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The required backup to a hood system

Class K Wet-Chemical Extinguisher for Commercial Kitchens

Amerex · Ansul · Badger Canada & United States $$ · No published price — get dealer quotes

A portable wet-chemical extinguisher required near commercial cooking appliances that use vegetable or animal oils. It is a backup to the hood suppression system, not a replacement.

Why we like it

  • Fine spray saponifies hot cooking oil and cools it without splashing burning oil
  • Usually supplied and serviced by the same company that services the hood system
  • Wall-mounted; no installation work

Watch out for

  • Only a backup — the hood system must be activated first
  • Five-year hydrostatic test required
Best for

Commercial kitchens with deep-fat fryers and other cooking with vegetable or animal oils.

Read the full market guide — costs, install effort and alternatives ↓
Market guide

The whole commitment, end to end

What this actually is, what the market looks like, what it really costs, and how much of your time it wants — before you spend anything.

Buying it Trivial
Installing it Trivial
Living with it Trivial
Up front

No reliable public figure — get dealer quotes.

Lead time

Usually in stock with fire equipment dealers

Time to install

Minutes

How it works

The extinguisher holds a potassium acetate or citrate solution and discharges it as a fine spray, which keeps it from splashing burning oil. On contact with hot fat, the agent saponifies — forming a soapy layer that seals the surface — while the water content cools the oil below its re-ignition point. A placard near the extinguisher states that the hood system must be activated first; the portable unit is for what remains.

Who needs it

Any commercial kitchen cooking with vegetable or animal oils — NFPA 10/96 require a Class K extinguisher within 30 ft (about 9 m) of the appliances.

Codes, standards and listings

Canada
Fire rating to CAN/ULC-S508, with agent-specific construction standards (CAN/ULC-S554 for water-based agents); maintenance under NFPA 10 as referenced by the National Fire Code of Canada.
United States
Class K fire test in UL 711; agent-specific construction standards (UL 8 for water-based agents). NFPA 10/96 require a Class K unit within 30 ft of commercial cooking appliances using vegetable or animal oils.

What the market looks like

Made by Amerex, Ansul and Badger among others, and sold through fire equipment dealers — usually the same company that services the hood system — and industrial suppliers. We found no verified price.

Features that actually matter

Fine spray nozzle
Applies agent gently so burning oil does not splash.
Saponifying agent
Potassium acetate/citrate turns hot fat into a soapy blanket and cools it.
Placarding
Signage must state that the hood system is activated first.
Class K rating
Tested for cooking-oil fires under UL 711 in the US and CAN/ULC-S508 in Canada.

What it really costs

Up front
No reliable public figure — get dealer quotes.
Consumables
Recharge after use. No reliable public figure — get quotes.
What else you'll need
Bracket and placard, usually supplied by the dealer.
Over five years
Annual servicing under NFPA 10 plus a five-year hydrostatic test. No reliable public figure — get quotes.

No published price was found; the price band is a placement estimate — get quotes from a fire equipment dealer.

How it differs from the alternatives

Versus the hood system
The hood system is the primary protection. The Class K unit is the required backup.
Versus ABC dry-chemical extinguishers
Dry chemical is not suited to deep-fat fryer fires; Class K is the rated type for cooking oils.
Versus home kitchen units
For home kitchens, see our separate wet-chemical kitchen extinguisher entry; this one is about the commercial code requirement.
01

Buying it

Effort Trivial

Where: Fire equipment dealers — usually the same company that services your hood system — and industrial suppliers (Amerex, Ansul, Badger).

Lead time: Usually in stock with fire equipment dealers

Buy it with the hood service contract so it gets inspected on the same visit.

02

Installing it

Effort Trivial

Time: Minutes

You'll need: Wall bracket

Mount within 30 ft (about 9 m) of the cooking appliances, with the placard.

03

Living with it

Effort Trivial

Monthly visual check by staff, annual service under NFPA 10, and a hydrostatic test every five years.

If not this, then what

  • Commercial kitchen hood wet-chemical systemThe required primary protection; the Class K unit backs it up.
  • ABC dry-chemical extinguisherNot a substitute on fryer fires; keep one for the rest of the building.

Caveats

  • A backup only; the hood suppression system must be activated first.
  • NFPA 10 sets placement (within 30 ft of the cooking appliance) and a five-year hydrostatic test for Class K units; confirm local amendments with your fire official.
Our verdict

If you run a commercial kitchen with fryers, you need one within reach of the line, and your hood service company should already be supplying it. Train staff to pull the hood system first.

We don't take payment for placement and we don't sell these products. If you think we've got something wrong here, tell us — we'll correct it.

Sources

  1. UL — fire extinguisher testing and certification

Need this installed or serviced? Find a licensed contractor near you →

Also in Kitchen suppression

Required over commercial grease-producing cooking $$$

Commercial Kitchen Hood Wet-Chemical System (UL 300)

Ansul · Amerex · Pyro-Chem · Kidde Fire Systems · 🇨🇦 🇺🇸

A pre-engineered system inside the exhaust hood sprays potassium-based wet chemical onto the appliances, plenum and duct when fire is detected, and shuts off the gas or power to the cooking line. It is required over most grease-producing commercial cooking.

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