Co2 fire extinguisher: Carbon dioxide as fire extinguishing agent

One of the most used fire extinguishers, even in a domestic environment, is the CO2 extinguisher. How does the Co2 extinguisher work? Even those who have little knowledge in chemistry, know that Co2 is carbon dioxide. Therefore, the first characteristic lies in the use of carbon dioxide as a material for extinguishing the fire. But how does carbon dioxide be effective on fire? 
Your CO2 fire extinguisher is equipped with a steel cylinder. Inside the tank there is carbon dioxide compressed in a liquid state. Once the lever is pressed, air will be sucked into the inside and the liquid once released will become a simple carbon snow, which will be able to tame the fire. 
What is snow dioxide? 
The carbonic snow is always the carbon dioxide transformed into a solid state that, after a very short time, will sublimate itself into an aeriform state without leaving any residue. Now, we just have to discover the various classes of fire and evaluate which are matched to the fire extinguisher Co2. 
Don't you know what a fire class is? We'll explain it in a very short period.
 

Co2 Fire extinguisher: the different classes
We were left with a question: What do you mean by fire class? Well, this term indicates the liquid, solid or gaseous material that caused the fire. Depending on the material we will have several classes of fire, which we are now going to describe.

• Class A: Fire caused by solid materials such as wood, textiles, paper, etc. 
• Class B: Fire caused by liquid materials such as gasoline and alcohol. 
• Class C: Fire caused by gaseous materials. 
• Class D: Fire caused by metals such as zinc. 
• Class E: Fire extinguisher that is possible to use on electrical systems. 
• Class F: Fire caused by vegetable or animal oil. So, they cover all those fires that can also be born in a classic family kitchen or in the kitchen of a restaurant.

We've listed all the fire classes, but you have to keep in mind that the carbon dioxide extinguisher is fully effective on classes B, C and E. Not effective on class A if you have already formed the embers. Well, after seeing the various classes of fire, you just have to evaluate another aspect very important, namely the weight.

Fire extinguisher 2 Kg, 5 Kg or 6 Kg?
The choice of weight is another of those factors that must be carefully assessed, if not you are likely to take an extinguisher from overweight and not functional to your needs. For this, we have divided the various Co2 extinguishers according to the weight. and from the latter factor we have identified the ideal place of use. 
Of course, keep in mind that the higher the weight, the greater the power off.

• 2 kg Fire extinguisher: Ideal for the car, the boat and the small switchboards. 
• Fire extinguisher from 3 kg to 4 kg: Also in this case it is ideal for boats, cars and switchboards. The coverage will be greater than the previous ones. 
• Fire extinguisher from 5 to 6 kg: it is a specific weight for carbon dioxide extinguishers. The use is not different from the previous ones although in this case it is ideal for home use. 
• Fire extinguisher from 9 kg to 12 kg: ideal for larger environments. 
• Fire Extinguisher from 27 to 54 kg: If before we talked about larger environments, we can only say the same for these extinguishers, with the only difference that in this case we talk about fire extinguishers Co2 trolley.

If you do not know what wheeled means, do not have "fear" because now we will explain exactly the difference between a fire extinguisher CO2 trolley and a portable CO2 extinguisher. 
What is the difference between a portable CO2 fire extinguisher and a CO2 fire extinguisher? 
The difference is in weight, first of all. In General, the portable fire extinguisher does not weigh more than 18 kg. While, the wheeled fire extinguisher weighs more than 18 kg. In addition, the wheeled fire extinguisher has a trolley with wheels that facilitates the transport (given the weight not indifferent). In some cases, it could be a motorized trolley when the fire extinguisher reaches a weight of 100 kg.
Difference between powder and Co2 fire extinguishers
It is often asked what the difference is between a Co2 extinguisher and a powder extinguisher. Let's go find out together. 

• The very first difference concerns the fire extinguishing agent. In the case of Co2 we have carbon dioxide. For the powder fire extinguisher, in fact, we have powder. 
• The second difference is in the different use. That is: a carbon dioxide extinguisher cannot be used for fire classes D, F and has little effect on solid materials. While, the fire extinguisher to powder there goes to the wedding with the solid materials. 
• The third difference is in favour of the Co2 fire extinguisher, since it leaves no residue. Thanks to the carbonic snow that sublimates without leaving a trace. As opposed to the dust that will creep into every available space.

Co2 fire extinguisher: price
We arrived at the end of this description of the Co2 fire extinguisher. How could you read and understand, the carbon dioxide extinguisher is perfect for fires where gases and liquids are involved. Moreover, it is ideal for electrical installations and, in fact, the Fire prevention Regulations stipulates that your Co2 extinguisher is located just in the vicinity of electrical switchboards. 
It will be up to you to assess the weight, choosing through our pattern on weights, in order to regulate yourself on the best purchase. Then, of course, nothing forbids you to buy a 2 kg extinguisher to keep it in the house. The important thing is that you are aware that a 2 kg extinguisher has a lower power off than another of 5 kg. 
Given this, we can only tell you that the Co2 fire extinguisher is not only an important product for your safety, but it is also economical. Of course always remaining within the models not too heavy.