Automatic Fire Extinguishers

Automatic fire extinguishers are, for many unsupervised situations, the only answer in fire safety.

When expensive agricultural machinery, construction and mining equipment, boat engines, computer and telecoms cabinets, and other machinery catches fire, often it will be too late by the time an operative discovers and tries to tackle it.

What Are The Alternatives?

One solution is a specially built, plumbed-in fire suppression system. But these can be quite costly and tricky to install once the item has left the manufacturing line.

The more popular solution is an automatic fire extinguisher.

How Does It Work?

In effect, this is just the same as a standard extinguisher except the squeeze grip handles have been replaced with a heat-sensitive glass bulb. The bulb contains a liquid that expands when subject to heat. At a certain temperature, usually 68 or 79 degrees centigrade, the bulb will burst and the extinguishant is released.

The head will act like any sprinkler head and disperse the extinguisher contents in the local area.

If this is within a boat engine compartment for example, the extinguisher will likely have operated and extinguished the fire before the boat user would even know there was a fire.

What Types Are Available?

Currently, there are two common types of extinguishant in automatics; multi-purpose powder and FE36 automatic fire extinguishers.

Powder automatic extinguishers are popular for two simple reasons;

1. It will fight any type of fire
   
   
2. It costs a lot less than the hi-tech gaseous types

However, expensive, sensitive equipment may not tolerate the after-fire damage from powder. Our view is that the fire must be stopped at all costs so the extinguishant damage is immaterial as the alternative is disastrous.

For computer and telecoms equipment, the FE36 gas is a clean agent and will leave no mess at all. Also, being gas, it can be mounted almost horizontally and the gas will penetrate further and deeper into a compartment.

Does FE36 Destroy The Ozone Like Halon Did?

Unlike the halon 1211 (BCF) or halon 1301 we remember in the green extinguishers, FE36 has a Zero ozone depletion effect and is quite safe to use anywhere.

Fire destroys and it is all too common with machinery, electronics and engines catching fire every day all over the world. The cost of downtime can be huge and often is never recovered.

An automatic fire extinguisher could be your only hope and could even safe your life one day.