What fire extinguisher types are available and under what circumstances should you use a particular type of fire extinguisher? This hub has been created to help answer some of the questions you may have regarding fire extinguishers. As with any safety equipment the more you can learn about them the better you will be prepared when an emergency arises that requires the use of the equipment. Let begin our guide by identifying the more common types of fire extinguishers that are available.

Three of the most common types of fire extinguishers are the Water or APW, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and Dry Chemical which come in three types ABC. BC, DC.

The water type fire extinguisher also know as APW or Air Pressurized Water are those silver colored fire extinguishers that are about two feet tall. When full these extinguishers weigh about 25 pounds. These types of extinguishers are used for Class A rated fires. Class A fires are cloth, paper, or wood fires.

One important point to remember is that you do not want to use a Air Pressurized Water extinguisher to extinguish flammable liquid fires. It's likely that by using a water type extinguisher on a flammable liquid fire will only spread the fire and make conditions worse.

Also avoid using this type of extinguisher for electrical fires. Water is a good conductor of electricity and the possibility of electrocuton will exist. 

The next fire extinguisher type that we are going to take a look at is the CO2 type. These type of fire extinguishers are have CO2 under pressure. Carbon Dioxide is non-flammable. you can usually recognize these extinguishers by their red color and a hard horn, and the fact that they do not have a pressure gauge. Carbon Dioxide fire extinguishers can weigh anywhere from 5 pounds to over 100 pounds depending on the size that is selected.

These extinguishers work by displacing the oxygen in the fire with the non-flammable carbon dioxide. Also sine the CO2 is extremely cold when it exits the extinguisher it cools the fire. These types of extinguisher are not very good or good at all at putting out Class A fires. For electrical fires and chemical fires they work just fine.

The last fire extinguisher type that we will take a loot at id the Dry Chemical fire extinguisher. These extinguisher come in 3 classes that we want you to know about. The classes are as follows; (DC) is the acronym for "dry chemical", (ABC) means the fire extinguisher can be used for A, B, and C, class fires, and (BC) can be used for Class B and C fires only.

Dry Chemical fire extinguishers just like CO2 are red in color but will have a gauge. These extinguishers work by spreading a thin layer of dust on the fire thus separating the fire from the oxygen that is in the area. Of all three this type of fire extinguisher is very effective at putting out the fire.

In conclusion no matter what fire extinguisher type you choose just make sure it is the correct one for the type of fire that you putting out. Learn to use your fire extinguisher correctly and make sure it is in good operating conditions. Check it yearly.