A 5-pound fire extinguisher can discharge in as few as how many seconds?

A 5-pound fire extinguisher can discharge in as few as how many seconds?

• A. 15 seconds
• B. 10 seconds
• C. 5 seconds
• D. 30 seconds

Answer: (A)

Discharge time for a portable extinguisher is determined by how much agent is inside and how quickly it can be released. For a small, common handheld unit weighing about five pounds, the amount of agent is enough to be sprayed for roughly fifteen seconds if you discharge it steadily. That means the shortest possible discharge you’d expect from this size is about fifteen seconds. Larger extinguishers would run longer, while much shorter times like five or ten seconds aren’t typical for a five-pound cylinder, and thirty seconds would usually require a larger or differently designed unit. So, fifteen seconds is the best match for a typical five-pound extinguisher.

Discharge time for a portable extinguisher is determined by how much agent is inside and how quickly it can be released. For a small, common handheld unit weighing about five pounds, the amount of agent is enough to be sprayed for roughly fifteen seconds if you discharge it steadily. That means the shortest possible discharge you’d expect from this size is about fifteen seconds. Larger extinguishers would run longer, while much shorter times like five or ten seconds aren’t typical for a five-pound cylinder, and thirty seconds would usually require a larger or differently designed unit. So, fifteen seconds is the best match for a typical five-pound extinguisher.