Class A Fire Extinguisher Used For?

A fire involving a solid material such as wood, paper, or cloth is called a type A fire, and the Extinguisher used to extinguish this fire is known as a Class A Fire Extinguisher.

Many people are unaware that there are many types of fire extinguishers. They also come in certain classes, and these are specific and indicate the fires they can effectively extinguish.

Because life and property depend upon the correct extinguisher for the type of fire, this blog series will explain the various classes of fire extinguishers as well as the types of fires each can handle.

Class A fire extinguishers typically include water Fire extinguishers, foam Fire extinguishers, powder Fire extinguishers, and sometimes wet chemical Fire extinguishers. Each Fire Extinguisher has its own characteristics

What is a Class A Fire?

It is essential to first understand what a Class-A fire is in order to better understand what the Class-A fire extinguisher does.

Fires classified as Class A use ordinary combustible materials such as wood, paper, and rubber. The ash left behind by Class A fires’ fuel sources is one of the most distinctive signs. These fires are the simplest and most common types, and they use regular materials that you find in your home or office. When it burns, it leaves an ashy residue, which is the easiest way to remember Class A materials.

These types of fires are what Class-A fire extinguishers excel at putting out.

Class A Fire Extinguisher

Water Fire extinguishers

Water extinguishers are among the most cost-effective methods to tackle Class A fires caused by solid materials like textiles, wood, and paper.

There are four kinds of extinguishers for water: water jet, water spray with added additives, and fog or water mist.

Water jet extinguishers function by spraying a spray of water on the burning materials to cool them down and prevent the re-ignition. They shouldn’t be used with live electrical equipment.
Water spray extinguishers use the most delicate droplet of water, and each droplet is covered with not conductive air. Water spray fire extinguishers have a dielectric test of 35 kV certification, which means that they have been tested using an electrical source of 35,000 Volt at a distance of one meter.
Water extinguishers containing added additives can be described as water extinguishers with foaming chemicals that are added. The water is able to lose its natural surface tension so that it will absorb into the materials that are burning more efficiently. Adding a chemical to water implies a more miniature extinguisher will give the same fire rating as a larger, water-only extinguisher.
Water mist, also known as fog extinguishers, uses liquid in mist or fog. The droplets are smaller than those of the extinguisher that sprays water. The smaller droplet, the greater it’s surface area relative to its size, and the more quickly it evaporates. This absorbs heat more rapidly. The disadvantage is that more small the droplet, the smaller its weight, and the less powerful is clouds of water.

Also Check: What extinguisher for paper fire

All water extinguishers come with an orange label. For more information you can check What do the Symbols on a Fire Extinguisher Indicate?

Foam Fire extinguishers

Foam fire extinguishers are employed in classes A and B of fires. They are best suited for burning liquid fires like diesel or petrol. They are more flexible than water jet extinguishers as they are also utilized on solids like paper and wood. The foam puts out liquid fires by securing the liquid’s surface, preventing any flammable vapor from reaching the air, and depriving the fire of fuel. They are not suitable to use on liquids that are free-flowing fires.

Foam fire Extinguishers have the label of a cream color.

Powder Fire extinguishers

Powder extinguishers are an excellent multi-purpose fire extinguisher as they are able to be used for Class A fires, B and C. They can also be utilized in cases of electrical equipment fires. However, they cannot allow the fire to cool down so that it is able to re-ignite. They can also obstruct visibility and could cause breathing issues. They are generally not recommended for use in structures unless there is no other option.

Powder Extinguishers have a blue label. you can also learn How to Use a Fire Extinguisher?

Also Check: How to make a fire extinguisher

Wet chemical Fire extinguishers

Wet chemical extinguishers are suited for Class F fires that involve cook oils as well as fats, including lard and sunflower oil, olive oil as well as maize oil, and butter. They can also be employed for Class A Fire (wood papers, fabrics, paper) and Class B flames (flammable fluids). They’re highly effective when properly used. The wet chemical quickly eliminates the flame and cools the burning oil, and chemically reacts to create a soap-like solution, securing the area and stopping re-ignition. They are made for use with Class F fires, cooking oils, and deep fat fryers.

Wet chemical Fire extinguishers are marked with a yellow color.

Class A Fire Extinguisher training (Video)

Class A Fires Flame Spread Rating

Different combustible materials allow flames to spread at different rates. The flame spread rate indicates a material’s ability to spread flames quickly, and it is determined using standard testing methods.

This rating is divided into five groups, each with a letter rating. The numbers range from zero to more than 500, and higher numbers indicate a faster spreading of flames. Spread ratings for all combustible materials used to fuel class A fires are between zero and 25.

How to Fight a Class-A Fire

Different fire types require other agents to extinguish them. The first step to fighting any fire is to identify the material that is being burned. The most common type of fire is Class A, and it can be extinguished by removing any one of the four elements listed above.

Water, chemical foam, dry chemicals, and multi-purpose fire extinguishers effectively fight Class A fires. Halotron, an additional agent effective against class-A fires, leaves no residue. This makes it suitable for areas with technological equipment or devices.

Each agent listed below will bring out a different component required to keep the fire burning. When flames are doused in water, heat is removed. Chemical foaming agents reduce the fire’s oxygen supply. The chemical reaction that converts fuel into usable gaseous form for feeding the fire is stopped by dry chemicals and halotron.

Also Check: What chemical is used in fire extinguisher

Check Full details of different Fire Extinguisher

FAQs

What is the best extinguisher for class A fire?

Water extinguishers and Foam extinguishers are the best extinguishers for class A fire.

What are the 6 types of fire extinguishers?

There are six main fire extinguisher types water, foam, CO2, powder, water mist, and wet chemical.

Each of the various extinguishers for fire is appropriate for various fire classes. You should purchase the proper fire extinguisher to meet your requirements:

Water Classes A-type fires (solid combustion materials such as paper, wood, or textiles). Some water extinguishers can be used for electrical equipment when di-electrically tested. In other cases, be cautious around electrical equipment as the normal water is a conductor.
AFFF foam Class A and A and (flammable liquids). Safety for electrical equipment if the test for the dielectric.
carbon dioxide (CO2) Electric equipment in Class B
ABC powder Classes A, B, and C (flammable gasses) along with electrical apparatus
Water mist that is de-ionized C, Class B, and C along with electrical and electronic equipment
Wet chemical The class F (deep fat) fires, and sometimes Class A

What is considered class A fire?

Class A fires can be described as normal fires that are combustibles, and these kinds of fires typically use flammable materials as the source of fuel. Paper, fabric, wood, and plastics are all common sources of class A flames, and the most common accidental fires occur in different industries.

What size is a class A fire extinguisher?

Class A sizes range from 1 to 40. Each size represents the equivalent amount of water. 1 equals 1.25 gallons of water, so in this example, 2A means the extinguisher can put out a fire just as effectively as 2.5 gallons of water.

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If you want to learn more about fire extinguisher, You can visit our website: fire-extinguisher-guide.com

For More Information Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_extinguisher

What is Class A Fire Extinguisher Used For?