For A Fire Extinguisher Massachusetts Is The Way To Go

Sunday 7 August 2016

By Scott McDonald


Fire extinguishers are pieces of equipment used for active fire protection. They are used to extinguish or control small-scale fires, usually in emergency situations. The devices should only be used in minor situations and not in cases where fires have grown out of control. When in need of quality fire extinguisher Massachusetts offers a nice place to pay a visit.

The device consists of a hand-held cylindrical pressure vessel that contains a fire extinguishing agent, which is released when the device is operated. There are also devices that do not consist of cylindrical pressure vessels, but these ones are less common. In most countries, especially the United States, commercial and industrial buildings are required to have some kind of device for extinguishing fires.

Annual inspection and servicing of all extinguishers installed in buildings is required in most jurisdictions. The inspection may have to be done more regularly in some places. There is a mark that is placed on the device to show the kind of service carried out by the service company. Services carried out usually include replacement, inspection, and recharging among others.

Currently, extinguishers are of two major kinds. These two kinds are cartridge-operated and store-pressure. In stored-pressure gadgets, the same container is used to store the firefighting agent as well as the expellant. The agent used determines which propellant is to be used. Dry chemical extinguishers use nitrogen as the propellant. Conversely, foam and water extinguishers use air as the propellant. Comparing the two types, stored pressure variety is more common.

Cartridge-operated extinguishers have the expellant and the extinguishing agent stored in separate cartridges. The cartridge must be punctured to expose the propellant to the agent. Cartridge-operated extinguishers are very rare and are mostly installed in industries, where they are used more than average. They are advantageous over stored pressure varieties because their operation is simple and prompt. The operator is able to discharge and recharge the device within a reasonable amount of time.

Compressed carbon dioxide is the propellant used in cartridge-operated models as opposed to nitrogen which is used in the other variety. In the US, the cartridge-operated model comes in various forms including foam, water, dry chemical, wetting agent, and dry powder. Another classification of extinguishers has two other types, that is wheeled and handheld extinguishers. Wheeled extinguishers are also known as cart-mounted extinguishers.

The models meant to be held in the hands are very light, with weights ranging from 0.5 to 14 kgs. This makes them easily portable. The wheeled models are much heavier, usually weighing in excess of 23 kgs. These models are installed at airport runways, marinas, heliports, construction sites, and docks among similar sites. Portability is improved by incorporating handles for pulling them.

Handheld models are usually installed in buildings at locations where they can be accessed with ease. Typically, they are installed against the walls in high-traffic areas. They are also installed in aircraft, watercraft, and motor vehicles as a requirement by the law. There is a height limit on the place the device can be installed.




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