Focus: extinguishing powder insolubility

How important is the insolubility factor in extinguishing powder?

It is extremely important because it guarantees immunity to water and humidity, factors that adversely affect the behaviour of the fire extinguisher.

The EN 615:2009 Standard

The reference standard (UNI EN 615:2009) mentions water repellency among the requirements and, to confirm its importance, outlines a specific test method (Annex D).

This property is mentioned also in the Safety Data Sheet (MSDS or Information Sheet - given the non-hazardous nature of the extinguishing powder) in section 9 called "PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES".

What gives water repellency?

The extinguishing powder must necessarily be insoluble as a guarantee of a correct functioning of the extinguisher during the discharge operations.

In fact, if insolubility is not guaranteed, it would mean using an extremely risky product (and, first of all, not compliant with the regulations) and it would significantly increase the formation of lumps and the emergence of problems related to the flowability of the particles.

How then to make the extinguishing powder insoluble? The silicone based additives come into play – different depending on whether they are used for the production of ABC or BC powders – , which coat the particles making them resistant to the water factor.

Attention should be drawn to the importance of the shelf-life of the additive: in fact, the repellent properties are guaranteed for a set time, which in turn affects the shelf-life and the properties of the extinguishing powder.

The importance of insolubility

It is therefore important to stress the relevance of the insolubility factor when discussing extinguishing powder. Therefore, we choose the best partners and suppliers for raw materials, ensuring quality and high fire suppressing performance (witnessed by the conformity certifications of our products).

Discover BLOK extinguishing powders.