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Archive for January 3rd, 2012

Often, someone who needs a fire extinguisher will buy an ABC fire extinguisher without giving much thought to the actual fire hazards they need to protect against. When buying fire extinguishers, you need to know several things about extinguishers in order to make an informed decision, specifically, the fire class you need to protect against and special conditions you need to consider (computer electronics, for example).

Classes of fire extinguishers

When it comes to fire extinguishers, there are five classes of fires: A, B, C, D, and K.

Class A – Fire extinguishers rated for Class A fires have a green triangle with an “A” in the center as well as a pictogram of a garbage can and wood burning. These extinguishers are used to put out fires for common combustibles like paper, cloth, rubber, and some plastics (materials that leave ash when burnt, hence, the “A”). Class B – Fire extinguishers rated for Class B fires have a red square with a “B” in the center as well as a pictogram of a gasoline can with a burning puddle. These extinguishers are used to extinguish fires for flammable liquids like gasoline, lubricating oil, diesel fuel, and many organic solvents found in laboratories (things found in barrels, hence “B”). Class C – Fire extinguishers rated for Class C fires have a blue circle with a “C” in the center as well as a pictogram of an electric plug with a burning outlet. These extinguishers are used to extinguish electrical fires for energized electrical equipment, electric motors, circuit panels, switches, and tools (“C” for current-electrical). Class D – Fire extinguishers rated for Class D fires have a yellow pentagram (star) with a “D” in the center as well as a pictogram of a burning gear and bearing. These extinguishers are used to extinguish fires from metals and metal alloys like titanium, sodium, and magnesium. Class K – Class K fire extinguishers are used specifically for cooking fires from grease, fat, and cooking oil (“K” for kitchen). You can get fire extinguishers with a single class rating or multiple fire class ratings (ABC or BC, for example).

Fire extinguishing materials

Fire extinguishers use different materials for extinguishing fires. When choosing your extinguisher, you need to determine what type of fire you may be fighting and then choose the best extinguishing material for your application.

Water: Water, or APW, extinguishers use pressurized water to extinguish fires. APW extinguishers can only be used for Class A fires (combustibles such as paper, cloth, etc.); they cannot be used for putting out other classes of fires. Dry chemical: Dry chemicals are used to extinguish A-, B-, C-, or D-type fires. They work by putting a fine layer of chemical dust on the material that is burning. Dry chemical extinguishers are very effective at putting out fires. However, dry chemical extinguishers can be abrasive and corrosive to electronics and certain other materials. Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide works by removing oxygen from the immediate vicinity of the fire. Carbon dioxide extinguishers are only ever used for B (flammable liquid) and C (electrical fires) extinguishers. For computer, medical and scientific equipment, and aircraft electronics, carbon dioxide would be a better choice than dry chemical extinguishers because a carbon dioxide extinguisher leaves no residue. Metal/sand: Some class D fire extinguishers use metal or sand, such as sodium chloride (NaCl) or powdered copper metal, to smother fires from metals and metal alloys.
Special applications

Some fire hazards require specialized extinguishers. Here are a few examples of those applications.

Metal or sand extinguishers are used to put out class D (metal and metal alloy) fires:

Salt (sodium chloride–NaCl) is the most commonly used material in metal/sand extinguishers. NaCl extinguishers work well with fires involving magnesium, sodium, potassium, alloys of potassium and sodium, uranium, and powdered aluminum. Sodium carbonate extinguishers are also used on fires involving sodium, potassium, and alloys of potassium and sodium. Where stress corrosion of stainless steel is a consideration, this type of fire extinguisher would be a better choice than an NaCl extinguisher. Powdered copper (Cu) metal is used for fires involving lithium and lithium alloys. Graphite powder extinguishers are used on lithium fires as well as fires that involve high-melting-point metals like titanium and zirconium. Sodium-bicarbonate-based extinguishers are used on fires involving metal alkyls and pyrophoric liquids. Halotron I is a clean agent replacement for Halon 1211, which was banned from use due to its ozone depleting properties. Halotron I extinguishers are used for extinguishing fires in computer rooms, clean rooms, and where telecommunications equipment or electronics are present. Halotron leaves no residue and is nonconducting but is more expensive than carbon dioxide. It should be noted that Halotron I will no longer be produced after 2015.

FE-36 (CleanGuard) extinguishers are another clean agent replacement for Halon 1211. FE-36 extinguishers are less toxic than Halon 1211 and Halotron I and reportedly have no ozone-depleting potential. FE-36 is also used for fires in computer rooms, clean rooms, and where telecommunications equipment or electronics are present. Unlike Halotron I, FE-36 is not planned for phase-out.

Nonmagnetic fire extinguishers: Wherever strong magnets are in use, for example, near magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers (NMRSs), nonmagnetic fire extinguishers should be chosen. The strong magnetic fields generated by this type of equipment can cause steel cylinder fire extinguishers to fly across a room with deadly force.

It is important to ensure that you have the proper fire extinguishers for your environment or potential fire dangers. It can be the difference between whether your fire is eliminated or causes a catastrophy.

Glass cooktops are among the most popular designs for ease of cleaning and overall convenience. The substance in these ranges is constructed of a special material that can withstand temperatures in excess of 1200 degrees Fahrenheit.

The radiant heat type of glass cooktop uses about 20 percent radiant heat and 80 percent conducted heat. For this reason, it is extremely important to choose the correct type of cookware for your range.

Without regard to the brand name of any particular cookware, the most important design element of the cookware you choose is that it must have a flat bottom. Not just mostly flat, but extremely flat. The best way to test for flatness is the ruler test. Take a standard 12 inch ruler and place the edge of it across the pan at the center. When you do this, look closely to see if there are any areas of light showing under the ruler. It is also acceptable to have a slight concave toward the center of the pan.

Another way to test if your pan is flat, is to place it on your glass cooktop and add one half cup water to it. Heat the water to boiling and check to see that the water heats and boils uniformly across the entire pan.

The best performing pots and pans for a glass top is one with a stainless steel bottom. Pans with copper or aluminum bottoms will transfer heat very well, but the soft metal will tend to mark up the specially designed glass. Ironically glass cookware is the least desirable type of material to use on a glass cooktop and is not recommended.

Whether you have a basic set of pots and pans from your major retail outlet or a designer set you received as a wedding gift, the name on the pans is not as important as the style, design, and material you use with your glass cooktop.

When it comes to getting your favorite recliner recovered, there are many things to consider before you start. If you are thinking of buying new furniture, consider that there are always other options that can save you money. If you have a favorite couch, why not throw a mink blanket on it? Everyone will enjoy the luxurious, soft covering. If you have matching sofas, try a neutral upholstery with fringe pillows. Remember that people in the upholstery industry are available for recommendations and advice on just about any style of furniture you own. To give your room a more modern look, get rid of kick pleats or eliminate the skirt altogether which will allow you to add decorative legs or other finishing touches to the bottom of the furniture. Sectional sofas are always good candidates for a reupholstering project. Ask your upholsterer to use fewer seat cushions and you will enjoy a sleeker look. You can cut down the number from four to three cushions or even from three to two seat cushions, if you wish.

If you have furniture that was made in the 70′s, it is often made in a house style with straight arms. You can have them redo the arm styles into a softer, rounder design. When you update furniture, you can add some gorgeous slipcovers or even a fleece throw blanket. Remember that modern furniture usually comes with a deeper, softer, larger cushion, so always choose lasting and durable fabrics, such as textured chenille, cottons and velvets.

Regardless of what your taste is, you can attract interest to a plain-colored sofa or sectional sofa with coordinating pillows, bullion fringes, or edge cording along with other interesting details. Or, how about reviving the look of button-back, attached-back, or beautiful soft-back cushions, or maybe even some plump pillows! The possibilities are almost endless when it comes to redecorating your favorite sectional sofa or other favorite piece of furniture.

Having a countertop microwave is a part of modern lives these days. When everyone seems to prefer to instance indulgence, microwave is the best solution to help you making tasty, healthy cooked meal within a few minutes only. Many manufacturers have been racing to promote their latest models in the home appliance market. With this wide range of options available, choosing which one is the best for us can be challenging. Therefore, please keep on reading to get the guidance to buy best countertop microwave.

How much is your provided budget on a countertop microwave?

It is necessary for you to know first how much money you must spare in order to purchase a countertop microwave. A general guidance can refer to a price as much as $500 and more for a single microwave. The price are varies depending on the features offered. So, do you have the budget already? If you do, you can start heading off to the electronic store or going online to authorized online stores.

What is your main purpose of using microwave?

Main intentions of people in using microwave can be varies, depending on the personal need. Some might use it to merely defrost stuff, heating up prepared meals, or do real cooking. When you do know what your intention with the microwave is, then you will also know what are the most important features that you need from the microwave.

How much power do you expect the microwave to have?

You need to understand that the power offered by different microwave models can be varies, ranging from 600 up to 1300 watts. When you have a more power, it means that you can cook more quickly with your microwave. For standard recipes, 800 watt models will be sufficient.

What size are you looking for?

One thing that might help you to answer the question is your microwave safe cookware. You need to make sure that your microwave cookware can go inside the microwave later. Otherwise, it will be a waste and you need to buy other microwave cookware that meet the microwave size.

How important is convection to a countertop microwave?

It is indeed really important. Convection means the hot air circulation inside the microwave that can make the food evenly tanned. Therefore, with convection feature, cooking in microwave will actually undergo 2 processes, which are microwave itself and the hot air circulation. The food will taste excellent and the process is instant when you cook with a countertop convection microwave oven.

After all, you might think what else that you should acknowledge before do the purchasing? Well, here are some more tips:
Do not waste money on the features that you believe will not be useful for you. A stainless steel microwave is preferred since it is easier to clean up. Before purchasing, check and make sure that the countertop convection microwave provides a turntable for evenly cooking result. When you have kids within reach, your microwave must have an auto off feature for a safety reason.

Here are some guidance that you can refer to when you want to purchase any countertop convection microwave. You can now start looking for the one to best suit your need.

Happy shopping!