Sunday, December 13, 2009

C02 Extinguishers - Keep It In The House In The Event Of A Fire

By Jason Williams

Fire should be looked like a living thing. It replicates the actions of a savage or a beast. It devours everything in its way like some wild animal. If you have ever witnessed a forest fire then you have seen firsthand that this is true. To stop a fire you need to suffocate it much like you would a crazed man. C02 extinguishers are used as a method to suffocate certain types of fires.

An uncontrolled fire, such as a home on fire, will burn in a wild manner. In order to stop this out of control monster you literally need to suffocate it. Fires feed on fuel and oxygen as do most living things. All living things eat and require oxygen to survive.

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.

Most fires that occur within a home are either as a result of electricity or gas. These types of fires are known as Class B and Class C fires. Class B fires involve flammable liquids such as gas. Class C fires involve electricity, such as a spark form a poorly insulated electrical wire. C02 extinguishers are very effective with both Class B and Class C fires.

While normal combustibles like paper can be put by the use of water. Water will not work well with Class B and Class C fires. Water will only cause the fire to grow and get further out of hand. This is why it is important to keep a cO2 extinguisher in your home.

The c02 extinguisher contains a liquid form of Carbon Dioxide. When you dispense it you are basically dispensing dry ice crystals. The c02 will dispense in the form of foam that resembles snow.

When operating a C02 extinguishers it is important that you never point it at someone. Pointing the extinguisher down toward the bottom of the fire, pull the safety plug. This thin pin is in the handle to keep the extinguisher from going off inadvertently. Squeeze the lever and spray the c02 in sweeping motion side to side, like you would move a mop. When the fire starts to die you can start to spray higher into the far edges of the fire. Continue to do this till the fire has died.

A little known tick is to use a c02 extinguisher to chill beer. If you have warm beer and need it cold right away then you can actually chill it with a c02 extinguisher faster than any other method. Be sure to wipe the bottle off before drinking from them.

About the Author:

No comments: