Hi Hillary,
I just wanted to touch base with you with some preliminary information. I am still reaching out and waiting to hear back from some library, paper, and archive pros. So far, our contacts have expressed that both clean agent and water mist extinguishers are acceptable for collection items, with consideration to electronic equipment. If you have a lot of scanners or valuable electronics in your collection area, then you may want to stick with the clean agent extinguisher, as the water mist will not perform adequately on an electrical fire.
I dug up this comparison chart from NPS
https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/MHI/Chap9.pdf on fire extinguishers (p. 64) if it's helpful.
I heard back from a few of our experts, and here's what they had to say about the matter:
Expert 1:
Both Clean Agent and Water Mist type extinguishers are acceptable for cultural heritage collections and the preference really comes down to the very specific application. For collection spaces that will have a combination of collections and computers or other electronic equipment, the clean agent extinguishers would be the better choice since a water mist extinguisher would not work on an electrical fire. I generally prefer clean agent extinguishers over water mist due to their versatility.Expert 2:
From a brief glance at the literature, I am inclined to the water mist extinguisher, but I think either would be acceptable. The clean agent type appears to be designed more for electronic equipment, although both claim to be rated for type A (combustible), B (flammable liquid), and C (electrical) fires. The library needs to remember to contact the local fire department to see if there is someone who can provide training on using portable fire extinguishers appropriately and safely. The weight, noise, and recoil of a deployed extinguisher can come as a surprise.
Like I said, I'm still working on this one, Hillary. I'll update this post as I find out more!
Best,
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Nicole Peters
Conservator
Peters Art Conservation Services, LLC
Skagway AK
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Original Message:
Sent: 11-19-2019 11:43
From: Hillary Morgan
Subject: Fire Extinguisher Type for Collection Spaces
Hello,
We are looking into the fire extinguisher types that we are using in the Special Collections storage areas of our main library.
We've been specifically looking at the pros and cons of "Clean Agent" vs "Water Mist" type extinguishers when used in library collection spaces. Currently, we have CleanGuard clean agent extinguishers (https://www.ansul.com/en/us/DocMedia/F-2013145.pdf), but want to make sure this is the best option.
Does anyone have any experience with either of these types of extinguishers with library collections or have any further advice/alternate recommendations?
Any help with this is much appreciated!
All the Best,
Hillary
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Hillary Morgan
University of Colorado Boulder Libraries
Boulder CO
(303) 735-8046
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