Putting Out The Flames

When you were younger, you probably thought that all a fire extinguisher had in it was water. Water is the only thing that you need to have to put out the flame, right?

There are actually different classes of fires that require different types of extinguishers to be used. The first one is Class A.

This includes all of your ordinary combustible material like; paper, wood, cardboard, and most plastics. Brand Cialis These can be put out with water if they do not get too big.

Class B is a little bit of a higher rating than Class A because it involves flammable or combustible liquids like gasoline, kerosene, grease, and oil. The numerical rating also indicates the number of square feet that it can cover.

Class C means that the extinguishing agent is non-conductive. It includes electrical equipment such as; appliances, wiring, circuit breakers, and outlets.

The Class D type is not given any numerical rating because they are only to be used on chemical fires. These include combustible metals like magnesium, titanium, potassium, and sodium.

The B, C, and D class extinguishers are not filled with water because water would just ignite the flames even more. Never use water to put out grease fires in your kitchen!

There are three more classifications of extinguishers and they are called water, dry chemical, and carbon dioxide. The water one is just filled with regular tap water and are pressurized with air so it can remove the heat.

The dry chemical kind is filled with a foam or powder that is either sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or potassium bicarbonate and then pressurized with nitrogen. Why do they use baking soda to put it out?

Baking soda will decompose at one hundred and fifty-eight degrees Fahrenheit releasing carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide will help put it out quickly.

The last kind is carbon dioxide. These contain carbon dioxide and are pressurized.

Sometimes the pressure is so great that bits of dry ice will come shooting out when you use it. Since carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen, it Silagra will remove and displace the surrounding oxygen taking away one of the very elements that a fire needs to continue to burn.

Carbon dioxide is also very cold so it can cool whatever is fueling the flames as well. It is important to note that carbon dioxide is a non-flammable gas.

What are the three things that a fire needs to burn? It needs fuel, oxygen, and heat.

To put them out, you just need to remove one of these elements. Usually this is done by applying an agent to cool the fuel or removing and displacing the oxygen that surrounds it.

How does this device work? No matter what type of device it is and what kind of elements it is filled with, they are all put into a small cylinder filled with the compressed gas.

There is a release trigger that can be locked to prevent any gas from leaking before use. After you pull the safety away and squeeze the valve, the lever pushes on the rod opening the passage to the nozzle.

The gas is released from the cylinder and comes out with a high enough pressure to help put it out. Even though you want to point the nozzle right at the flames, this will not work quite as fast as aiming directly at the fuel.

When using this device, keep these things in mind. Stand with your back to a door so that you are able to escape quickly if it gets out of hand.

Stand several feet away from the fire and only come closer once it starts to go out. Watch the area that you just put out so that it does not start again.

Sweep the device across your body and point it at the direction of the fuel towards the base of the fire. And lastly the most important thing to do beforehand is be prepared; know exactly how to use the extinguisher before the need arises because chances are that you will not have any time to read the directions beforehand.

Author Bio: Tom Selwick is a public safety representative for 25 years and has authored hundreds of articles relating to public safety and road signs. He has worked in public safety for years promoting safe transportation practices.

Contact Info:
Tom Selwick
TomSelwick09@gmail.com
http://www.interwestsafety.com

Category: Home/Home Security
Keywords: road signs

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