In about 1992, pre-internet for anyone I knew, I managed to find a good unit. I had moved into what I know realize was an illegal garage bedroom, with only one way out. The owner let me take the cost of a sensitive smoke alarm and a good extinguisher out of my rent. I found a company that sold good ones like businesses have to have. My other suggestion is to call someone you think might sell the good ones, and if they don’t have them, you’re almost certainly close enough that they know who does.
Update: I was able to get a nice little fire extinguisher from Lowe’s. It says that it is rated for A, B, and C fires. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell me if its a chemical suppressent or a CO2 extinguisher.
If I pulled the pin and use it for a few seconds, will that dramatically reduce the storage time of the extinguisher? How long can I keep it before I have to get a new one?
CO2 extinguishers are larger diameter compressed gas tanks with large cone nozzle. it is for B and E.
home ABC are dry chemical.
don’t test it, you don’t want the chemical to dry in the nozzle, they are intended for one use (any fire would use one up). replace when pressure gauge reads low.
Thanks, I guess. I really wanted to mess around with a fire extinguisher! 
I think my plan now is to keep it for at least a year, then get a new one. I have no idea how long it lasts, but for a measly $19, I don’t mind spending that once a year for the peace of mind. Plus, this at least lets me play with the extinguisher, something I’ve always wanted to do, in a year! 
Chemical. CO[sub]2[/sub] extinguishers are B & C only.
You should recharge or replace the extinguisher after any discharge. It will almost certainly be under the recommended charge and not reliable for use.
Stranger
Even a little discharge? Gah, ok… :smack:
I’ve heard rumors that fire stations will recharge your fire extinguishers for free. Is that true?
Mine won’t.
One for the kitchen, One for each floor of the house, one for the garage, and one for each car/boat/plane. I’ve already used the one in my car twice. I need to pick up a couple of extra’s for the house and mount them. I keep moving around the 2 I have and cannot really guarantee they are where they should be on any given day.
Really glad this wasn’t a “need answer fast” thread.
Two things.
DO. NOT. TEST. THE. FIRE. EXTINGUISHER. powder will get in the valve, and all the remaining pressure will leak out of the tank over a few days/weeks. A $19 dollar extinguisher is a disposal item, it is not refillable.
Secondly, choose your mounting location carefully. In a kitchen you do not want the stove (probably where the fire will be) between the mounting location and the exit. If you do this, you could find yourself trapped if the extinguisher does not put the fire out. Put the mounting location between the stove and the door, this way if when you get to the extinguisher and determine that it is time to boogie, not fight, you are not trapped.
Ditto. On top of that, many chemical fire extinguishers are corrosive and toxic, so you don’t really want to spray the stuff around in the environment, anyway. If you want to train on a fire extinguisher, call your local fire station and ask them; many have training units or orientation classes which will allow you to become familiar with the operation of a fire extinguisher.
Stranger
Funny marginally on-topic contribution to the conversation: When I was in Basic, all of the dorms had these big badass looking chromed fire extinguishers. A required part of our training was being instructed in their use, and then instructed in their non-use.
They taught us proper fire extinguisher use (as described above), and then told us that in the event of a fire, the only correct course of action was to sound the alarm “FIRE FIRE FIRE!”, send someone to go tell a grownup (er… I mean, report the fire to the Charge of Quarters sergeant) and see to it that everybody evacuated the dorm (a quick room-by-room sweep shooing everybody towards the exits).
To emphasize this point, the fire extinguisher was secured to the mount (and the pin secured to the extinguisher) with heavy duty zip ties guaranteed to limit the fire extinguisher’s use to physically beating the fire to death (assuming you ever got it off the wall mount).
Back when I was in high school, in small, glass-fronted cabinets marked something like “Fire” in almost any hallway in the school, but only when a teacher wasn’t looking.
The CO2 ones were the most fun.
The one-use unit near my computer desk has been sitting there unused for at least six years. The needle’s slooooowly sliding out of the green zone. I guess I’ll take it into the back alley and go nuts for a few minutes before buying a replacement.
We’re actually keeping it in a side room right next to the kitchen. Luckily, our kitchen isn’t in a location that would trap us if the fire doesn’t go out. I’m just leaving it on the floor, too lazy to drill holes in the walls.
Next time I’m getting 2 fire extinguishers, one for fun and one for real! 
slight hijack, but still about extinguishers.
I have one that fell of its mount. The handle and gauge broke. I’ve replaced it, but how do I dispose of the broken one? Somehow just tossing it in a dumpster doesn’t seem like the right move.
When I called the fire marhall’s office I was told to discharge it and toss it…but the handle’s broken…
suggestions?
you should not throw a pressurized container in the trash. it could explode if crushed in the garbage collection and processing and injure someone. if your location has a drop off site for hazardous materials you could take it then.
Failing that, a reaaaaly big open field, a redneck, and a rifle?