Created in Sweden, the Maus Fire Suppressor is around the size of a long, slim flashlight at around 9.7 in (24.5 cm) long and 2 in (5 cm) in diameter. It'll sit wherever you put it for up to five years, and where traditional fire extinguishers require maintenance, or at least a flip 'n' tap routine once every few months, this one has no such requirement.
When you activate it, by pulling a tab and pressing a small button, it fires off in much the same way as a pyrotechnic flare does – albeit in a very contained manner – creating a roughly nine-second blast of cool, non-toxic potassium smoke in a jet that extends nearly 10 ft (3 m).
Potassium ions in that smoke go ahead and bond with oxygen, hydrogen and hydroxide radicals in the air, interrupting the chemical reaction that's necessary for combustion, and putting out most early-stage fires. Indeed, as long as that smoke's around, the fire will never start up again.
Once it's safe, you can simply open a couple of doors and let the wind through to remove the smoke. Where foam or powder-based extinguishers can make an enormous mess of your space and damage electronics, the Maus gas blows away without a trace; the only damage is what the fire managed to do before you put it out.
"This is a non-toxic, potassium-based smoke that doesn't leave a powdery mess and won't damage engines or equipment," says Maus Special Advisor Nicholai Allen, who's launching these suppressors in the USA with a pilot program at Lowe's, "And it'll actually work on lithium battery fires in enclosed or semi-enclosed compartments."
The ability to deal with battery fires is a big deal; there are more and more lithium batteries in our lives as the world moves toward electrification, and when a battery fire starts, many traditional extinguishers simply won't help.
"Batteries create their own oxygen when they combust," says Allen. "So if you throw a powder on it that starves oxygen, well, the battery just creates more. They can literally still burn underwater. But if you compartmentalize it and throw one of these in like a grenade, it'll just automatically douse out, and the potassium particles, being lighter than air, will stay suspended in that space and prevent re-ignition so everything can cool down, calm down and stop getting worse."
Crucially, it's non-toxic, safe to breathe (although it may not be pleasant) and unlike CO2-based extinguishers it doesn't remove O2 molecules from the area, making it safe for use around humans in enclosed spaces.
"It's not like Halon or FM200, these harmful gases that can sear or damage your lungs and cause permanent damage," says Allen. "If you're stuck in a car or a room, you're safe to stay in there breathing the potassium gas. They did a study in Sweden; in terms of particulate matter, it's about the equivalent of working in a garage for a given length of time.
"It's not great to breathe in high PPMs of particulate matter, but it's not causing you nerve damage or cancer or long-term damage. If you're on fire, stuck in a car, this will save your life. Your lungs will just clear out the particles. I've breathed it myself, it's pretty mild. You definitely feel it, but then, you won't be on fire – and as long as that gas is in the area, there's no chance of it reigniting, either."
You can choose to use it manually, like a regular extinguisher, and point it right at your fire. You can also use it as a 'fire extinguishing grenade,' popping it off then throwing it into a burning car, caravan or small room, where it'll rapidly smoke up the space and deal with the fire, like so:
Maus also makes some automatic 'Stixx' units. One, barely bigger than a pack of gum, is a stick-on unit you can mount in an engine bay, server cabinet, battery charging station or other enclosed spaces. It'll set itself off if the temperature gets over a very mild 180 °C (356 °F), and flood the space with potassium, quelling any fire with no chance of reigniting until you open it up and let the smoke out. Check it out:
These will be arriving on American shores in the coming months. For now, the hand-held Maus Fire Suppressor is only available in the USA through 100 Lowe's stores in a pilot program lasting until August 18. It's priced at US$114. Allen says that'll subsequently extend to the entire network.
The automatic Maus fire suppressor strips are already being embedded in vehicles from at least one major auto manufacturer, and Allen says he's in discussions with several other carmakers, including primarily EV brands, as well as off-road vehicle manufacturers, to build these things in either as OEM or optional fitments.
"I wouldn't do a road trip without one anymore," says Allen. "But to be clear, we don't want to replace current fire extinguishers or get any laws rewritten. We just want people to know there's a complementary technology available that can really limit your damage because there's no powder, and no mess, and it won't ruin your engine or your electronics. There's nothing stopping you from using it. That might be the difference between a 'whoops' and a complete disaster."
Source: Lowe's / Maus Safety USA
