There is an inherent fire risk for dust collectors and other machinery. How does a fire occur? Well, for Class A and B fires, particles will provide fuel, oxygen will rapidly replenish, and friction creates heat to complete the fire triangle - ultimately igniting a fire. Automatic fire suppression systems provide fire protection and minimize damage caused by quickly suppressing the fire without human intervention.
There is no absolute correct answer as to which fire suppression system to install. Conventional wisdom says to protect a dust collector with a high-pressure carbon dioxide system. CO2 systems have high coverage areas, so you don’t need to wait for the dust collector’s ventilation to run down before pumping in the agent. A single system can protect a larger dust collector. It also has proven effectiveness and compliance for NFPA 660 (Standard for Combustible Dusts and Particulate Solids), and it leaves no residue. This is the Firetrace recommended solution.
However, there are other solutions as well. Depending on the specific dust collector and manufacturing or precision machining environments, it is common to see ABC dry chemical used. These systems are most common when Class B fires are the primary risk. Dry chemical will coat the dust collector’s filter, preventing the fire from spreading.
Though very effective at putting out flames, it does come with limitations. Dust collectors have a complex internal geometry, making it difficult for an agent like powder to evenly cover the entire surface. It will also require significant clean up.
Before you make the final decision on dust collector or CNC fire suppression, always refer to the safety data sheet (SDS) for the material going into the dust collector which poses the fire risk. Regardless of whether the potential fuel is metal, wood, oil, or something else, the SDS will contain more information to inform your decision. Some SDSs will explicitly state which agent to use for fire suppression.
Learn more about our recommended fire suppression system for dust collectors here.
