I have a 10 pound fire extinguisher, how can I find out the A.B.C. rating?

Question

I am required to have at least an 18 BC rating. From what I see in stores, any extinguisher that is 10 pounds or more has a 40 or 60 BC rating. Also there is no additional information on my extinguisher besides the weight.

Answer 1

Normally the label will have the UL rating of the extinguishser. Something like UL 4A:60B:C. If the label is missing, then technically it needs to be replaced. (The whole unit). You are right in that MOST 10 lb. ABC units will have at least a 40B:C rating, but without the label, it may be difficult to prove. Older units were rated somewhat differently.

The only other suggestion I have is to attempt to get the make and model number off of the unit and that could be used to get information from the manufacturer as to the units rating. Unfortunately, that kind of information is typically on the label as well.

I wish I could be more help.

Answer 2

a,b,c is the type of fire your extinguisher can put out.

Class A fires are ordinary materials like burning paper, lumber, cardboard, plastics etc.

Class B fires involve flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, and common organic solvents used in the laboratory.

Class C fires involve energized electrical equipment, such as appliances, switches, panel boxes, power tools, hot plates and stirrers. Water can be a dangerous extinguishing medium for class C fires because of the risk of electrical shock unless a specialized water mist extinguisher is used.

Answer 3

Fire Extinguisher Ratings

Class A Extinguishers will put out fires in ordinary combustibles, such as wood and paper. The numerical rating for this class of fire extinguisher refers to the amount of water the fire extinguisher holds and the amount of fire it will extinguish.

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Class B Extinguishers should be used on fires involving flammable liquids, such as grease, gasoline, oil, etc. The numerical rating for this class of fire extinguisher states the approximate number of square feet of a flammable liquid fire that a non-expert person can expect to extinguish.

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Class C Extinguishers are suitable for use on electrically energized fires. This class of fire extinguishers does not have a numerical rating. The presence of the letter “C” indicates that the extinguishing agent is non-conductive.

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Class D Extinguishers are designed for use on flammable metals and are often specific for the type of metal in question. There is no picture designator for Class D extinguishers. These extinguishers generally have no rating nor are they given a multi-purpose rating for use on other types of fires.

Multi-Class Ratings

Many extinguishers available today can be used on different types of fires and will be labeled with more than one designator, e.g. A-B, B-C, or A-B-C. Make sure that if you have a multi-purpose extinguisher it is properly labeled.

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This is the old style of labeling indicating suitability for use on Class A, B, and C fires.

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This is the new style of labeling that shows this extinguisher may be used on Ordinary Combustibles, Flammable Liquids, or Electrical Equipment fires. This is the new labeling style with a diagonal red line drawn through the picture to indicate what type of fire this extinguisher is NOT suitable for. In this example, the fire extinguisher could be used on Ordinary Combustibles and Flammable Liquids fires, but not for Electrical Equipment fires.

Answer 4

You haven't supplied enough info but this is a start.
http://nni.8m.com/extabc.htm


You could also try searching
:portable fire extinguisher sizes

dM