How to choose a fire extinguisher

How can I protect my property from fire?

The first thing is to recognise that you can never be 100% protected against fire. The next step is to choose a fire extinguisher. This might seem easy, but only at first: with a bewildering variety to choose from, it is a challenge to find equipment that is genuinely effective.

What choice is there?

The fire extinguishers we carry in our car boots and are used to seeing in buildings, at fire points and on trains are usually one of two standard types (dry chemical or carbon dioxide), depending on their contents.

However, more and more people are turning to BONTEL products, including our fire extinguishers. These use a special fire extinguishing liquid with properties that make it completely different from regular agents.

What makes BONTEL fires extinguishers different from conventional ones? Let’s compare them using various criteria.

Fighting fire

Dry chemical fire extinguishers put out fires well, but do not prevent re-ignition. CO2 fire extinguishers, on the other hand, address this problem: they cool hot surfaces quite effectively. The BONTEL liquid, though, has a very important property: not only does it put out fires and cool surfaces, it also displaces oxygen from the fire zone. At the same time, it forms a protective film that prevents re-ignition.

In addition, it is important to realise when choosing fire extinguishers that not all of them can deal effectively with fires involving wood, products of combustion (e.g. of fuel), cabling and vehicle tyres. The most effective way to extinguish such fires is the combined method used by BONTEL.

Can fire extinguishers be used to put out electrical fires?

Electricity itself does not burn. It is usually wires and sockets that burn, and this is where BONTEL products can help. Other types of fire extinguisher, by contrast, are dangerous in such situations. Dry chemical and CO2 fire extinguishers should not be used, as their nozzles and diffusers are made of non-conducting materials and can produce static discharges.

What about smaller spaces, such as flats?

Dry chemical fire extinguishers are not recommended for use in small rooms: when sprayed, the powder seriously affects visibility and irritates the respiratory organs. Such restrictions do not apply to BONTEL or CO2 fire extinguishers.

Can a fire extinguisher fail at the vital moment?

Yes, and this is particularly common with dry chemical fire extinguishers: while they are awaiting their moment, their powder can cake. The result of this can be disastrous.

The likelihood of a CO2 fire extinguisher failing is lower, but still exists. BONTEL extinguishers never fail.

Which fire extinguishers cause most damage to property?

The consequences of a fire can be even worse than the fire itself, with floors, walls and objects ruined by red-hot foam after a dry chemical fire extinguisher has been used. CO2 models can damage equipment by over-cooling it. BONTEL extinguishers, on the other hand, do almost no damage: the protective film they produce degrades rapidly, preventing smoke from settling.

What about their effect on the environment and human health?

Dry chemical fire extinguishers are harmful to both the environment and human health, and have been found to cause lung cancer. With the high pressure inside a CO2 fire extinguisher, an explosion is a constant threat. In addition, using them requires great care, as there is a high risk of overcooling: their diffuser temperature is 60-70°C.

How should the different types of fire extinguisher be stored?

A fire extinguisher must always be ready for use. Dry chemical fire extinguishers are very sensitive to humidity: as mentioned above, their powder can cake, making them unusable. CO2 fire extinguishers are sensitive to the ambient temperature: they cannot be stored in places where the temperature reaches or exceeds 50°C. In addition, they need to be weighed every year. BONTEL extinguishers have no special storage requirements.

What are the disposal requirements for fire extinguishers?

There are no special disposal requirements for the BONTEL extinguishing agent: it is made from biodegradable materials. For comparison, dry chemical fire extinguishers are incredibly hard to dispose of owing to their finely dispersed particles of powder.

Are counterfeit fire extinguishers common?

Both dry chemical and CO2 fire extinguishers are easy to counterfeit, and unscrupulous manufacturers do. BONTEL products are reliably protected against counterfeiting, thanks to state-of-the-art technology (latentograms®), and are serviced only by official BONTEL offices and subsidiaries