What Fire Extinguishers should you Keep in Your House? Fire extinguisher placements in my house

[@chathuraekanayake1600]

I was thinking to buy one. This dude convince me to buy many...

[@rondo122]

that's a good video mate, as a fire specialist I can say you cover all important points the ISO/TS is also covering. Great job!

[@samuelarney9224]

Been watching your videos man and I dig it. I'm an avid fire extinguisher enthusiast and have been collecting them for a very long time (about 8 years now) nice to see people like me around and sharing the fun

[@ExtraBytes]

God forbid FireAlarmDude's house is on fire. He WILL be prepared.

[@cemops8660]

I'm from the UK and the combo of co2 and foam in your basement is probably the most common for public places. Powder is being phased out in public places as it can block visibility, but powder still reigns supreme in homes (along with fire blankets)

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Here in the US foam extinguishers are being phased out and powder is the norm. Kind of interesting how it’s the polar opposite

[@cemops8660]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 very interesting! also, I know that AFFF foam has come under scrutiny recently for being a carcinogen, so i'm not sure what'll replace it. maybe we'll go back to powder

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

@@cemops8660 I like ABC powder because it’s easy to operate for untrained and less proficient operators, works on pretty much all ‘normal’ fires and is very effective. It makes a huge mess however, so in my house I have fire points containing a water extinguisher and a CO2 unit. The idea is that if I’m not home, my family can use the ABC units but if I am home when a fire occurs I can use the fire point to hopefully minimize damage

[@cemops8660]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 That's interesting. In the UK we do risk assessments to determine which fire type is most likely to occur, so in an office you would have foam, which covers class A and B, and a Co2 to cover electrical equipment. In a gas station there's almost always dry powder extinguishers to quickly put the fire out, as they have a larger spread than foam, for example. Also- do you still use halon in the US? halon was banned in the EU in the early 2000's for being an ozone depleting gas... Fluoroketone extinguishers are used now

[@cemmi8957]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 is there a reason why at 1:26 the 5lb extinguisher only has a 3a rating? in europe 1kg (2.5lb) powder monoammonium phosphate extinguishers have a 5a 34b c rating most commonly

[@WitchidWitchid]

I've been interested in fire extinguishers since I was a little kid. I grew up in the days when "soda-acid" extinguishers were still in popular use. These days I keep a ABC dry chemical types in the kitchen and laundry area and I keep 2.5 gallon pressurized water stream types in the bedroom area and in my office as most fires starting in those areas are likely to involve wood, paper, bedding and upholstery (i.e. class A). I'd like to get a few more, maybe a couple of CO2 types for the basement and garage and a couple extra 5 or 10 pound ABC dry-chem types.

[@Sparky-ww5re]

I'm 34 yrs and so the soda acid type was obsolete a while before my time, however there was a soda acid extinguisher we found in my grandmother's attic along with a brass carbon tetracloride extinguisher while we were preparing the estate after she passed 2 years ago. Grandpa was a volunteer firefighter for a few years after getting home from WWII, and worked for Detroit Edison from 1953 - 1983 and was a plant safety officer for a while, so I suspect grandpa may have had a handful of these at one time or another.

[@nics-systems-electric]

Great video as always lots of good information here now I’ve just got to decide if I want a 5 or 10 pound for my garage

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Either is good but I’d say 10

[@jameswalker590]

Thanks for the video. You're obviously very knowledgeable, which is why I'm going to pick your brain if you'll let me: At 5:00 or so, you say that you prefer the B500 over the B402. I find this interesting and confusing because the B500 is rated as 2A:10BC and the B402 is rated 3A:40BC. My limited research says that the higher rating is because the 402 uses a newer chemical mixture. I just put the 402 in my cart, so your opinion is much appreciated.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Good question. The B402 has a higher UL rating because it uses the 555 dry Chem formula as opposed to the standard Amerex chemical. It also has a different nozzle which makes it more targeted, giving it a higher rating. It is the superior extinguisher, however in some cases I prefer the B500 because the nozzle is flared and the stream coming out is less powerful and won’t blow whatever’s on fire everywhere. Usually the B402 is the better unit.

[@Vintageswallows]

Hey I absolutely love your videos and I have a Collection of fire extinguishers

[@jonathongreen7727]

Hey, love your videos. I'm from the UK and just a point on your Powder and Co2 extinguishers in the kitchen. Most fires involve chip pans and oil. Neither the mentioned extinguishers would be of any use. Yes powder will nock the fire down but it will reignight, co2 won't touch it. You need a class F extinguisher or fire blanket. keep up the great videos.

[@gamesgeargadgets]

Chip pan fires are very much a UK problem. Much less common in the US

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Hi, interesting thoughts. CO2 and dry chemical extinguishers are actually quite effective. I’ve done a lot of tests and they do extinguish Pan fires (vegetable oil burned in the test). CO2 is very effective on small Pan fires, same with dry chemical. Provided you turn off the heat source, the fire remains out. Of course, I always put a lid on the fire afterward. We actually had a fire a few months back. It was a fairly large grease fire on the stove and I dumped half of a CO2 extinguisher on it, quickly turned off the heat and put a lid of the fire. One day I want to get a fire blanket but those aren’t too common in the US Thanks for taking the time to comment! I’m happy to hear that you enjoy my videos.

[@West_Kootenay_railfan]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 cool

[@Ech0Sierra]

He does show off a kitchen extinguisher later on the video at 5:19. Class F (known as Class K in the USA) are for commercial deep fryer fires. They're indeed too deep with oil and too hot for the ABC powder and CO2 to work well but a home kitchen cooking pan isn't anywhere near as severe of a use case as a commercial kitchen that would normally be protected by both an installed suppression system like an Ansul and a kitchen portable extinguisher in case the installed system malfunctions.

[@ironmatic1]

Ech0Sierra is right, residential kitchen fires are *not* class K/F, they are in fact class B. The K designation exists due to the much higher temperatures and volumes of oil in commercial fryers along with the fact that commercial fryers are heavily insulated and will store the heat to reignite continually, unlike a residential metal pan with a drizzle of oil which is going to dissipate the heat almost immediately.

[@mikeschulte4271]

I love the brass valve but unfortunately don’t have any in my collection. I find them extremely easier to service when doing the 6yr maintenance and the hydro test because it’s a more durable valve then the other ones.

[@MJTVideos]

I keep chrome amerex 5 pounders in the kitchen, top floor, basement, back room and living room. I have a 10lb abc and a 10lb co2 in my utility room. In my shop/ garage I have a 5 and 20 lb abc, and two water extinguishers. I also have a chemistry lab so I keep a 5lb abc and a 10lb co2. In my parents cars I keep two halotron 1 2.5 pounders. By our houses electrical systems I have 3lb halon with a hose or halotron units

[@bicho3177]

I am a great enthusiast of fire extinguishers, for 5 years I have been acquiring general and kidde extinguishers, the ansul sentry extinguishers I have from 1985 and 2 from halon 1211, I have approximately 59 in my collection most purchased from ebay and local recharge sites i live in oklahoma

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Good for you, nice

[@ironmatic1]

I always like to suggest a 2.5 gal water side by side with a 2.5 lb sodium bicarb in addition to an ABC in the house just for the substantially easier cleanup. I also have a halotron in my room, I like to say for my valuable hobby collections, but really just because it's cool lol.

[@brilliant13675]

I have a 1lb ABC with sodium bicarb, 5 x 2.5 lb ABC with mono ammonium sulphate, 10 x 5lb ABC with mono ammonium sulphate, 2 x 10lb ABC with mono ammonium sulphate, a 20lb ABC with mono ammonium sulphate, a 30lb ABC with aluminum sulphate and aluminum phosphate, a 20lb ABC high flow with mono ammonium sulphate, a 5lb Purple K, a 15lb CO2, 9L wet chemical, 10lb foam, and a 9lb halotron lol. Prepared for everything

[@johnnewell5025]

Good video and a nice reality check. We also have an oil-fired HW boiler and I like the idea of having at least one large extinguisher very near. On vehicle extinguishers, anything but Halotron or Halon ($) extinguishers are going to make such a mess, or even actually damage the engine and other vehicle components, that depending on my vehicle insurance policy it might be better to simply let the vehicle burn. After using a dry extinguisher you could, worst case, be looking at replacing the engine and all the wiring and electronic/electrical components in the engine bay. Unless the vehicle is very new or very expensive, the car is probably a total loss. None of that applies to vintage or collector vehicles, of course.

[@ericbivins8014]

I have a couple Halon fire extinguishers. I keep one in my car and the other in the kitchen.

[@da_real_king-k8e]

i have a AB and a ABC the reason why i have both is because when i moved into the house i only had a AB

[@musicfreakcc]

Nice video! In my case, I keep a regular dry chem/sodium bicarbonate extinguisher in my kitchen with a ABC dry chem extinguishers in all other rooms plus a CO2 unit near my front door. I keep a Purple-K extinguisher in my car since it’s easier to clean up and is very effective against gas/oil fires. What are your thoughts on Purple-K extinguishers?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Purple K is a nice, high performance agent. I have a few 10 pound purple K units but I don’t have a great place to put them in service

[@2adamast]

3:00 Unsecured 10 pound extinguisher at the top of the stairs? What could possibly go wrong.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

What? At 3:00 I’m showing a foam extinguisher in my utility room..neither a 10 pound unit nor is it at the top of my stairs

[@2adamast]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 Indeed it's rather 3:18 "Alright, so at the very top of my basement stairs I also keep a ten pound fire extinguisher."

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

@2adamast yes..it’s totally fine..it’s pretty far from the edge of the stairwell. Even if someone kicked it over it wouldn’t go down the stairs. It’s also in the corner so it’s highly unlikely anyone will ever touch it

[@queenannesrevenge3770]

When the video starts in this guys room with 30 fire extinguishers you know hes educated about it lol.

[@Asertix357]

So nerd time. I finally got my own Amerex fire extinguishers, a 5 pound and 10 pound, and I want to do what you've done with the safety pins. What length of jack chain do you use for replacing the plastic line, and how do you keep them attached to the handle?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

There is an eBay seller who sells the pins with chains on eBay. They’re not too expensive. However it’s the smallest chain size they sell at the Home Depot if you don’t want to use eBay

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

There is an eBay seller who sells the pins with chains on eBay. They’re not too expensive. However it’s the smallest chain size they sell at the Home Depot if you don’t want to use eBay

[@novalinnhe]

If you had a choice between a C02 and water mist fire extinguisher for a grease or oil-based kitchen fire, which one would you prefer to use? I have seen that water mist extinguishers can work on kitchen fires, but noticed you had yours in your living room instead of in your kitchen, so I was curious about that.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Water mist isn’t even an option. No water extinguisher has a B rating let alone a K rating. There would be no effectiveness on a grease fire. CO2 would be pretty ineffective but it’s the better option here

[@novalinnhe]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 Thanks so much for your reply! I'll have to think again about what to purchase for my kitchen. Weirdly, in the UK many of our water mist extinguishers are rated for class B fires, which is why I had originally started researching them. However I know that a UK 'B' rating and a US 'B' rating are slightly different. So I don't know if the difference in rating between both countries is to do with how the fires themselves are classified, or if there is an actual difference between the extinguishers. More research needed I think!! :)

[@ned8276]

You have more fire extinguishers in your house than there are in my entire city block lmao

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Entire city block?!?!

[@ned8276]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 Fire extinguishers are basically nonexistent here in Italy outside of commercial buildings or very large (and especially new) residential buildings. I'd be surprised if there are any at all in my block other than inside the cafè on the corner. Maybe someone has one in their garage, but I wouldn't count on it. But then again we don't build our houses out of wood so fires are very uncommon. Even an electrical fire is usually contained within the electrical system itself, since the junction boxes and outlets are usually encased inside the brick wall. I had a junction box start arcing because the electrical system in my apartment was a dumpster fire (pun intended) when I first bought it, all it did was carbonize the end of the offending wires and trip the main breaker. It was a mild inconvenience.

[@yngndrw.]

Have you seen the Firexo "any type" extinguishers as they seem to be ideal for home use? They are even tested on lithium, but I've not seen much said about them outside of the UK. We have them throughout the house but curious to know your thoughts.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I’ve never seen or heard of them before. Very interesting to hear about them.

[@jsand8301]

Any fire extinguisher that is too close to a potential source of fire is potentially worthless. The best places for fire extinguishers is near the exits to the home. The idea is to save life first and the if possible fight the fire. In case of a fire, get to an exit, find an extinguisher, then keeping your exit at your back and come back in to fight the fire.

[@bicho3177]

do you have halon 1211 fire extinguishers

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I do

[@sneekyblacktiger]

If you were going to use an outside deep fryer what would you recommend?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Probably just a standard ABC extinguisher, unless the fryer is huge. In that case you might want a commercial class K extinguisher

[@Asertix357]

1. Do you have any experience with First Alert brand extinguishers? 2. The way I see it the 10 pound ABC extinguisher is the extinguisher equivalent of the AR-15 equipped with a 30 round magazine. It's going to be sufficient for just about anything you might encounter, and provide you with confidence that you're adequately equipped and not under-prepared.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

First alerts are not good. I recommend the Amerex or Ansul brand, they’re more but worth the money

[@Asertix357]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 Good to know! Thanks.

[@Sparky-ww5re]

I have a 5 pound dry chemical ABC extinguisher in my kitchen, and that or a 10 pound ABC extinguisher is a good general purpose extinguisher to handle just about any type of fire likely to occur in a home provided it's a small fire and not too hot or smoky to get within 6 to 10 feet. Then of course you do have class D for burning metals like magnesium, titanium, and so on, and Class K for cooking oils and fats, and unless you work in a metal fabrication shop or commercial kitchen you probably will never come across these extinguishers, and forget about picking them up at your local home depot. If you do a lot of deep frying at home, perhaps you bring out the turkey fryer every Thanksgiving a class K extinguisher would be a wise investment in addition to the ABC type you might already have.

[@barbarab202]

I woke up today having dreamt I had to use a fire extinguisher, so thought it really is time to get one. I'm in an apartment (concrete/steel stud building) with a fire extinguisher in the hallway. However, I always felt like getting there and carrying the big thing back would take precious time and could be hard for me to carry. Just before I get one, are you able to confirm that one can use an ABC fire extinguisher if there were a stove fire, with oil in a pan, and the electric stove still turned on? How long does a 5lb extinguisher spray for? I like your comment about the more diffuse nozzle on the 6lb, but checking some local stores it seems those are a bit trickier to find. Really, really great and easy to understand video, I'll be sure to check out more.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

ABC extinguishers are great for your situation, if you are getting one for your apartment I’d highly recommend an Amerex B500 or a similar/smaller unit. The Amerex B500 has a flared nozzle too which would be good for your application

[@barbarab202]

Thanks so much for your prompt reply! I’ll be sure to look into this one.

[@barbarab202]

Thanks so much for your prompt reply! I’ll be sure to look into this one.

[@barbarab202]

Thanks so much for your prompt reply! I’ll be sure to look into this one.

[@barbarab202]

Thanks so much for your prompt reply! I’ll be sure to look into this one.

[@patriciasalgado3862]

Helpful

[@HMia-l4x]

Any extinguisher to keep it under the pillow while sleeping? Or if I have a bad dream……,

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I don’t know man

[@millenniumbryan]

I have First Alert Tundras(now called ez fire spray) as my extinguishers. Should I get an ABC to back them up as well? What's your thought on Tundra (ez fire spray)?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

EZ fire spray is not a substitute for an extinguisher and should only be used for supplementary purposes. I would recommend an actual fire extinguisher

[@mikeschulte4271]

The tags u have on the extinguishers do u have a company come in and tag them annually? I love doing annual extinguisher inspections in buildings

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I do not. I make the tags myself

[@WitchidWitchid]

When I graduated high school in the 1970s I went to work for a company that sold and maintained fire safety equipment. Everything from small 2.5lb household units to large wheeled industrial units to integrated sprinkler and fire suppression systems. In those days many buildings were still using soda-acid extinguishers and we had to discharge and refill them annually as well as inspect them monthly. They were filled with 2,5 gallons of water with 1.5 lbs of sodium bicarbonate dissolved in the water and a smaller bottle was filled with 4 oz of sulphuric acid. They were activated for use by turning them upside down causing the acid and soda-water to mix and produce large volumes of CO2 which would force the soda-water through the hose nozzle. Even though they were being phased out at the time I still refilled and maintained more than I could remember. Also the 2.5 gallon pressurized water types were very common then as well as the CO2 kind. Dry chemical was starting to become more and more popular then.

[@ThomasFan222-o1x]

I keep Kidde fire extinguisher

[@TheJeof1000]

hi! what model is the amerex 6lbs on your basement? thanks

[@XOIIOXOIIO]

Curious what type the gold ones are, or is it just for extinguishing 100 fires lol

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Which gold ones?

[@XOIIOXOIIO]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 At the very start of the video, the ones two in from the right side. They look like dry chemical horns, but the color makes them stand out. The back one looks more solid yellow, but the front one definitely looks gold.

[@xXE4GLEyEXx]

Next to a firewood fueled fireplace what kind would you suggest?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Water extinguisher is good but if you don’t have that an ABC extinguisher is fine

[@xXE4GLEyEXx]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 thank you for the swift reply, going to check for those.

[@AverageReviewsYT]

Why would you use a c02 for a grease fire? Isn’t that a bad idea?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

No…why would that be a bad idea…

[@AverageReviewsYT]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 Idk everyone throws a fit and says to not use c02 on grease fires becuase of the reigniting due to the higher ignition temp. I’d test it but I can’t lol.. and I can’t find anyone that’s used it for that

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

@@AverageReviewsYT that’s BS. Obviously on a commercial cooking appliance fire you can’t use CO2 but for a stovetop grease fire you can absolutely Use CO2. CO2 extinguishers are B rated…and stovetop grease fires are class B…so of course you can use them

[@AverageReviewsYT]

​@@FireAlarmDude5967 I was hoping that was the case. I do understand where they come from.. but wasn’t sure.

[@thoward575]

where do you get your extinguishers?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Scrap metal or people throw them out

[@thoward575]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 Ok thanks

[@graysynlain5934]

Please tell me that you are not using afff foam in that foam extinguisher because it has a cancer hazard

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

It’s an AFFF extinguisher so yes there’s AFFF inside

[@graysynlain5934]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 oh I thought you put dish soap inside

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

@@graysynlain5934 no. Dish soap does not carry a class B rating. It would be reckless to use dish soap in an extinguisher that’s actually in service

[@graysynlain5934]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 ok thank you for letting me know

[@kovalenkoihor4325]

Question. Here in Canada we have sometimes -35C. So if my car is outside, is it ok to keep 5lb ABC there all the time?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

It may cause some issues however it won’t cause any catastrophic failure. Should be fine if you take the unit inside

[@frostcate2546]

Hey I need your help with something that’s been bothering me. The previous two apartment buildings I’ve lived in has had the same fire alarm setup and I can’t figure out what it is with Yt or google searching. It’s a very low tone fire alarm system that does not have any pauses and kinda sounds like a bunch of angry bees. -- In New Hampshire if it helps --

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Probably mechanical horns, search up “Simplex 2903-9838”

[@frostcate2546]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 went through 3 hours of pain last night but I did find it. Thanks though! It’s a Firecom 6020

[@graysynlain5934]

So when you say they are hard to find, there not you can look it up on line and it will be right there

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

No idea what you’re referring to

[@graysynlain5934]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 what do you mean?

[@graysynlain5934]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 are you saying that the hose part/ blue nozzle is rare. Because I tried getting one like yours but it did not have a nozzle at the end like yours.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

@@graysynlain5934 I have no idea what you’re talking about or referring to in your original comment. You need to provide a timestamp if you’re referencing some part of the video…what’s hard to find?

[@graysynlain5934]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 excuse me

[@West_Kootenay_railfan]

how do you recharge a co2 extinguisher ?

[@johnnewell5025]

It can be done by fire extinguisher service companies. CO2 extinguishers should be serviced regularly although in the 50 years (yes, true, had one in my first vehicle in the mid-1970s) I've had at least one of these around they have never leaked or developed problems in the valve.

[@Mr.Speedcat]

6:09 to 12 I find that hard to believe.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

what

[@P25AES]

Need to grab some halon or other HCFC clean agent for the car and the house. No way I could ever dump ABC in the house. Absolute last resort maybe bicarb but never ABC. I keep halon and purple-k in the car.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I have fire points throughout my house with CO2 extinguishers and water cans but I insist on keeping ABC extinguishers in every other area. It makes a mess, that’s true and I’ll only dump ABC as a last resort but it is the most effective and easy to use for a novice operator, which is the idea. If someone in my house encounters a fire, I want them to use an extinguisher that will work on pretty much everything, but if I’m home I’ll probably go to a fire point and get a cleaner extinguisher to use.

[@P25AES]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 yeah I keep co2 in garage and inside laundry room, water can inside and 11lb and 15lb halotron inside. 1 bicarbonate under sink. 1 5lb halon 1211 in the car along with a 5lb PK.

[@brilliant13675]

Why is my 5lb amarex 3a10bc? It's the same as yours?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I don’t believe there is a 3A10BC Amerex. There is a 2A10BC B500 and a 3A40BC B402 but nothing other than that

[@brilliant13675]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 my amerex b500 says right on it that it's rated 3a10bc.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

@@brilliant13675 perhaps that’s their new rating. Ratings do change occasionally for extinguishers

[@brilliant13675]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 okay. Now another question for you - why can 2 different 5lb extinguishers be rated 3A10BC & 3A40BC. If they have the same amount of agent why does one cover 4x more square footage?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

@@brilliant13675 different powder formulation

[@West_Kootenay_railfan]

I don't put extinguishers in closets

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Uh huh

[@4j12m]

Don’t ever get kidde fire extinguishers they suck it was full the other day, and then it said it was empty idk why and the whole extinguisher was filled with powder

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Yes kidde is low quality. Probably lost pressure

[@stevewrightington1583]

fucking home insurance company must love you bud you got that house covered jesus christ lol

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Haha, yes it is quite overkill

[@s.p.3587]

The Class K one, more specifically, is meant to extinguish flaming metal.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

What?!? Class K is never used for flaming metal. That’s class D

[@firelitelight]

i have a 60 year old co2 extinguisher lol

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Nice

[@firelitelight]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 Also, can you refill co2 extinguishers? Like bring then to the fire dept or something

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

@@firelitelight fire departments do not recharge fire extinguishers but yes you can get them filled at a fire extinguisher service company

[@firelitelight]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 Thank you

[@smorris281]

Talk about overkill. If I were a psychiatrist, I would recommend you seek out therapy on the regular regarding you paranoia of fire.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Nobody’s paranoid. I happen to have a lot of fire extinguishers

[@infinityalfa3979]

HMMMMMM....OVERKILL, OCD!!!