Better cleaning up dry chemical than having to deal with the aftermath of a major fire. That said, alternatives like CO2 / Halon / Halotron / etc all present their own advantages / challenges. They are quite a bit more expensive than dry chemical, and CO2 can be very dangerous in an enclosed area. Clean Agents are safer (though they are expensive) and they can produce dangerous HF gas when used on hot fires. Regardless of the type of extinguisher once the fire is out (or getting too big to safely fight) you should evacuate until fire fighters arrive and tell you its safe to go back in.
Ok so some engineer needs to improve the valve but that may not happen unless there is more money in making them better! 7 min video please talk like your speaking to adults and make it 1 min.
Very well done. . Over the past four decades I have also come across empty or partial use extinguishers with the gauge showing full charge. Excellent for training. Still too many people fluffing the chemical with a rubber hammer with can plug the gauge. Al g5alva@q.com
I wanted to ask how long do cartridges in a cartridge extinguisher usually last? and it would seem if the extinguisher cartridge became bad I would just have to screw in a new cartridge? any thoughts are appreciated please thank you.
class 66 so glad you commented on this one, who would have thought using one a little basically meant it was no use. We keep 3 car ones around the property. They have not been used, but I first had them when I had kids...so I am off to investigate and make sure they seem untouched.
I have had Many customers tell me my Fire Extinguisher is Fine i tested it last week i tell them i will do it for Free if you can make it Work Now ,No Go powder every where they Must me refilled after use .
luckily this problem only occurs with dry chemical fire extinguihers. Water and foam extinguishers do not have this problem but it is always good to refill a fire extinguisher after use
Yep, the dry chemical (chalk) types are a one shot deal. They must be thoroughly cleaned and recharged after every single discharge or partial discharge.
Exercise caution when removing the valve assembly from an extinguisher. Occasionally a gauge malfunctions; indicating zero psi even though there is pressure. The valve may also fail to open when the lever is depressed. When this happens, the tech sees no indication of pressure in the extinguisher and so could be injured if care is not shown. Dry chemical units usually operate at 195 psi; CO2 extinguishers have a test pressure many times that amount. Thank you for the question.
Very nice video Bill! I made that very mistake with our fire extinguisher... I should probably tell Dad! Lol oh and this was the first video I watched on the go on my iPhone :)
