Why Oval for Retrofit and Renovation

Why Oval for retrofit and renovations?

Oval low-profile fire extinguishers provide compelling advantages when retrofitting fire extinguishers into an existing facility or when a facility is undergoing renovation. In many cases, Oval fire extinguishers are the only way to achieve compliance with requirements for accessibility.

In an existing facility, the simplest and easiest way to install a fire extinguisher is simply to mount the extinguisher on the wall. This is particularly true if the facility is occupied and in continuous use. In these situations, an Oval low-profile fire extinguisher will comply with accessibility requirements. A conventional fire extinguisher will not.

However, simply mounting a fire extinguisher on a wall will not always be a desirable solution. This may be because surface mounted fire extinguishers:

• Create obstacles and risks of collision.
• Can be bumped or pushed and possibly dislodged from the wall hook.
• Invite vandalism.
• Are unsightly and visually unappealing.

To avoid these problems, we always recommend installing a fire extinguisher in a cabinet.

Surface mounted cabinets are the simplest and easiest to use for retrofit or renovation. Oval offers surface mounted cabinets that are less than 4” (102mm) deep. These cabinets provide compliance with accessibility requirements. Surface mounted cabinets for conventional fire extinguishers do not, since they project more than 4” (102mm) from the wall.

Unfortunately, surface mounted cabinets present some of the same issues as surface mounted fire extinguishers (collision hazards, unattractive appearance, etc.). Most significantly, when used with a conventional fire extinguisher, the cabinet will project more than 4” (102mm) from the wall surface and not provide accessibility compliance.

The only alternative to surface mounting on the wall is to inset a cabinet partially or fully into the wall. This requires a significant amount of construction work, typically involving:

1. Screening off or possibly vacating the area entirely.
2. Cutting an opening in the wall. This can create significant dust and noise.
3. Installing blocking in the wall to support the weight of the cabinet and fire extinguisher.
4. Installing the cabinet in the wall.
5. Patching the wall around the cabinet.
6. Taping, sanding and painting the wall.

The real problem with doing all of this is that, when retrofitting or renovating, the wall is usually preexisting. The wall was probably not built with adequate depth to allow for recessing the cabinet fully into the wall. The only choice is then a semi-recessed cabinet. Even after incurring the disruption, time and expense of installing a cabinet, the cabinet will still project out from the wall, reducing the usable corridor width, creating collision hazards and presenting an unattractive appearance.

Oval low-profile fire extinguishers can be fully recessed into 3-5/8” (92mm) partition walls. They will therefore usually be the best – and possibly the only – choice for full recessing of the fire extinguishers.

Regardless of which mounting option is selected, Oval low-profile extinguishers provide compelling advantages. These advantages are highlighted below:

Option 1:  Surface Mounting

Option 2:  Surface Mounted Cabinet with Fire Extinguisher Inside

Option 3:  Semi-Recessed Cabinet with Fire Extinguisher Inside

Option 4:  Recessed Cabinet with Fire Extinguisher Inside