Fire Extinguisher
Name/Title
Fire ExtinguisherEntry/Object ID
2025.1.265Description
Circular blue glass globe, sealed with wax over an alloy stopper and filled with liquid.Context
Usually referred to as a 'hand grenade' fire extinguisher and introduced in the 1880s. The earliest designs had long necks, were patterned and filled with salt water and ammonium chloride - the reasoning being that salt water doesn't freeze and the chloride produced a smoke that smothered the fire. However they are quite small and so in a domestic or workplace situation the best result would arrived from hurling them into the base of a fire. After 1900 they were filled with carbon tetrachloride (CTC), which at 76º turns into a gas which will suppress flames. Despite the fact that the harmful effects of CTC were apparent they were manufactured for c40 years.Category
Domestic