on each side of the garage. Since you seem concerned about having one large enough to do the job, get the largest you reasonably can to make sure you have enough. Any of these should come with brackets to use to mount on walls. The 10 lb. units might run anywhere from $40 - $70, depending on where you get them and the make. the 20 lb. units will go for $80 - $120.

DKinWA · Dec 30, 2003

I worry about fires in my garage too. I've talked to firefighters in the past and their recommendation was to have appropriate rated fire extinguishers mounted near each exit. For most garages, that would be a minimum of two with one near the big door and one near the small door.

I never work with flammable metals, so a extinguisher with an ABC rating is all I need. This gives me the ability to put out anything that might burn in my garage. I don't recall exactly, but I believe the extinguisers I have are rated "10A1BC" dry chemical. I also check the pressure gages regularly and turn them over and tap the bottom of the extinguisher with a rubber mallet to loosen up the dry chemical.

Several years ago (ok, many years ago), we had the fire dept over to do extinguisher training and it was very enlightening. We lit and put more fires out in a day than the typical person will see in their life time. The fire chief brought over all kinds of fire extinguishers for us to try and all of us got to put out several fires. It was a lot of fun and we got to see how choosing the wrong extinguisher could actually make things worse. I got to try halon on a gas fire and it blew gas all over and then I got to use an appropriately rated extinguisher to put out all the little fires I started.

One last suggestion. Stop by your local fire dept and talk to the chief and see what they recommend. They may even offer some training for homeowners once in awhile. Sorry for the long winded post, but it all seemed relevent to your question.

ronjhall · Dec 30, 2003

chico922

One of the first items that a boating class teachs is to have enough Fire Extinguishers.

Second is to have them located in a place that will allow you to get away from a fire, but still have access to a Fire Extinguisher.

I bought my latest fire Extinguisher at West Marine. They have a double set of 10 ABC for about $34.00.
Check them out here.
Click Here

slowzuki · Dec 30, 2003

Get the largest one that the people using the garge can carry, this is usually a 20 lb'er. The rating 1 A- 10 B,C is common, it just reflects the fact that dry chem extingushers are poor on cellulose (wood paper cotton) fires compared to water.

If you work on newer cars a lot, consider a CO2 extinguisher. You need a bigger one to control a given fire but you won't ruin the insulation on the wiring harness.
Ken

theonlybull · Dec 30, 2003

alot of good info here, but what ever you do, buy enough, then buy a couple more next time you see them on sale. in our machine/welding shop, there's one everywhere you look. chemical, c02 and h20/foam (one i borrowed from the firehall). and last but not least, there's always atleast one pail of water sitting next to the welding bench.

if you start a fire, when you turn to run away, you should be able to grab an extingusher.

JDgreen227 · Dec 30, 2003

You are a wise person to be concerned about this subject. Several others who replied to your post mentioned 10 and 20 lb. extinguishers, which I feel is a misleading term. What is of greater import is the rating of the extinguisher itself. The 1A10BC units are the smallest commonly available and most weigh between 3 pounds and 3 1/2 pounds when filled. Their ABC rating means they can be used for all types of fires and the size is practical to keep in a kitchen or carry in a vehicle.

The next step up would be a 3A40BC unit which weighs between 7 1/2 pounds to 8 pounds when filled. These models are the minimum size you should keep in a garage, basement shop, or pole barn. They have roughly 3 to 4 times the fire fighting power of the 1A10BC units. If you have flammable liquids stored in an outbuilding it would be cheap insurance to have more than one extinguisher nearby. I have lived in the country for 15 years and never needed any of the multitude of extinguishers I have throughout the house and garage and barns, but if I ever need one, I will have it ready.

Interestingly enough, my homeowners insurance provides a discount on my $1400 per year policy because I have multiple extingishers around the premises. My agent tells me that although deadbolt locks and smoke detectors are also a factor, the fire suppression equipment is the main reason his company grants the discount.

Bob_Skurka · Dec 30, 2003

I have 20 pound extinguishers at each door (walking and overhead) and I have them in several other places. JMHO but 4 extinguishers minimum for a 3 car sized pole barn. Knowing the ratings is a good thing too. Having a soda/water extinguisher in a garage where it is likely there will be an oil or chemical based fire is totally useless. Most of my extinguishers are chemical extinguishers, but I do keep one CO2 extinguisher as well.

JDgreen227 · Dec 30, 2003

Halon on a gasoline fire, outdoors....no wonder it did so poorly as halon is intended to be used only indoors or in confined spaces.
It is one of the best fire suppression agents available but is of practically no use when sprayed into open air. The EPA would also take a very negative view of that use... as halon was claimed to cause problems with the ozone layer-- I think production was curtailed back around 1995. To my knowledge it is still legal to purchase and use the product but a 1A10BC halon extinguisher costs about $245.

PineRidge · Dec 30, 2003

Had a Halon system installed on an I/O pontoon boat years ago that I owned. It was a neat looking system and I was fortunate enough to never actually need to use it. So I can't tell you how effective Halon actually is as far as extinguishing a gasoline fire. It came to me highly recommended at that time.

slowzuki · Dec 30, 2003

Montreal convention supposedly banned the sale and trade of Halon except in military equipment. Some places are still selling limited stock they have. I believe it is also possible to extract it from used equipment and reuse it. It is not legal to transport it across the Canada - US border without declaring it as some people have found out.

And there is no supposedly about it, Halon is extremely destructive to the ozone layer.

I currently work in the fire protection trade and it was severe blow to lose Halon. It has spured development in other really interesting technology like water mist. Marihoff have developed some cycling nitrogen and water mist systems that use just a few gallons of water to extingish jet turbine fires without cracking casings.

DKinWA · Dec 30, 2003

JDgreen277

The fire chief wanted us to see for ourselves what picking the wrong fire extinguiser would do. I'm sure he knew exactly what would happen when he handed me the fire extinguisher. The training I went through was probably in the early 90's, because halon was still legal then. It was fun training and I'd love to do something like this again if it were available. We spent the first part of the day in a classroom learning about fires and fire extinguishers and then went outside to practice some of what we learned.

One thing that hasn't been pointed out in the discussion, is that the fire dept. should be called first before attempting suppression of any decent sized fire. It's too easy to get overwelmed even with a bunch of fire extinguishers and the fire dept looses valuable minutes by not calling them first. Also, if the fire starts getting too big, get your buttt outside where it's safe! Buildings can be replaced, people can't.

rdam · Dec 30, 2003

Dry Chem extinguishers are great...but they will destroy all things electrical and are a royal PITA to clean up after.

CO2 is a nice alternative for B & C class fires

www.fire-extinguisher101.com

higgy · Dec 30, 2003

A few years ago I dismantled one of the oldest storehouses in the area. When we got to the attic there were all of these glass cylinders filled with carbon tetrachloride and chlorobromomethane. If there was a fire they were designed to fall to the floor and break, flooding the room with vapors that would cut off the 02 supply and smother the fire, in theory. In todays terms not very good. I was stunned that the system was still in place into the 2000's.

JDgreen227 · Dec 31, 2003

Thank you for the information about the legal status of halon, I was not aware of the particulars. On my last job prior to retirement I worked for Facilities Management and participating in safety inspections was part of my duties. Our buildings had numerous large halon extinguishers in the computer equipment installations and server rooms because the halon type would leave no damaging residue on the delicate electronic parts. One of the guys in a server room told me he used a dry chemical extinguisher on one small fire and the chemical did more damage than the fire itself.

Dave___in___CT · Dec 31, 2003

Hi all...

Hey... what's the coldest temperature a fire extinguisher can be stored at and still be functional ? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Like in an unheated building or vehicle in winter...

What's a good type and size of extinguisher to have onboard a tractor ? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Thanks...

Dave...

Junkman · Dec 31, 2003

I believe that there is an exception to the law for Halon use in computer rooms......

Jethro · Dec 31, 2003

Our local code would require you to have 2 10lb ABC extinguisers. I would make that a minimum. My personal opinion is that it is good to have one near each door, but I would also want to have one near the back, so that if a fire prevents me from getting to the doors to get out I can still get to an extinguisher. Definately have one nearby when welding.

AndyM · Dec 31, 2003

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I never work with flammable metals, so a extinguisher with an ABC rating is all I need. )</font>

Speaking of flamable metals, there was a large magnesium fire in Cleveland the over the last couple of days, during a rain. Of you were on high enough ground, it was reported that you could see the fire over 20 miles away! Every time the rain would hit the fire, it would create small explosions.

This is in today's paper about the flamable metal, which is something that many of us don't deal with or if we do, we don't think about it--

Facts about magnesium

Here's the link to the story about the fire--

Huge blaze lights up sky

RobertN · Dec 31, 2003

There are lots of good responses to you request already.

I would add that a tidy shop will minimize problems too. Now, I for one, can not back up that remark, if you ever saw my garage.... Just ask my wife /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

If you keep combustibles in thegarage to a minimum, there will be less fire hazard to begin with. Having been on a couple garage fires while in the FD, it was easier to access in the dark and smoke when fighting the fire too.