2kg CO2 for domestic property

[Guest Manu]

Good afternoon I have a small problem as I need an extinguisher for live electrics and I don't know if choosing water mist or co2 for computer equipment, I have 3 foams in my home (2l abf in kitchen, 6l abf in living room and an ordinary 3l foam at my bedroom I've also got fire blankets first aid kit and smoke alarms , however the co2 I want to buy has a lot of downsides starting that im afraid it can lead to asphyxiation, is it dangerous to install a co2 extinguisher at home ? Thanks very much.

Regards.

Ps: is for a study and computer room I'd like to put it behind the shelve on that small room.

 

[Harry]

Hi Manu

CO2 extinguishers are really only suitable for electrical items and the risk is that the fire might re-ignite once the short burst of CO2 has dissipated. This is particularly the case if the electricity is still live. 

The main health risk is actually, and surprisingly, not asphyxiation (absence of O2) but poisoning with CO2. Just 4% CO2 in your air has already a health impact and 8% leads to unconsciousness and death. Not many fire safety specialists are aware of this. So, CO2 must be avoided in small spaces.

For electrical risks up to 1000V (domestic is 230V) water mist extinguishers with de-ionised water are the best choice for domestic (and business) applications. They are broad spectrum, cool the fire and minimise the residue from the fire and the fire fighting action. The de-ionised water is of course non-conductive.

Harry

[AnthonyB]

A 2kg CO2 shouldn't be a problem in a typical house room, but it is limited in scope to electrical fires. In the home you really want to have just one extinguisher that does everything which would usually be Water Mist.

[green-foam]

In my experience, with regard to an electrical fire especially in a computer, once what ever caused the fault has burnt out it is very unlikely to reignite since it has burnt out. The main problem is that of surrounding materials igniting, such as dust, a good computer should be cleaned on an as and when basis, dust build up has also been known to cause problems, so keeping the inside of a computer clean is good housekeeping, thereby alleviating the dust problem.

The next thing to consider is the supply to the computer, such as trailing leads, ideally these should be avoided and replaced by dedicated socket outlets, or at least secured to the wall so that the flex can not become damaged.

I would favour a CO2 extinguisher for even a single computer  as even though a water mist extinguisher does not conduct electricity, if left long enough there is the possibility the discharge  could turn into carbonic acid and corrode the computer motherboard. (Write off) It would not happen instantly, but it would mean the computer would have to be stripped down and thoroughly dried and cleaned, whereas this would never happen with CO2, infact the most likely thing to cause a fire in a computer is the power supply, and if it did, you could take it out and change it and be back up and running within minutes, of course you should always back up your computer on a regular basis.