Halon Fire Extinguisher
Are Halon Fire Extinguishers Legal?

How To purchase Fire Extinguishers (UK Only)

If you are interested in purchasing fire extinguishers or any other type of fire safety equipment, I can recommend Screwfix, who offer a wide range of equipment at very competitive prices, with next day delivery.

They have over thirty years experience and are one of the largest and most reliable suppliers in the UK. You can view their workplace safety equipment page here.

See Also The Following Pages:

Main Fire Extinguisher Page

Water Fire Extinguishers

Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguishers

Dry Powder Fire Extinguishers

Wet Chemical Fire Extinguishers

Fire Extinguisher Ratings

How To Use A Fire Extinguisher

History Of The Fire Extinguisher

Halon Fire Extinguisher - Introduction

Halon fire extinguishers were used extensively for fires on computers and electronic equipment. Portable extinguishers contained 'Halon 1211' and fixed systems used 'Halon 1301'. When it was realised that the gases used were among the most damaging to the environment in terms of depletion of the ozone layer, their use was largely banned.

Halon Fire Extinguisher - The Banning of Halon

In 1993 150 countries signed up to the Montreal Protocol, which was intended to restrict the use of ozone depleting chemicals. This led to the banning of the production of Halon in all developed countries from the end of 1993.

In the UK it became illegal to sell or use halon fire extinguishers in December 2002, and all halon extinguishers and systems had to be completely decommissioned by the end of December 2003. Any such extinguishers have to be decommissioned and the halon gas recovered. The serious global warming impact of halon means that it is very important to dispose of any halon extinguishers properly to ensure the gas is not released into the atmosphere.

Halon Fire Extinguisher - Have You Still Got Any?

If you still have a halon extinguisher it should be disposed of immediately at a local authority amenity site, or through a commercial waste disposal company. Halon fire extinguishers are usually green in colour though some for specialist areas were made in dark green, gold or yellow, so check labels carefully if in doubt. The label should say either 'halon' or 'BCF' on it.

The use of halon extinguishers is still permitted under the legislation in a few exceptions for critical equipment. Some of the areas where a halon fire extinguisher or installation may still be used are on aircraft, certain military vehicles and sites, naval vessels and some cargo ships, other areas of the armed forces, police and fire brigade and in the Channel Tunnel. Some of the reasons for still using halon fire extinguishers on aircraft are that the alternatives are heavier, and less effective in dealing with fires in an environment where safety is absolutely critical.

Halon Fire Extinguisher - Alternatives To Halon Fire Extinguishers

If you do find a halon extinguisher, remember that when you dispose of it you must replace it with an up to date equivalent. A Carbon Dioxide fire extinguisher is probably going to be the most suitable replacement, though there are some 'clean' halon alternatives available.

One of the reasons halon was used was that it was electrically non-conductive and left no residue. These are the qualities that made halon fire extinguishers so suitable for electronic equipment. Some modern alternatives that have similar properties to halon are Halocarbon Gases (hydrofluorocarbons and perfluorocarbons), Inert Gases (various combinations of nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide) and Inert Gas Generators (solid material that quickly oxidises to produce lots of carbon dioxide and/or nitrogen).

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