| mark christopher |
17-01-2010 12:54 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stu
(Post 332082)
Can anyone remember what type of fire the black extinguisher is for?
|
just for you stu :p
Fire Extinguisher Colour Codes
Fire extinguisher colour codes are present so you can identify a type of extinguisher at a glance. The old standard specified that the whole of the body of the extinguisher was painted the appropriate fire extinguisher colour codes. You may still come across these in many premises, they are still legal as long as there is nothing else defective about them, however, when the extinguisher comes to be replaced it must be replaced with one complying with new fire extinguisher colour codes. The new standard is BS EN 3 part 5 "Portable Fire Extinguishers - Specification and supplementary tests" . As with previous fire extinguisher colour codes, water extinguishers are coloured signal red. Other extinguishers will be predominantly signal red with a band or circle covering at least 5% of the surface area of the extinguisher of a second colour to indicate the contents of the extinguisher above the manufacturers label and operating instructions.
Foam fire extinguishers used to be cream all over, they are now signal red complying with the new fire extinguisher colour codes with a cream band comprising of 5% of the body of the extinguisher.
Powder fire extinguishers are recognized as having the same fire extinguisher colour codes as before French blue however, instead of covering the whole body of the extinguisher, it covers a 5% band above the operating instructions.
A co2 fire extinguisher used to be all black, but now to comply with new fire extinguisher colour codes, new co2 extinguishers have only a 5% black band above the operating instructions. As mentioned above, if an all black co2 fire extinguisher is still in perfect working order, they still comply with old fire extinguisher colour codes and new regulations as it was deemed unreasonable to replace an extinguisher in good working order purely because of its colour. This should be less and less common though as most fire extinguisher servicing companies send co2 fire extinguisher away to be tested every 10 years, any black extinguishers will be re painted and come back red so the all black co2 fire extinguisher will be phased out this way making the majority comply with the new fire extinguisher colour codes.
Wet chemical fire extinguishers have always complied with new fire extinguisher colour codes, as they are a new type of extinguisher made to tackle cooking fat fires. Wet chemical fire extinguishers are predominantly red with a canary yellow band above the operating instructions |
