# Fire Extinguisher - Smoke Detector Questions



## dalec (Oct 3, 2007)

I have just checked my kitchen and garage/shop extinguishers (not rechargeable). Both gauges show that they are still good, but just barely, so replacements will have to be purchased soon.

In the house an ABC rated chemical extinguisher would be fine. These same extinguishers will also work in the shop to cover wood, solvent and electrical fires. My question has to do with what happens after the fire is out. The dry chemicals leave a corrosive residue that if not cleaned up may damage my valued woodworking equipment. Am I better off going with two types of extinguishers in the shop (a ABC rated and a CO2). My logical side says don't add choices in an emergency, just get something to put any fire out first and figure out how to limit the damage to the equipment later. But the other side of me says, boy those chemicals can make a mess or even permanently damage shiny cast iron tables not to mention electrical contacts.

While on the subject of shop safety, I don't have a smoke detector in the garage/shop, seems like a good idea. I always clean up after using my ww equipment and usually unplug my equipment as a safety precaution.

Given the dusty environment, will they work when needed and will they trigger an alarm with the dust reaches a certain level? Are there any smoke detectors that work in properly in a dusty shop environment?

Any thoughts/recommendation?

Thanks, Dalec


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## GMman (Apr 11, 2008)

Have you ever try to put air back in with your compressor


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## fury (Oct 17, 2009)

Saw this from another thread here. Have not used it but looks interesting.

Ceiling Mounted Unmanned Fire Extinguisher

Original Thread
http://lumberjocks.com/topics/10688


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## dalec (Oct 3, 2007)

Thanks John. Hadn't seen this product. Worth considering.

Dalec


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

My shop is in the basement. The smoke detector sometimes goes off when ripping maple or oak when I have the blade tilted to something other than 90 degrees. I just figure it is a good test for the detector. Because the furnace and washer/dryer are all in the basement, there is a real need to keep the detector there.


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## CoolDavion (Dec 6, 2007)

I would also suggest to anyone to also include a CO detector, especialy near the furnace.

We were renting a townhouse, with the furnaces in the complex gettin fairly old (10-15 years maybe). One of the negibores had issues with their furnace and the CO levels, so after that at I've always installed a CO detector.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

If the smaoke detector is photoelectric type, anything that bloks the light will set it off. I don't remember what the other type in called right now, but it has to "smell" smoke.


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

My shop is not near enough to the house to hear a smoke detector from the house. So if a smoke detector goes off in the woods and no one is there to hear it does it make any noise? (-;

Actually smoke detectors in garages and stand alone shops like mine should be hard wired to sound off in the house where you can hear them. Some systems have all smoke detectors hard wired together so if one goes off they all sound. In Oregon all smoke detectors have to either be hard wired (120v) or have 10 year lithium batteries because people don't check them every 6 moths like the should.


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## firecaster (Jan 15, 2009)

ionization is the other type, I think. My smoke detector doesn't go off unless I burn something with a dull blade or router bit.


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