Fizz

[Khandro]

I read in a book review the anecdote that a Merseyside milkman (remember milkmen?) "Put out a caravan fire with bottles of lemonade from his van. He increased their effectiveness by shaking them up first."

I have reason to doubt this, because a couple of years ago I attended a Christmas concert in a local music school and a candle on a window ledge set fire to some paper decorations, a teacher standing nearby grabbed a bottle of water to pour onto it, which happened to be of the fizzy, carbonated type, and as soon as the water touched the flame it flared up even worse and was eventually smothered with a blanket.

Would this have been due to the gas and would he have not been better to use milk?

[Zacs-Master]

Was he called Ernie?

[douglas9401]

No and no

[bhg481]

The gas in fizzy drinks is carbon dioxide - fire extinguisher gas, but I would have thought the amount in it would have been negligible on the fire-extinguishing effect of the water. Shaking the bottles would, however, enable the milkman to "fire" the jet of water at the base of the fire, rather than just having to pour it.

[Peter Pedant]

the idea would be I suppose the to suffocate the fire with carbon dioxide which does not support combustion

will it come out of solution faster by shaking or heating ?

sounds as tho we need professor potty - or that one who used to blow up caravans with coloured explosives - that one
to do a few experiments

[Khandro]

But there is no doubt that in the music school incident, when she poured the fizzy water on the flame there was a huge flare-up.

[Khandro]

could other gases be involved in bottled water?

[THECORBYLOON]

I have always wondered why firefighters don't use carbonated water to extinguish fires. Thinking about the candle, could that be a wee bit like using water on a chip pan fire which is never recommended?

[Prudie]

I'm going to have to try this at home because I cannot believe an ordinary wax candle would flame up even more if you poured sparkling water on it.

[wolf63]

Khandro

You can't be 100% sure that the water was only water without alcohol added. Scientific experiments need a more controlled environment and 'ingredients'.

Meanwhile - I am away to turn the heating up because I am freeeezing.


:-D

[Khandro]

prudie; Please be careful and keep us posted, there may be though a difference between drowning the single flame directly, as with the flame of a candle, and the wider flames of a paper decoration.

[EDDIE51]

Corby, 'Water' fire extinguishers all use Carbon Dioxide. There is a CO2 cartridge, when you activate the extinguisher the cartridge is pierced and the CO2 released. The gas pressure forces out the water. Simple and effective.

[EDDIE51]

^^ But NOT for oil or fat based fires obviously!