Red Comet
The earliest glass fire-suppression devices or "fire grenades" were hand-blown, patterned, often colored, round glass bottles, usually filled with salt water until about 1900. After the 19th century, the fancy blown glass began to disappear and a more industrial design prevailed, with smooth, frosted or clear glass. The liquid in the clear glass often had a blue or red coloring agent. In most of the more recent devices, a fire suppression chemical usually carbon tetrachloride (CTC) was used.
|
In addition to being able to be thrown at the fire, the more recent fire grenades usually had a bracket assembly that suspended them directly over areas of particular fire risk, like boilers and furnaces. If high temperatures reach some styles of brackets, it would release the grenade that would then crash and shatter, releasing the fire suppression liquid.
|
Others had heat-activated, spring-loaded triggers that would break the bottom seal, spilling the liquid onto a deflector that would distribute it over a larger area.
|