What type of fire extinguisher do I need?

[jahtubs]

I've been reading through the safety advice on the forum prior to my first run and I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on the fire extinguisher I would need to hand. I'm running an electric boiler indoors (T500) so water probably isn't a good idea. My local garage sells multi purpose extinguishers which produce a foam. Would this be the one to go for or do I need something else? Any help would be much appreciated.

[Azframer]

Hey water is all you need to put out an alcohol fire! Alcohol will soak up water like nothing and that will put it out. Foam is a WOFTAM!

[jahtubs]

Thanks for the reply Azframer. My concern with the water is that I'm using an electric boiler and throwing water around near a 2000w electric heating element might be a bit dodgy. I could be completely wrong however, I just thought it might not be the safest way to deal with a fire near an electric boiler.

[still crazy]

Yes water is good for an alcohol fire but not good for the electrical situation.
Run a properly rated cord to the electrical unit if you can so you can unplug it from a distance without having to go into the "fire zone".
This will allow you to reduce your risk of electrocution.
If you want a compatible with electrical fire unit a "Type C" but then this may allow your alcohol to flare up if not completely extinguished.
Best all around use is a "Type ABC" this may leave a sticky residue but it will save your ass.

[Azframer]

Unplug and then spray. You have 2 things to do, play it over and over in your head so if that happens it will flow natural.

[jahtubs]

Ok great, thanks for your quick replies. That all makes sense. For the added peace of mind about flare ups the ABC type sounds like the one. Thank you both for the advice.

[bgrizzle]

In my opinion... if there ever were a fire, or an explosion, or anything of that nature...

Your are probably going to panic like hell!!! Think "fight or flight".

Sure, water can put out an aclohol fire, but you gotta consider the other surroundings that may ignite in the fire.

I would definitely have fire exstinguisher very near by... a couple buckets of water are not a bad idea either...

As far as the electrical goes MAKE SURE YOU ARE PROTECTED BY A GFCI! If its on a standard 120V power outlet, swap that thing out for a GFCI outlet...

If you are running one of MuleKickers 5500W control elements, when you hook up power, use a breaker in your breaker box that is GFCI rated (like a pool and spa breaker) (this code on any exterior power outlet or outlet exposed to water like in your bathroom, spa breaker, etc...)

There is my 2 cents... better safe than sorry... thats for damn sure!

[jahtubs]

Thanks for the reply bgrizzle. I'm in Europe so I'm on 230V here. My fusebox has trip switches on every circuit in the house and I was planning on plugging the boiler into the circuit breaker I use for my lawnmower. Do you think this is enough? I totally agree with you on the better safe than sorry approach. I don't want to rush into this thing before working out what can wrong and how I should deal with it.

[Stilly]

I try to keep all flammables away from stilling area. I have a cheap hand pump garden sprayer filled with water, and as back up an ABC fire extinguisher. If you have deep pockets a Halon ( or its eco friendly replacement) fire extinguisher is a huge improvement on the typical cheapo foam ABC type, which makes a Folkin mess of everything. Halotron extinguishers can me found at marine supply stores and safety supply stores.

stilly