What Kind of Fire Extingisher do you have in your Shop

[MAlcocer]

OK, here's a question: What about the First Alert "Tundra" aerosol fire extinguisher?

I bought a couple cans at Walmart several years ago, and have one in my camp trailer and one in my kitchen. I was looking at the label, and it appears to be OK for electrical fires, as well as grease fires and fabric/wood. But it's not rated with any of the ABCs. The active ingredient is potassium lactate (water solution???). If it is a solution, I kinda have to wonder just how safe it is on electrical fires.

Does anybody have any insight/experience with this product?

As a firefighter I can tell you it will not have the ABC rating because it is not NFPA 10 compliant and has not been UL tested. All the numbers next to the ABC's corolate to how much fire a novice user can put out with that extinguisher.

For starters it doesn't have a pressure gauge so how can you tell that it still has areosol to propel the extinguishing agent? How many of us have reached into the cabinet to grab that trusty can of wd-40 only to find she has no more pressure? (I guess you could do what I do with the cans of wd-40 and smack a hole in it with a hammer and shake the contents out!)

As the first alert ones are not rated I wouldn't trust them. They probably do work on small fires. Maybe even be non conductive. I would not want to learn how effective or ineffective they are when faced with a growing fire in my home however.

 

[hman]

MAlcocer -

Thanks for your reply. You certainly brought up some points that I hadn't considered! Guess I'll have to stay with the NFPA rated ones. I'm often willing to go cheap, because I have confidence I can make most things work for me ... but as you point out, a fire is NOT the right time or place to be experimenting.

 

[zmotorsports]

I have four 5 pound ABC chemical extinguishers spaced around the shop and two 10-pound CO2 extinguishers. Hopefully won't ever have to use them.
:nono:

 

[Ozwelder]

CO2,2 x Dry Powder and a fire blanket.
Oz