Fire Suppression News

New Water Portables Offer The Total Solution

New Water Portables Offer The Total Solution

The standard models are the 6-litre and the 9-litre extinguishers that are suitable for Class A fire risks that include wood, paper and textiles. They provide impressive projection of the extinguishant, optimal water bead dimension, and the ability to discontinue delivery of the extinguishant at any time. The anti-freeze versions of the same extinguishers are built to withstand temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees C and are ideal for use on garage forecourts, loading bays, rail, aviation and marine environments, warehouses and storage areas.

The ‘special’ TOTAL water portable is purpose-designed to fight sawdust fires in joinery shops, furniture manufacturing plants and timber processing facilities. It incorporates a special spray nozzle that delivers the correct drop size and flow intensity to fight sawdust fires, and uses the newly formulated, fast knock-down TOTALON A water-based agent. This is released when a CO2 [Carbon Dioxide] container within the cylinder is activated. This particular portable was developed by TOTAL because, while smouldering sawdust fires respond well to water, conventional Class A water extinguishers lack the ability to deliver the water correctly, and water alone is not always the most effective agent.

The new TOTAL water portables comply with all of the relevant international standards, and were developed at the TOTAL dedicated portables research and manufacturing facility in Neuruppin in Germany. They are part of an extensive collection of standard foam, water, CO2 and powder portables and a growing catalogue of special-application portable extinguishers.

Virtually every stage of cylinder manufacture is under the direct control of TOTAL, including material selection and sourcing in Europe, the most advanced low-heat plasma welding, fabrication, assembly and high-performance powder-coating, cylinder pressure testing and agent filling. This commitment to quality is underpinned by uniquely numbering each and every TOTAL cylinder to provide a complete and reliable quality audit trail.

All TOTAL portables are manufactured from specially formulated steel that remains flexible after heating and welding. The one-millimetre-thick internal powder coating is widely recognised as the industry’s most hardwearing surface. Every cylinder is electrode-tested to ensure that there are no pin-point flaws in the coating, and the quality of the finish can be judged by the fact that there is a complete absence of colour fading that is a common feature of many inferior quality cylinders. Even the cylinder wall-mounting brackets are designed to ensure that there is no metal-to-metal or metal-to-wall scuffing.

All TOTAL portables are guaranteed for five years, providing they are serviced from new in accordance with the appropriate regulatory standards. They are available in the UK through Express Fire in Manchester and from a country-wide network of approved TOTAL supply partners that are trained to advise, install and maintain the right extinguishers in peak condition. Further details are available from Express Fire on 0161 688 5050, or from Tyco Fire Suppression & Building Products on 01493 417600.