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Fire & Water - Cleanup & Restoration

Guide to Fire Extinguishers for Homeowners

8/8/2018 (Permalink)

An example of a fire extinguisher, note do not hold fire extinguishers close to sources of heat.

Owning a home in Wichita, KS means there are many different dimensions of home ownership you must have knowledge about and today we are here to help you with one of those areas. In the past we have written about fire safety and steps that you can take to minimize the risk of fires. We still are giving out smoke detectors and emergency plans so contact us for those today! In this post we will go over what is the best fire extinguisher type for your home.

Fire extinguishers come in many classes and some are better suited for residential properties while others for commercial. Different classes are also better for combatting various types of fires. The ideal fire extinguisher combines these three classes:

  • Class A: These extinguishers excel at putting out, textile, plastic, wood, trash and paper based fires. These extinguishers use the chemical monoammonium phosphate.
  • Class B: These extinguishers excel at putting out oil, paint, grease, gasoline and kerosene based fires. These extinguishers also use monoammonium phosphate as well as sodium bicarbonate.
  • Class C: These extinguishers excel at putting out electrical fires and utilize monoammonium phosphate and sodium bicarbonate. Class C extinguishers do not conduct electricity.

When choosing a fire extinguisher also consider that the class rating refers to effectiveness and area covered by the canister. The larger the number the larger the area it covers. Buy the largest canister that you can operate yourself. Typically people use a 5 pound canister for kitchens or laundry rooms while many choose to have at least a 10 pound canister for their garages.

Remember that fire extinguishers are only to be used when a fire is contained and found early. Once the fire has spread the safest thing to do is exit the building and call 911. When a fire occurs in your home or business contact a fire restoration specialist and your homeowners insurance agent as soon as possible to begin the restoration process. For more information check out our fire page here.

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