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I realise that in the USA, you can buy a dry chemical fire extinguisher rated for class B (flammable liquids) and class C (electrical) fires. Here in the UK, class B is the same, but class C is flammable gases.

I have one of these which I bought from Argos a while back, along with a fire blanket. What would be the equivalent of a BC dry chemical fire extinguisher from the USA, in the UK?

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1 Answer 1

It seems that the new type "AF" is what is recommended. It is a watermist type extinguisher. While using water seems counterintuitive, it contains an additive that renders the water non conductive. When combined with the misting properties it smothers the fire. The other advantages are that it leaves no toxic residue and can be used in small areas without the concern of lung damage that can be a issue with dry powder.

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Cheers! Water would damage electricity though, so that doesn't particularly answer my question. –  user3140256 Dec 29 '13 at 23:46
normal would,but treated, chemically modified nonconductive water, apparently does not –  mikes Dec 30 '13 at 1:12
Sorry, I meant electrical equipment. Water could extinguish it but would disable the equipment. Dry powder or CO2 has a lesser chance. –  user3140256 Dec 30 '13 at 1:14
When the electrical equipment is on fire, you WANT it disabled until the problem that caused it to catch on fire is fixed, and the damage the fire caused is also fixed, so that really does not seem like a sensible concern. In either case, it's useless on grease (these are class "AC" in the US system.) Most of the electrical non-conduction comes from the extinguisher spaying a mist, rather than a stream, and it is probably also de-ionized water (which can be an excellent insulator, until it finds some ions and dissolves them.) As such, simple drying is enough for non-affected equipment. –  Ecnerwal Dec 30 '13 at 1:30
Fair play. Any idea of the BC powder equivalent in the UK? –  user3140256 Dec 30 '13 at 1:33

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