Fire acts very much like a living organism. It basically devours everything in front of it if it is not stopped. Perhaps you have seen or read about major forest fires that have destroyed hundreds and possibly of thousands of acres. Then you understand the concept that a fire is a monster that devours everything in its path unless it is contained. C02 extinguishers are a common way to kill a fire.
When a fire is allowed to burn freely, such as a house fire, it does so in a very out of control manner. In order to kill the hungry beast before it destroys your home and possibly harms your family or pets you need a way to smother them. The way a fire grows is it lives on fuel and oxygen, much like other living things.
Suffocating a fire involves removing the oxygen from the air it exists in. C02 extinguishers are intended to suffocate certain types of fires. C02 extinguishers contain carbon Dioxide; this gas is heavier than oxygen and takes it out of the air. By removing the oxygen the fire is living on these extinguishers suffocate the fire.
There are several classes of fires. The most common is Class A; this is combustibles such as wood and paper. Class B fires are caused by flammable liquids such as gas. Class C fires are caused by electricity. These fires are often caused by a poorly insulated or wire that has gotten its housing cut. The wire sparks and sets the things around it on fire. C02 extinguishers are intended for Class B and Class C fires.
Class A fires such as paper and wood can be put out by being smothered by water. Water will not suffocate Class B and Class C fires. In fact it will do just the opposite. It will fuel the fire. As the saying goes water and gasoline don’t mix and you should never put water on a gasoline fire. Many fires that burn in a home are Class B and Class C fires. For this reason it is important to always have a c02 extinguisher in your home.
The c02 inside of extinguishers is in a liquid form but when it mixes with air it transforms into a snow like substance that foams out of the extinguisher. This foam it what you see used most often to put out household fires that are caused by electricity or flammable gas.
To use a c02 extinguisher you need to hold the extinguisher out in front of you. Be sure to point it toward the fire but never in the direction of anybody. You should start by pointing the extinguisher toward the bottom of the fire. You will most likely find a pin in the handle. This pin a safety device. Remove the pin and press the lever to release the c02. Spray toward the bottom of the fire with a side to side motion. As the fire begins to die spray toward the outer edges of the fire and continue to spray the c02 until the fire has been put out.
Since a c02 extinguisher contains a form of dry ice it serves as a great way to chill a case of warm beer. You can place the beer in a cooler and point the extinguisher toward the beer and spray it with c02. Before drinking from the beer bottles be sure to wipe off the beer
Jason Williams is an expert in home alarms. If you want further information about CO2 extinguishers or are looking for a trusted fire extinguisher company please visit http://www.adt.co.uk
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