Publishing and copyright information

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© The British Standards Institution 2022

Published by BSI Standards Limited 2022

ISBN 978 0 539 21603 5

ICS 13.220.10

The following BSI references relate to the work on this document:
Committee reference FSH/2
Drafts for comment 18/30371310 DC, 22/30453509 DC

Foreword

Publishing information

This British Standard is published by BSI Standards Limited, under licence from The British Standards Institution, and came into effect on 28 February 2019. It was prepared by Technical Committee FSH/2, Fire extinguishers. A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Supersession

BS 6165:2019+A1:2022 supersedes BS 6165:2019, which is withdrawn.

Information about this document

This British Standard has been prepared under the direction of the Fire Standards Policy Committee and specifies requirements for non-refillable fire extinguishers of the aerosol type for various applications.

It is recognized that small disposable non-refillable fire extinguishers can be exposed to more severe environmental conditions and are required to maintain their performance for longer periods than other aerosol dispensers. For example, they can be installed in cars or other vehicles where they might be repeatedly exposed to higher than normal temperatures for up to five years. For these reasons, the requirements of this standard for the strength and pressure resistance of the extinguisher bodies are more stringent than those specified for the otherwise similar aerosol containers in EC Directive 75/324/EEC of 20 May 1975 [1].

This British Standard has been written with the aim of producing a specification for small disposable fire extinguishers for various applications with an acceptable minimum level of performance. This type of extinguisher is intended for use only in situations where fires of limited proportions are anticipated because of the nature of some process or activity where the possibility of fire spreading to other materials is remote, or where people are present at the likely times of risk. This standard therefore is unlikely to meet the requirements of the various specifying authorities for more comprehensive protection. These extinguishers are not intended to supplant the performance of extinguishers that comply with the requirements, which are still to be regarded as the principal type to meet the needs of various authorities.

In order to minimize hindrance to developments in design, the general emphasis is on performance requirements rather than on dimensional requirements.

Clean agents for use with small portable extinguishers are not yet proven and are not therefore included in this standard but will be covered by an amendment when necessary.

Attention is drawn to the fact that many countries have statutory regulations concerning aerosol dispensers with which exporters to these countries have to comply. It is not practicable to give such details in a British Standard, and the user of this standard, in the UK, can seek the advice of the Department of Trade or, outside the UK, the Commercial Attaché or Consulate of the country concerned.

Note that 1 bar = 0.1 MPa in SI units.

This publication can be withdrawn, revised, partially superseded or superseded. Information regarding the status of this publication can be found in the Standards Catalogue on the BSI website at bsigroup.com/standards, or by contacting the Customer Services team.

Amendment A1 introduces the following principal changes:

title has changed;
the scope has been amended for clarity and to reflect the title change; and
Annex G has been amended to reflect changes in the test method for retention of charge after partial discharge.

Text introduced by or altered by Amendment No. 1 is indicated in the text by tags . Minor editorial corrections are not tagged.

Where websites and webpages have been cited, they are provided for ease of reference and are correct at the time of publication. The location of a webpage or website, or its contents, cannot be guaranteed.

Presentational conventions

The provisions of this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Its requirements are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “shall”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

Where words have alternative spellings, the preferred spelling of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is used (e.g. “organization” rather than “organisation”).

Requirements in this standard are drafted in accordance with Rules for the structure and drafting of UK standards, subclause G.1.1, which states, “Requirements should be expressed using wording such as: ‘When tested as described in Annex A, the product shall ...’”. This means that only those products that are capable of passing the specified test will be deemed to conform to this standard.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient's own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

Particular attention is drawn to the following specific regulations:

EC Directive 75/324/EEC of 20 May 1975 on Approximation of Aerosol Dispensers [1], and
EC Directive 2008/47/EC [2].

1 Scope

This British Standard specifies performance requirements for, and the maximum capacity of, small single use fire extinguishers of the aerosol type with metal bodies.

This British Standard covers single use fire extinguishers for various applications, including but not limited to, usage in cars, motor homes, etc.

This British Standard is applicable to extinguishers containing powder or water-based media which allow use for single fire class applications.

Clean agents are excluded from the Scope of this British Standard.

Requirements are specified for minimum performance in extinguishing test fires of Class A, B and F, as defined in BS EN 2.

NOTE Annex A gives the conditioning treatment to be applied to extinguishers prior to testing, as described in Annex B to Annex I. Annex J gives the use code symbols to be used.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Contents of the extinguisher

4.1 Extinguishing medium

4.2 Propellant

5 Construction

5.1 Operation

5.2 Mounting

5.3 Body and closure

5.4 Nozzle cap

5.5 Corrosion resistance

5.6 Impact resistance

5.7 Resistance to shock and mechanical damage

5.8 Resistance to internal pressure

5.9 Minimum burst pressure

5.10 Pressure indicator

6 Production requirements

6.1 Cleanliness

6.2 Filling tolerance

7 Performance

7.1 Delay on operation

7.2 Duration of discharge

7.3 Minimum discharge of contents

7.4 Leakage rate

7.5 Retention of charge following partial discharge

7.6 Fire extinguishing performance rating

7.7 Dielectric test for water-based extinguishers

8 Production testing requirements

8.1 General

8.2 Bodies

8.3 Extinguishers

9 Colour and marking of extinguishers

9.1 Primary information

9.2 Secondary information

Bibliography

BS 6165:2019+A1:2022

Small, single-use, fire extinguishers. Specification

Current

Published:

30 Sep 2022