I need to do a little more research - I think I need a type K fire extinguisher - not the purple K.
Thanks... Now I've spent 30 minutes on Google and messaging a fire protection buddy about this!
Looks like Purple K is the name of a dry chem used in class B extinguishers. A class K extinguisher is a wet chem extinguisher.
One of the articles I found about extinguishers in the home suggested that class K extinguishers weren't necessary as they are for extreme amounts of cooking oils/grease, as would be found in a commercial kitchen. It indicated that a class B extinguisher should be effective at snuffing a small class K fire. However, I am not so sure I would agree with not placing the appropriate type, regardless of residential vs. commercial. I am not sure how small of a class K extinguisher you can get, and that might be the driving factor behind that comment.
Another article mentioned making sure the hood suppression system had been discharged prior to the use of the class K extinguisher. Not sure if that is necessarily a requirement for proper extinguishing capability or not.
FWIW - My buddy, who does commercial fire safety inspections, indicated that type K extinguishers were generally not necessary for the size of fires in a home kitchen, as well. He mentioned that type K is generally for fires where large sources of flammable grease/oils are, such as commercial fryers using 2 gallons or more of oil. He also said he's never seen a 'small' type K extinguisher.
Learn more about what qualifies as a Class K fire and what types of extinguishers are rated specifically as Class K fire extinguishers.
blog.koorsen.com
After 30 hours of research, and talking to eight experts in the fire-safety industry, we found the best fire extinguisher for your home. Read on to learn more.
www.nytimes.com
Kitchen is looking great! Thanks for the reply on the cabinets and the lesson on fire extinguishers!
--Jeff