Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Fire extinguisher in the projection room

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Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 10-23-2019, 05:55 PM:

The guy who now does the annual inspection and tagging for all of my fire extinguishers has pointed out that the standard fire extinguisher in my projection room is a bad idea. The white powder is corrosive and will destroy any electronics that it gets onto.

The right thing to have in a room full of electronics is a CO2 fire extinguisher which costs substantially more than a regular one but won't destroy your electronics.

I just ordered one....

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-23-2019, 06:18 PM:

For some reason, in Massachusetts, the fire extinguisher is supposed to be outside the booth door, rather than inside the booth. It can be either a CO2 or dry chemical type.

Interesting point about the corrosive powder, though. I didn't know that.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 10-23-2019, 06:23 PM:

We only have CO2 fire extinguishers inside and around our screening room. Powder based fire extinguishers are more effective, but the white powder is indeed deadly for your electronics equipment.

Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 10-23-2019, 06:25 PM:

There is also a Halon fire extinguisher that essentially robs the fire of both Oxygen and lowers the temperature that supports combustion.

Computer rooms can be equipped with a full room system of this type. Unfortunately, humans trapped in that room will also be deprived of Oxygen with fatal results.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 10-23-2019, 06:34 PM:

Halon is effectively being phased out since 1994. It's forbidden in all new implementations besides a very select number of military applications and applications in aerospace. I don't know any datacenters that use halon anymore, even air-traffic control datacenters I know have been refitted with alternative fire suppression measures.

Posted by Stephan Shelley (Member # 8587) on 10-23-2019, 08:54 PM:

The replacement for Halon is Haltron and is not suppose to be ozone depleting like Halon supposedly is.

I prefer Haltron or Halon to CO2 as CO2 is very cold and causes condensation and even ice to form on metal surfaces and can damage electronics as well.

The dry chem extinguishers are not only corrosive but you will never get that powder out of the optics.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 10-23-2019, 11:07 PM:

Halotron is indeed a good replacement for hand extinguishers to CO2 where available. CO2 seems to be somewhat more effective at close distance, with the added negative that condensation is possible. But you're fighting a (potential) fire here, so condensation is usually one of the few worries you have, the fire being usually the bigger (potential) source of damage.

If you're working in a badly ventilated environment like a basement, I'd really prefer Halotron or other "fuel cooling" agents, as CO2 dispels oxygen and is pretty poisonous/deadly for living beings at certain concentrations, although it's not very likely to get there after just a single fire extinguisher discharge.