Fire Extinguishers

[tcaarabians]

Ok, in the absence of knowing where else to put this.. I place this query here.

I do recall a thread where, I think it was you Nolena, posted what the different grades of extinguishers mean. I can't find that thread now. I have tried to google this and I have failed. Thus, I now come to the experts.

My questions are: 

What do the different grades on extinguishers mean?

How long can you keep an extinguisher even if it is still posting 'green' on the gauge?

And, here's the big one.... I would like to keep one in the barn. Even though it is solid steel.. the feed and bedding in it are not. So, how hot and cold can you store them .. given that it can go up to 110 degrees here and down quite well below freezing.  Thanks for any responses.  cheryl o7o

[Elk]

[meister808]

As to the question of how long you can keep a fire extinguisher, my line of work has me getting trained in the use of fire extinguishers at least on a yearly basis and the general consensus seems to be that if a fire extinguisher is legally required to be installed somewhere then yes, it needs to have a current tag on it, HOWEVER if the gauge shows that it is in the green then by all means use the thing if there is a fire because most fire extinguishers can sit for many years and will function great as long as they are charged.  Some fire extinguisher manufacturers recommend shaking dry-chemical type fire extinguishers on a monthly basis to avoid the dry agent getting clumped up, but I've never heard this recommendation in any official training so it must not be too important. 

I have personally used a dry-chem extinguisher that I know had been sitting for several years, in a vehicle, subjected to at least -30F every winter and +90F every summer without any maintenance at all, and it worked great to put the fire out.  I might not recommend ignoring your fire protection equipment quite that much but hey my employer at the time didn't seem to put fire extinguishers at the top of the list of priorities and it generally worked out ok (except for the time the shop burned down with, ah, 10+ vehicles in it with a replacement cost of over $100,000 for several of those, each... but that is a different story).

I'm not sure what the official temperature limits would be, I would imagine that is the kind of information that would be required to be displayed on the label.

[Nolena]

You also need to look at the placement of fire extinguishers.
They have to be in an obvious, easily reachable place.
DON'T put an extinguisher next to an ignition source (like a stove or fireplace). How can you get to the extinguisher if you need to reach through fire to get to it? 
So, pretend your stove, fireplace, appliance (like a dryer) is on fire. Locate the extinguisher away from these things so that you can get to it safely to put the fire out.
I keep an extinguisher by my front door, and one bungee corded under a rear seat in my car (away from the engine, where most vehicle fires start). So far, I have used my extinguisher a few times on other people's cars. (They have been nice enough to refill it for me.)
It there's a fire in a vehicle, have the driver pop the hood, and then remove all valuable items from the car.
If there's an engine fire, DO NOT try to open the hood without thick gloves. (Then you would have a vehicle fire AND a medical emergency!) If the hood is only partially open, you can still fire the extinguisher in short bursts through the opening. (The idea is to suffocate the fire; not push it into the cab of the vehicle.)
It really does not take a lot to put out a fire in the engine compartment of a vehicle if it hasn't gotten very big.
AND remember that vehicles DO NOT explode (unless they are in a movie and an explosive device has been placed inside them). Some of the WORST damage done to accident victims is by people who drag them out of a vehicle after an accident, to protect them from "the vehicle exploding," which is not going to happen. Accident victims can easily be paralyzed if they have a back or neck injury and are improperly moved. Let the first responders move them.
Okay. I'm done. 

[K9luvr]

Make sure your fire extinguisher in your car is secured!  I had one in a tote bag that was in the corner of the back of my Subaru outback.  I turned a sharp corner, heard a "pop" then ssssssssss....  I looked into the rearview mirror and saw a white cloud coming toward me.  Luckily I realized what it was and immediately opened all the windows and *ahem* drove the speed limit....  It didn't make it to the front of the vehicle where it could have impaired my vision not to mention inhaling that stuff is dangerous.  It made a MESS in the back of my car!  I must not have inspected it because the pin must have come out for it to discharge by falling over.  And to think I am religious about inspecting the one in my work vehicle on a monthly basis!  But I did stop a vehicle fire once on the side of the road. I had an extinguisher in my vehicle, was able to pull over and use it to stop another person's car from burning down.  Nolena is right--a couple of squirts with the extinguisher and the engine fire went right out. 

[Nolena]

Good advice!!
And...Nolena is ALWAYS right.... 

[tcaarabians]

Great advice. Thanks everyone. You guys are better than google. cheryl o7o