If the fire extinguisher is not required in the home, “it is more than recommended,” underlines Torsten Vancaneghem, manager of the company Extincteur service, based in Braine-le-Château. This will allow you to fight against a start of a domestic fire linked to a washing machine, a dryer, a cigarette butt… Planchas can also cause a fire. All it takes is a little grease to burn on the tablecloth and it starts to catch. fire with a slight draft.”
Please note that smoke detectors are indeed mandatory in all types of housing in Wallonia. In Brussels, this will be the case from 2025.
Three types of fire extinguisher depending on use, in the home, in the car…
“There are mainly three types of fire extinguisher, continues the specialist. “There are class ABC powder extinguishers, class ABF fire extinguishers, which project foam (mixture of water and foaming agent) and those with CO2 (carbon dioxide). These are recommended for electrical boxes. They are at -62°C, so they will cool the electrical cables. We mainly use them in offices, where there are a lot of PCs.”
And to add. “For the home, the best is the ABF fire extinguisher. It extinguishes solid, liquid and grease fires. You can use it on fryers, planchas, barbecues… It causes much less damage than the powder since it's just water and additive.”
We might indeed be tempted to keep an ABS car fire extinguisher – powder, therefore – at home. This is not a good idea. “The powder is effective for hydrocarbons. As it is very fine, it will cover everything. Which is very good for a car fire, but in the house, you will have it everywhere. This risks destroying all the household appliances cooking, for example.”
How many fire extinguishers at home?
A household fire extinguisher generally weighs 6 kg.
“It covers 150 m2,” explains Torsten Van Caneghem. “This is suitable for a single-storey house. We can possibly also provide one in the garage, to protect the washing machine and the dryer if they are there. floor, it depends if the residents are smokers or if there are a lot of devices, such as TVs, game consoles and others. The risk of a fire starting is then greater.
Where to buy your home fire extinguisher?
You can of course find fire extinguishers on the internet, at very competitive prices, or in DIY stores. “But it is better to contact a specialist, because in Belgium, fire extinguishers must meet the Benor standard. This means that the device has been tested in the factory and this is the assurance that it will work 100% Fire extinguishers sold on the internet are not necessarily tested in the factory and it may happen that they trigger on their own after a certain time, or even that they empty over time and when you need it, They are unusable. Another problem is that in some devices, there is more water than additive, which makes them much less effective. You may pay a little more in a recognized firm or from an independent. specialized, but you are sure to have a quality product.”
The price of a quality, standard fire extinguisher varies from 60 to 120 euros. “With a lifespan of approximately 20 years, replacing the additive after 10 years.”
