MARINE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

Quick to spot and easy to grab Lithium specific fire extinguisher in case of an emergency

No matter where one is in their cruising season or in the world checking and maintaining marine fire extinguishers onboard is imperative.ย  The USCG keep an up to date log on product recalls.ย  See this link: USCG PRODUCT RECALLS

Carrying out a visual inspection.

Check for rust, dents, or chemical deposits. Even the smallest leak will render your device useless. It’s important to inspect your fire extinguishers on a monthly basis to check for any signs of a leak or corrosion.

EXPIRATION

Disposable (non-rechargeable) dry chemical fire extinguishers, must be removed 12 years after their date of manufacture. These extinguishers generally have their year of manufacturing stamped on the bottom or have its year marked next to its UL label.
Refer to the date of manufacturing stamped on the bottle; for example, “11” means “2011.”

Fire extinguishers are charged differently depending on their use. What kind do you have onboard?

Units neededย 

For vessels between 26 and 40 feet, you need either two 5-B fire extinguishers or a single 20-B fire extinguisher.

For vessels between 40 and 65 feet, you need either three 5-B fire extinguishers or one 20-B fire extinguisher and one 5-B fire extinguisher.

Got Lithium ย ?

Lithium powered toy.

Honestly, it would be quite surprising to go onto any cruising vessel today and not find any lithium batteries in some electronic device, tool, or toy.ย  Lithium batteries are a huge innovation in the battery industry powering everything from small fans to large motors.ย  Lithium batteries present a distinct risk onboard because the 2 of the 5 fire extinguishers above do not put lithium fires out.ย  Water and foam extinguishers are NOT effective and can make a lithium battery fire worse.ย  Only Class D fire extinguishers are effective against lithium-metal battery fires. Lithium-ion battery fires are Class B fires, indicating the presence of flammable liquids, so a standard dry chemical or ABC extinguisher canย put them out. Plus New high performance battery fire blanket are now designed for lithium ion battery packs.ย  With lithium smoke and expanding batteries you will also need Safety glasses Safety gloves

High performance fire blanket to put fire out lithium battery fire

Dr Adam Best, Principal Research Scientist at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is a leading lithium-ion battery expert.ย  He says, “”lithium-ion batteries are statistically a very safe technology and that fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are also a statistically rare event.”ย  Not all lithium batteries are the same.ย  In terms of safety profile, experts make a clear distinction between the high-energy lithium-ion batteries found within portable devices, and the lithium iron phosphate [LFP] batteries that are recommended for the marine industry as a vessel power source. LFP batteries are widely regarded as more stable than other types of lithium-ion batteries with a better safety track record.

The biggest Lithium battery risk is over-heating that can lead to battery damage, instability, and / or fire.ย  ย That said, cautious person will take certain measures to ensure they are using their lithium batteries carefully by

  1. Only charge lithium battery devices while onboard.
  2. Once a battery reaches 100% take it off the charger.
  3. If a battery feels hot, let it cool.
  4. Inspect batteries, if they look misshapen, dispose of them properly.