Yes I have 2 of them.
FYI you should turn over each of your fire extinguishers at least once every 6 months to keep them working right. That means pick it up, rotate it upside-down, and let the stuff inside slide to the top, then turn it back over. I learned this from a fire inspector that I had to guide through a datacenter once.
It really depends on the kind of fire extinguisher as to whether that matters. That said, my understanding is that if it is a dry powder that has settled it would be visible on the pressure gauge.
Really, that is about actually checking the pressure gauge every six months. If you tell someone to look, they never will. If you tell someone they have to do something, they might. Its the same logic behind “testing” a smoke alarm. The electronics are simple enough that you would REALLY need to try to damage them (and they are set up to piss you off with incessant beeping when failing anyway). But by pushing the button every six months, you actually check if there is a battery in it and so forth. Rather than hearing it beep in the morning, telling yourself you’ll fix it when you get home, and never doing so.
It’s* the same logic
'Tis*
TIL, thanks
Those in the biz call it “fluffing” the FE.
I have 3. 2 are still pressurized. One was used last night.
A note to everyone…do your welding before you paint and undercoat, or at least wait for it to dry fully first.
Hope it all turned out ok! You’re posting so clearly you survived
Everything is fine. I was welding in the outer rocker when it ignited. It was a brief flash and then it went out. I only used the fire extinguisher because I saw smoke coming from the seatbelt hole near the top of the door. I figured better safe than sorry. Of course now the inside of the rocker that I can’t get to anymore is covered in white powder, but at least it’s kinda fireproof now.
Maybe I am just projecting here, but I believe the average Lemmy user to be too much of a nerd to be welding in their free time. Is it possible to be both Bonehead?
You’re projecting. I weld because I’m a nerd. This job is just helping out a buddy, but before that I was welding a new mount for my trailer hitch snow plow that I built a few years ago. And this summer I want to build a remote control lawnmower which is going to involve a lot of welding, plus some code to reprogram the hoverboards that I bought for that project. The real challenge there will be adding basic intelligence with a Raspberry Pi so that it will mow the lawn itself. But that’s a few years away, since I still need to build it first. And that starts with welding the frame.
It’s not really possible to be both, since one is merely a tool that satisfies the needs of the other. Nerd always takes precedence…
Piggybacking on this PSA to remind everyone;
- Attack the base of the fire, where the fuel source is. You need to break the fire triangle to stop the reaction, and drowning out oxygen is the easiest way.
- Each rated pound of fire extinguisher yields approximately one second of use. They go quickly when you’re fighting any fire, and even small fires fight back. 5lb is the minimum imo, look at any commercial setting where OSHA applies and it’s big 10-20lb tanks generally.
- Trainers advise to blow the whole extinguisher even if flames aren’t visible to prevent auto-ignition.
- You really, really want a hose on any extinguisher. Invert the extinguisher to get under a car/cabinet/low obstacle and the extinguisher is useless as the pressurized gas escapes, leaving behind the powder/foam/water that actually stops fire.
As a gift to my friends who were going to be first time parents, I bought them a pack and play, a first aid kit, and a fire extinguisher. They laughed at my fire extinguisher gift and told their other friends who also laughed.
Laugh all they want burning alive is a shit way to go. And you might have saved them from that fate.
Just to be pedantic, I think most people who die in building fires perish due to smoke inhalation. Still bad though, and almost completely preventable!
Awh, that’s kind of crappy. I’m hoping they just took it as a gag gift; be prepared for anything, a bit like Jack Jack in The Incredibles.
I hope theynever have to use it, but I hope they do learn how important it is.
Same for cleaning dryer lint; before I was born the entire family who lived across the road from my mum perished in a house fire from dryer lint catching.
Also add Carbon monoxide detectors to that list of devices you never want to need, but should never be without
Dryer lint fires are so strange to me. Cleaning out the lint trap takes less than 5 seconds, and I do it with every load. I pulled the dryer hose off last weekend to clean it, and it was spotless, presumably because I clean the lint from the trap.
Absolutely it is one of these products that you probably never need. But when you do you are so happy you had it standing around.
I do routine inspections once a year when I do my fire alarm testing so every time I switch to daylight saving time.
Just caused an oil fire last week and fortunately it was working. I’ve since replaced also.
Yup. We had one but after we had a smouldering fire in our outdoor trash can we got several for different points in the house. We also have escape ladders in the bedrooms.
After being directly adjacent to three separate apartment fires, we also have several fire extinguishers and escape ladders stashed around the apartment.
Those years of safety training finally paying off:
Do you know what types of fires your fire extinguisher is rated for? There are several different types. Most modern home fire extinguishers are rated for A (wood/paper), B (liquids like oil fires), and C (electrical), but you may have an older fire extinguisher or landlord who cheaped out on one that only works on some of those types.
If you have a fire that’s based on metals (like fireworks) or exothermic chemical reactions, have a different fire extinguisher or call the fire department with special instructions.
Always remember the acronym PASS when using a fire extinguisher:
- Pull the pin
- Aim at the base of the fire
- Squeeze the trigger
- Sweep the fire extinguisher side to side to cover all of the fire till the fire is extinguished
If you have a fire that’s based on metals (like fireworks) or exothermic chemical reactions, have a different fire extinguisher or call the fire department with special instructions.
It ought to go without saying, but maybe not for some, so it’s worth pointing out that there’s a difference between a fire started by fireworks and one fueled by fireworks.
Great point! So if you have a firework that sparks some dry grass or brush, your home fire extinguisher will likely be fine as long as the fire doesn’t get too big before you can grab it.
However, if you have a hoard of fireworks that catch fire, you’re better off running and calling the fire department than trying to quickly put that out with your home fire extinguisher as it likely won’t work.
Nope, don’t even have a fire alarm.
I am sure the insurance company loves you.
Falls asleep with a cigarette in his mouth every night
Got to make sure you put a lit candle down on top of your oil soaked news papers. Otherwise they’ll blow away.
I don’t remember them even asking for either one.
That tends to be covered by code.
if ANYTHING happens in your home and they either send someone out or a responder makes a note of it, you get dropped and they laugh.
Yup, but neither is required by code where I live.
Some insuraners offer a small discount for having a fire alarm, but they can’t drop you for not having one.
So it’s not my business but I’m curious… You can get smoke detectors for like $10/each, you seen to acknowledge that having 0 smoke detectors is kinda dangerous… why not install a couple smoke detectors? I always thought they were annoying until a Chinese cheap battery self ignited in the next room while I was sleeping, it would’ve burned my apartment building down if there wasn’t a smoke detector in the room.
I used to live in Germany where smoke detectors where mandatory at some point. It was also the landlords responsibility. So what you had was a some company coming into your home once a year to check all the smoke detectors. I found that to be very intrusive.
Not sure of this process has been digitised since (in Germany probably not), but I don’t really miss it. (I live in Switzerland now, and here smoke detectors are not required by anyone (might depend on Canton)).
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I have one that’s over 20 years old and it still shows proper pressure. I haven’t tested it, but I have replaced it.
I should start a fire…
Some times being able to start a fire is just as important for survival as putting one out.
My SO is really good at starting fires. She just says something, then stops and says never mind. Works every time.
One 2.5 in each bedroom, a 5 in the kitchen and a 5 in the rest of the downstairs, a 10 and a 20 in the garage, and then a 20 CO2 for my servers.
I have one in my car, I check it every 6 months. I was trained to do full inspections and repairs at my last job. I only have a fire blanket in the house though.
I don’t use permanently pressurized fire extinguishers anymore, as they are hard to maintain and rarely reach a life span of 20 years.
Make sure to check at least once every 3 years if the pressure is still in the green. If not, replace it immediately.
Can they be repressurized at all with a regular pump? Or is it something more in depth than that
If you look at the gauge, you can see that the ideal pressure is 1344 kPa or 13.44 bar. If you own a pump capable of using at least 14 bar, you are good to go.
2 here, still full, and thanks for the reminder to check!
To tag on to all the good advice, you should DEFINITELY keep a decent sized fire extinguisher in your car as well. I’ve stopped one engine fire on a car not my own from spreading by having one. Pop the hood (if it’s safe to reach the latch) and unload that shit.
