Is It OK To Buy Fire Extinguishers Online For Use Around The Home? by Jon Butt

Fire Extinguishers are widely available to purchase online. You may be worried about purchasing this type of equipment on the Internet, but as long as you choose the right type of fire extinguisher from a reputable company, you should not have any problems.

There are a number of companies offering fire extinguishers online so prices can be quite competitive and it is worth shopping around. Decide first of all what type of fire extinguisher you need using the guidelines below.

To understand how to extinguish a fire you need to understand what a fire needs to survive. This is where the fire triangle or fire tetrahedron comes in. A fire needs three elements - oxygen, heat and fuel. Together these cause a chemical reaction and lead to a fire.

Depending on the type of fire, fire extinguishers can act on different elements of the fire triangle in order to extinguish it. Types of fire are divided into classes as follows:

Class A: Ordinary combustibles such as cloth, paper wood, plastic
Class B: Flammable liquids such as petrol or paint
Class C: Electrical equipment
Class D: Combustible metals such as aluminium
Class K: Cooking oils

There are then different types of fire extinguisher:

Water and Foam: These are for use on Class A fires and take away the heat element.

Carbon Dioxide: These are for Class B & C fires and take away the oxygen element.

Dry Chemical: Class B & C fires, some can be used on class A as well, they create a barrier between the oxygen and the fuel elements.

Wet chemical: Class K & sometimes class A, they also create an oxygen/fuel barrier.

Clean agent: Primarily class B & C, some can be used on class A, they interrupt the chemical reaction.

Dry Powder: Class D only, they separate the fuel from the oxygen and/or remove the heat.
Water Mist: Class A, they take away the heat.

Cartridge Operated Dry Chemical: class A, B & C, they interrupt the chemical reaction.

By using the guidelines to establish the right sort of extinguisher for the circumstances you can then shop around the various companies on the Internet and purchase your fire extinguisher online. Do not forget that fire extinguishers need regular maintenance in order to keep working effectively, so take this into consideration when you buy fire extinguishers online as well. When your fire extinguisher arrives, make sure you position it according to the manufacturers instructions and familiarise yourself with how it works, then if a fire does break out you will know what to do and will be able to act quickly.

Information on fire fighting equipment and fire extinguishers for home or commercial use

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