Best fire extinguisher for your home and vehicle

Your home should really have at least one fire extinguisher, and according to the National Fire Protection Association, ideally one on every level of the house and another in the garage. Based on our research, which included comparison studies that looked at factors such as ease-of-use, reliability, and cost, we like the First Alert PRO5 for your home and First Alert Auto for your car.

Hopefully you don’t need to be convinced why. Fire safety studies show that a portable fire extinguisher successfully puts out a home fire 94% of the time — as long as you can get to it within a minute or two.

Placement is key, as there are some high-risk areas (such as the kitchen) where you’ll want them readily available. A good rule of thumb is to have an extinguisher available within a maximum of a 40-foot travel distance from anywhere in the house. The older or less mobile you are, the shorter that distance should be.

Most important tips:

  • Extinguishers under $50 are usually more compact (under five pounds), but they’re only effective on smaller fires and should be considered supplements or backups to larger primary ones over $50.
  • Different classes of portable extinguishers handle different types of fires. The industry uses categories like A, B, and K to reflect what types of fires are suppressed. You wouldn’t want to use a water-based extinguisher on an electrical fire, for example.
  • You want the common ABC type in your home.
  • The bigger the numbers in the classification (eg. 1A 10B:C), the more fire an extinguisher can handle.
  • You should only use the “dry chemical” type of extinguisher, which blasts out the white powdery substance you typically see in movies. Don’t bother with other types.
  • If it isn’t “UL certified”, don’t buy it.

Based on our research, which included comparison studies that looked at factors such as ease-of-use, reliability, and cost, you can feel safe buying these models:

Our Pick
First Alert PRO5
Best for most homes:

First Alert PRO5

Rated 3 A: 40 B:C, which means it can handle the vast majority of common house fires where quick reaction can make the difference.
Amerex B402
Also great for most homes:

Amerex B402

Essentially the same as the First Alert, just less commonly found.

The First Alert PRO5 came out on top for its affordability (around $50), availability, and ability to extinguish the most common household fires. This extinguisher is rated 3 A: 40 B:C, which means it’s appropriate for all common home fires including wood, paper, burning liquids, and electrical fires. What makes it really stand out is that it exceeds the NFPA’s minimum-size recommendations for home extinguishers, yet it’s still lightweight at just 10lbs and can be recharged after use for half the price of buying new. Another advantage is that its discharge valve is made from metal, which makes it more reliable than plastic valves used on other models. They’re commonly found online and in your local big box stores.

Also great is the Amerex B402. It’s essentially identical to the PRO5, just less commonly found.

If you want a more portable or smaller option that’s easier to store, the First Alert HOME1 and Amerex B417 are the little siblings, coming in at half the weight (5 pounds instead of 10) at the cost of lower capacity (1A 10B:C). If you go this route, we recommend still getting a large one for your most primary spot (probably the kitchen), while using these smaller ones to fill in gaps around the house.

There are smaller options, like The Fireman Extinguishing Spray, but we’ve seen some pretty bad reviews and reports of leaky seals, which allow it to discharge prematurely. The Fireman spray is held in an aerosol can with a trigger nozzle — just point and spray. There’s a non-toxic wetting agent that is rated for Class A, B, C, and K fires, and the clean-up is minimal; just soap and water.

Our Pick
Great for the car:

First Alert Auto

5B:C, will put out small electrical and flammable liquid fires. Can fit in glove compartment or be mounted around the vehicle.

Weighing just three pounds, the First Alert Auto Fire Extinguisher is compact enough for easy car storage. Its rating is 5B:C, so it’s appropriate for putting out flammable liquid and electrical fires. The key is keeping it accessible; an extinguisher that’s small enough to fit in your glove compartment will be much more useful in an emergency than the extinguisher carefully mounted in your trunk. Where you choose to place it depends on your vehicle, but the consistent advice is to keep it centrally located, either mounted on the back of a seat or just in front of the passenger seat. Mounting is important; you don’t want it rolling around the floor of your car where an accidental discharge will ruin your day.

Top brands

While Kidde is one of the largest manufacturers of extinguishers and commonly found in stores like Walmart, reviewers such as Wirecutter warn against them due to numerous recalls of their products. For example, their plastic-handled extinguishers were recalled in 2017 because they became clogged and difficult to discharge, failing to activate when needed.

How to read fire extinguisher classes such as “3 A: 40 B:C”

The standards are set by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the global safety certification company. According to the Fire Equipment Manufacturers’ Association:

  • A: Fires involving ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, trash, cloth, some plastics
  • B: Fires in flammable liquids such as gasoline, petroleum greases, tars, oils, oil-based paints, solvents, and alcohols. Also include flammable gases such as propane and butane, but does not include fires involving cooking oils and grease.
  • C: Fires involving energized electrical equipment such as computers, servers, motors, transformers, and appliances. However, if you remove the power source, a Class C fire becomes one of the other classes of fire, depending on what’s burning.
  • D: Fires in combustible metals such as magnesium, titanium, zirconium, sodium, lithium, and potassium.
  • K: Fires in cooking oils and greases such as animal and vegetable fats.

The most common residential fire causes, from a 2017 US Fire Administration study:

  • Cooking 51.6%
  • Heating 9.1%
  • Unintentional, careless 7.1%
  • Electrical malfunction 6.5%

Experts recommend the ABC combo types as the best fire extinguisher for home use because it covers the widest range of the most likely fires.

While it may seem that a Class K would be appropriate in a home kitchen, it’s not: they’re designed to be effective against animal fats and grease used in larger commercial kitchens.

According to experts, an extinguisher with a B rating can be effective on a small Class K fire — the kind you’d have in your home kitchen. But the vice versa is not true, making a Class K pretty ineffective in the home.

Tip: Using the wrong method to put out a grease fire is one of the main situations where people mess up. If you use water, for example, all you’re doing is pushing the burning grease around and making things worse.

The numbers you might see next to letters in a product description reflect how strong each letter is.

The number next to the A means reflects how effective it is compared to 1.25 gallons of water. So, a 2A rating would be as effective as 2.5 gallons of water.

The numbers next to the B and C measure the amount of square feet the extinguisher can put out. They’ll often shorten the code to #B:C instead of saying #B #C. For a 10B:C rating, the extinguisher will be able to cover 10 square feet.

Class D extinguishers — used for flammable metals such as magnesium, titanium, sodium, etc — are identified by a five-point star containing the letter “D”. These won’t have a numerical rating, unless they’re multipurpose for use on other types of fires.

Class K extinguishers are found in most commercial kitchens, and are identified by a hexagon containing the letter “K”. There is no numerical rating for a Class K extinguisher, unless it’s multipurpose; for example, 2A:K would contain the equivalent of 2.5 gallons of water and would be effective on a cooking oil fire.

Types of extinguishers and how they put out fires

A fire needs three things: oxygen, heat, and fuel. So to reduce a fire, an extinguisher needs to disrupt at least one leg of that tripod.

Although 99% of you will only use the “dry chemical” type, here’s the full range of options:
fire extinguisher test

  • Water and Foam: These extinguishers work by taking away the heat element of the fire triangle. Foam agents also separate the oxygen element from the other elements. These are for Class A fires only; the discharge could spread flammable liquid in Class B fires and could create a shock hazard with an electrical fire (Class C).
  • Carbon Dioxide: Carbon dioxide takes away the oxygen element of the fire triangle and also removes the heat with a very cold discharge. These can be used on B and C fires, but are ineffective on Class A fires.
  • Dry Chemical: Dry chemical fire extinguishers work by interrupting the chemical reaction of the fire triangle. The most widely used type of extinguisher is a multipurpose dry chemical that works for A, B, and C fires. However, there’s also an ordinary dry chemical extinguisher; those are only for B and C fires.
  • Wet Chemical: This extinguishing agent stops the fire by removing the heat of the fire triangle, while also preventing re-ignition by creating a barrier between oxygen and fuel. These are for Class K fires; developed for deep fat fryers in commercial kitchens. They can also be used on Class A fires, but typically only in commercial settings.
  • Clean Agent: Also known as halogenated, clean agent extinguishers include the halon agents as well as the newer (and less ozone-depleting) halocarbon agents. This type of extinguisher works by interrupting the chemical reaction and/or removing the heat from the fire triangle.
  • Dry Powder: Dry powder extinguishers work by separating the fuel from the oxygen element, or by removing the heat element of the fire triangle. They’re used for combustible metal fires only (Class D), and are ineffective on all other types of fires.
  • Water Mist: These extinguishers are mainly used for Class A fires, and work by taking away the heat element of the fire triangle. Water mist is a good alternative to the clean agent extinguishers where contamination is a concern.
  • Cartridge-Operated Dry Chemical: These extinguishers interrupt the chemical reaction of the fire triangle, using either multipurpose dry chemical (for Class A, B, and C fires) or ordinary dry chemical (for Class B and C only). The difference is that these extinguishers are used primarily by professionals, as they can be refilled in the field for active fire fighting.

Where to store extinguishers (hint: not under the sink)

It makes sense that you want to keep your extinguishers close to the riskiest areas. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the kitchen is the riskiest, followed by garages and areas with appliances like your furnace.

But it pays to be thoughtful about placement within those areas. You want the extinguisher to be close enough for easy reach, but not so close it could be caught up in the fire to begin.

And the closer to an exit, the more likely you can safely reach that extinguisher without trapping yourself in a hot corner.

Consider under the kitchen sink:

  • That’s likely very close to your stove and other appliances, putting it too close to danger.
  • In a panic and/or in the dark, it might not be easy to get on all fours and dig through the other products you have stored down there.

Some extinguishers will come with a mounting kit, but if not, be sure to buy an appropriately sized kit for your extinguisher. You’ll want a kit that allows you to easily remove the extinguisher; make sure everyone in your home knows where they’re mounted and how to remove them.

How long do fire extinguishers last? What about maintenance?

Most common extinguishers can last 12 years or more. Rechargeable fire extinguishers should be professionally inspected every five years to make sure they are properly charged and in good shape. If you have a disposable extinguisher, those typically have a 12-year shelf life, so you can count on replacing it every decade or so.

The thing is, many people have, at best, a vague idea of when they bought their extinguisher.

Tip: When you buy it, use a permanent marker to write the month and year directly on the container.

A better rule of thumb is to keep an eye on it: it’s a good idea to add just a minute or two of inspection to your annual preparedness review. Just give a quick once-over to see if anything looks bent, damaged, loose, rusted, etc. Is the locking pin still in place? Is the pressure gauge below the green zone?

If you notice anything, call the company or even your local fire department for advice.


  • 10 Comments

    • Jane Shapira

      My question is about fire extinguishers.  I have an ordinary one, appropriate for normal household use.  But I live in an old wooden house approximately 40 feet away from a big transformer mounted on an ancient wooden electrical pole.  And I’m in Seattle, so thinking about earthquake consequences.  Question: Is there any fire extinguisher that might be able to handle a downed transformer?  Alternatively, should I  buy some fire hose and possibly tap into the fire hydrant across the street?  I live less than a mile from a fire station, but would rather not count on them being able to get to me quickly after a big earthquake.  Maybe I worry too much, but that transformer is big and close.  Thanks.

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      • Dragoon Jane Shapira

        There isn’t going to be a household fire extinguisher that will be able to put out a transformer fire. They quickly can get out of hand and explode. You also have to worry about getting close enough with down power lines that could still be active. 

        I also wouldn’t tap into your fire hydrant. They are under high amounts of pressure and you can get injured just trying to open them. Often the hydrant lines are damaged during an earthquake anyways and the water company might turn off the main to that area after an earthquake detection so you might not even have water to use. Even if you did get the fire hydrant open, hooked up a hose, and put out the fire of the transformer, you still have to worry about electrocution. You now have soaked the ground around a downed power line which can lead to death by electrocution.

        I would call your utility company and ask for a technician to come out and inspect the pole if you think it is a risk. Demand to know the exact time when the technician comes out so you can talk to them and question their decision if they believe it is safe or not. You are a paying customer, you should have some say in the integrity of your services.

        The first thing you should do after an earthquake is evacuate out of the house if it is safe to do so. Access your gas and electric mains outside and turn them off. Most damage from earthquakes are actually caused after the fact by leaking gas lines and damaged electrical lines causing fires.

        The best thing you can do if a transformer lands in your yard is to step back and stay clear.

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    • M. E.Contributor

      I would love it if you guys could review these wicked-cool “fire balls” that I just saw on Brookstone. One of my concerns is that in an emergency, if you threw it into the fire, it might actually harm the person doing the throwing. But it seems cool to keep it in places prone to fire (attic? I know three people who had attic fires from lightning strikes) and it is basically a passive suppressant.  

      https://www.brookstone.com/products/automatic-fire-extinguisher-ball-stand-2k-neutralizer?nosto=searchpage-nosto-1

      I am also curious about the “Saf-T” brand of decorative extinguishers. I like the idea of making prepping more mainstream and even fun; these would make great gifts. But I’d never buy one without the “stamp of approval” from The Prepared. Any chance you guys could persuade those two brands to let you do some testing?    

      https://safe-t.us

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      • Gideon ParkerStaff M. E.

        Great suggestions that I will bring up with the team! Many people, my wife included, don’t want to stick a fire extinguisher on the wall because it’s an eyesore or doesn’t match with the rest of the kitchen. Well, when a grease fire burns down your kitchen, then that will be an eye sore.

        If one of these decorative extinguishers will force you to place it in an accessible place when you otherwise would have stuck the big red one under the sink, then it’s better than nothing I suppose. 

        The decorative Death Star ball, or it’s other color and design variants, could be a good solution for young children who know how to toss a ball to daddy, but otherwise wouldn’t be able to operate a more complicated extinguisher. The best advice for children though is to GET OUT of the house. So maybe not the best idea to teach them to run deeper into the house to grab the fire extinguisher ball when there is a fire.

        Some initial thoughts I have about them though. If you have guests over and there is a fire started in the corner, are they going to know to throw the Death Star ball at the fire? I think the big red extinguisher is much more identifiable to everyone. And they do make it bright and red for a reason. It will be harder to see the Black Cat decorative extinguisher in a smoke filled room, and again someone might not at first identify that as an extinguisher.

        Screenshot from 2021-09-04 11-27-07 

        And then… just no… please don’t get this one…. It looks like more of a fire hazard than a fire extinguisher.

        e

        For preppers. I don’t think you can go wrong with the tried and true designed classic red extinguisher. Especially if it’s one of the ones from our list that we have done research on. 

        My personal recommendation is to follow The Prepared’s article and get a quality extinguisher in high risk areas of your home, mount it somewhere easily accessible and visible, and then if you want additional fire protection, you can get one of the decorative options after you have your bases covered with the more reliable options.

        3 |
      • T Atkins H Gideon Parker

        Speaking of the danger of going to get the extinguisher there is a good practice that will reduce the risk.

        The first part of the best practice is to R.A.C.E. against the fire. That acronym means

        • Rescue
          • Get everyone out before you do anything else.
        • Alarm
          • Call whatever help is available so they can already be on the way.
        • Confine
          • Close any interior doors or other barriers to fire spread as you remove people in danger.
        • Extinguish,
          • Only after you have executed the other 3 steps should you consider attempting extinguishment.

        Place the extinguisher as close as you can get it to an exterior exit door of your home. When you go to get it you will then already be at an exit door. If you turn back towards the fire and have an Oh Sh*t reaction you can turn back and use the exit to escape any risk of entrapment.

        Firefighters have a risk evaluation mantra that is worth thinking about.

        • Risk a lot to save a human life
        • Risk a little to save property
        • Risk nothing for lives already lost or property already destroyed.

        T Atkins H

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    • Hans

      Any advice on how to handle fires in a car? Or when to not even attempt? I’m all for being prepared but the little I’ve gleaned makes it seem like there are limited circumstances when it would be safe/worth the risk to attempt to put out a car fire. In other words, probably not too many circumstances where a fire would start in the cabin. And if a fire started in the engine block, it seems like either the car is going to be totalled or unusable in the short-term until repaired. And attempting to put out a fire in the engine block seems to come with a fair amount of risk.

      4 |
      • Dragoon Hans

        I’ll respond with what I said on another forum thread talking about where to store your car fire extinguisher.

        I’ve seen one car go up in flames before, it was an engine fire of a little VW Jetta. A cop pulled up and used up a whole extinguisher on it and it did nothing. Cars go up fast, and you have to be ready fast.

        If you are quick enough to pull over and use it, you may save your car. But you are limited to addressing cabin fires, because opening the hood or trunk could lead to increased airflow into that area and feed the fire even more. There are also many compressed components on a vehicle that can act like a bomb like pressurized struts. So if your car is going to be lost, get away and avoid potential shrapnel. 

        Have good vehicle insurance and hopefully a minor or major car fire will only cost you a deductible. 

        3 |
      • T Atkins H Dragoon

        In 45 years as a fire and medical rescue volunteer it has not been my experience that engine compartment fires cannot be extinguished with a fire extinguisher.

        If you take a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) class you will learn the techniques needed to attempt extinguishment without inordinate risk to yourself.

        T Atkins H

        2 |
    • T Atkins H

      From a prepping standpoint a used Ansul Cartridge operated extinguisher may be the best choice. That is because they can be refilled in the field without any special tools or equipment.

      Used cartridge operated fire extinguishers are available for fairly short money. This is because a change to National Fire Protection Association Standard on portable fire extinguishers’ NFPA #10. has made all fire extinguishers that do not have pictograph operating diagrams obsolete. The only purpose of the change to the standard is to force owners of extinguishers which will be inspected by code enforcement authorities to buy new extinguishers.

      The only difference between the old and new Ansul Redline Cartridge operated extinguishers is the absence of the pictographs on the older models. No change was made to the extinguisher itself at all. Add on pictograph labels are available for $1 to $3 but are not acceptable to code authorities as an upgrade to standard compliance. As a result of this slight of hand change in the standard there are a lot of “Obsolete” cartridge operated extinguishers available for sale.

      Read the refilling steps below and you will see that they are simple enough that any adult can refill the extinguisher.

      To refill a cartridge operated extinguisher you only need to;

      • Discharge any remaining propellant gas from the extinguisher,
        • This is best done with the extinguisher turned upside down to avoid discharging the left over dry chemical extinguishing agent.
      • Remove the propellant gas cylinder cover,
        • It just snaps on and off because it is held in place by a spring clip,
      • Remove the expended propellant gas cylinder from its reverse threaded port,
      • Remove the extinguisher fill cap slowly,
        • There are slots in the fill cap threads to allow any remaining pressure to escape safely during the removal of the cap,
      • Sift the remaining dry chemical into a plastic bucket through a sieve,
      • Add enough new dry chemical of exactly the same type to have the required weight of dry chemical shown on the label, 
      • Place the dry chemical in the extinguisher’s cylinder,
      • Replace the fill cap on the extinguisher,
      • Pull the charging paddle up to the ready position until it stops,
      • Inspect inside the propellant gas cylinder port threads to see that the puncture pin that opens the seal of the propellant gas cylinder was pulled up into it’s ready position by your lifting of the charging lever and is not still down in the threaded area of the port,
      • Remove the reverse threaded protective shipping cap from the proper size replacement propellant gas cylinder,
      • Screw the replacement propellant gas cylinder into the reverse threaded port,
      • Snap the propellant gas cylinder guard into place,
      • put the hose and nozzle back in place to prevent accidental charging of the extinguisher with the propellant gas.

      The unique suitability of these extinguishers for use by preppers is that by caching a supply of Dry Chemical extinguishing agent, say 2 or more full recharges worth of dry chemical and propellant gas cartridges, they can keep the extinguisher ready for use for a long period of time.

      T Atkins H

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    • T Atkins H

      One type of fire extinguisher that does not appear on most lists is a backpack type. Those are available in hard tank like the one shown

      FEDCO poly pump

      Or in soft tank which can be rolled up and stored very compactly.

      Smoke chaser backpack pump.

      If you shop carefully you can get one for < $100, sometimes for quite a bit less.

      Foam nozzles are available for them for ~$12.

      Backpack extinguisher foam nozzle

      By using a foam nozzle and filling the tank with Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) you can make it effective on ordinary solid combustibles and on combustible and flammable liquids. They are safe to apply to electrified burning materials because the foam will lack the continuity  of the stream to conduct electricity. You just have to stay back at least 10 feet. [It is also very dangerous to more closely approach any fire without appropriate protective equipment suitable to the type of fuel which is burning.]

      These extinguishers can be refilled from any source of water. Foam additive can be cached to provide for refilling them with AFFF foam.

      Another first aid firefighting pump that is worth having is a Stirrup pump.

      stirrup pump

      When place in any container of water it will discharge the stream through a long hose so the nozzle person can concentrate on getting the water on the fire and the container can be refilled with interrupting  the pump person and disrupting the continuous flow of water. These can be found both new and used.

      T Atkins H

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