Importance And limitations Of Dry Powder Fire Extinguisher

A dry powder fire extinguisher is also known as an ABC fire extinguisher which is highly recommended by the professionals in Melbourne. This means it can be used to control A, B and C fire classes effectively. In this fire safety equipment, dry powder is mainly used as the fire extinguishing agent. Because of its reliability, cost and versatility, ABC fire extinguishers are in great demand in Melbourne. 

 

Check out the importance and limitations of this fire extinguisher

How to identify ABC extinguishers?

Dry powder or ABC fire extinguishers mainly come with blue label colour. They also come in several foam sizes including 1 kg, 2 kg, 3 kg, 6 kg and 9 kg.

How does it work?

ABC extinguishers are portable and very easy to operate. They mainly work by making a barrier between the source of oxygen and fire.

Where is not this fire extinguisher use?

Though ABC extinguishers are versatile, they have some limitations. These extinguishers can not be used in the enclosed areas. This is because the dry powder can be inhaled quickly & it is quite tough to clean after extinguishing the fire. Moreover, they can’t be used for:

• Fires caused by electrical equipment over 1000 V
• Kitchen fires that involve cooking oil
• Fires in enclosed spaces.

Where is this fire extinguisher use?

We have already discussed above that this fire extinguisher is used to control class A, class B and class C fires. Generally, a dry powder fire extinguisher is classified into two types. They include

Standard fire extinguisher: This is the general type mainly used to control

• Class A fires: Fire caused by combustible materials like paper, wood and textiles
• Class B fires: Fire caused by flammable liquids like petrol, spirit or paint
• Class C fires: Fire caused by flammable gases such as propane & butane
• Electrical fires: Fire caused by electrical equipment like computers as well as photocopiers

Specialist dry powder extinguishers: These are the advanced ABC fire safety equipment specially used for flammable metal fires like lithium (L2 powder extinguishers) and other flammable metal fires (M28 extinguishers only)

Apart from that, ABC extinguishers are also used for controlling fires involving electronic equipment (Upto 1000 V). These fire extinguishers are mainly used for the following businesses:

• Garage forecourts
• Welding or flame cutting industries
• Workshops with large boiler rooms
• LPG dispensing industries

ABC or dry powder extinguishers are easy to use and portable. They are widely used for both residential and commercial properties. They give long-lasting and efficient performance.