Glass fire extinguisher - GIF

[ToolTalkBot]

Glass fire extinguisher.





Previously:

Snapping a long piece of glass
Fire extinguisher guide
Molding glassware
Sealing insulated glass

[IntheGroove]

Likely contains carbon tetrachloride...

[TheElderBrother]

My Dad was the training officer in his department, and he had a small museum in his office.

These worked by throwing them at the fire. You smashed them at the center of the burning area, and the water was supposed to help put it out.

They could be hung on a hook, or just sat in a convenient place. The speaker is probably hoping for a more elaborate or elegant solution, but it's just that simple.

Modern sprinkler systems used glass inserts that were designed to rupture when the water inside started expanding, which also opened the sprinkler valve, which I'm sure is why he is imagining more intricate means of deploying these bad boys, but there is a reason they are the rough shape of a baseball.

And that is also why they made hand grenades in that rough shape too. Americans were used to throwing a baseball.

This particular model looks like it could be hung by a piece of string so if it burned, it would drop the glass glove and that pointed piece would ensure it broke the glass, but they didn't work especially well, so they were just whipped at the base of the fire by whoever was trying to put it out.

There were a lot of companies that sold spuriously designed equipment in the name of fire safey.

[IntheGroove]

The one he is holding is an early automatic unit. The cup on the bottom has wax in it, similar to an automotive thermostat, that when heated will release the spring loaded pin that will break the glass...