Fire Extinguisher Check Up

glenn bradley

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Just passing along a tip that I found helpful. I'll quote from the article:

"When an ABC dry-chemical fire extinguisher sits too long, the agent can settle and become compacted yet still show a full charge. In addition to checking the gauge, people should turn their extinguishers upside down and give them a shake or tap on the bottom with a screwdriver handle to loosen the agent. If all the weight appears to stay at the base, replace the extinguisher."

I think we can all agree that the worst time to find out that your extinguisher isn't functional is when you actually need it. With the price of an 8 pound unit roughly double since I last bought some, we can be hesitant to replace an unused unit. Even if they were $100 each, that is cheap insurance averaged over the life of an extinguisher. Do what I did, go check them right now. Mine were all good :thumb:.
 
Great tip Glenn! :thumb:

I guess the one in the back of my expedition should be fine since it's been rolling around back there on every turn. :D

I'm joking...it's on it's hook, but with the extra movement of the vehicle should keep it mixed up. I have the same one on the shop wall, perhaps I should swap them out periodically.
 
Once a year we have a fire check in our buildings, by law, and yes, we get to pay for it too!
They check all the fire extinguishers for a production date and then all the heat and smoke sensors too.
I noticed that the guys checking the fire extinguishers always do what you are saying, the turn them upside down and shake them, often banging the bottom with a little hammer they have, when I asked why, they said exactly what you said, well they said it in Japanese of course, but the meaning was the same. I do this every now and then just to make sure.

Great tip!
 
Thanks for the reminder. I noticed recently that the gauge on the one in my kitchen is sitting on the edge of the red zone. I need to either get it serviced or replaced.
 
Also don't buy the extinguisher with a plastic valve because the plastic shrinks with age & you will lose pressure from the extinguisher. Buy only metal valved fire extinguishes. I was told this by both the fire dept. & the people that serviced the extinguishers at the apt. complexes we managed.
 
Always a good idea:) my insurance company gives a slight discount on my home insurance with having extinguishers in the house:thumb: thanks for the reminder:)
 
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I would like everyone who is checking this thread to please read NFPA 10 chapter 7.3 and Ansul Technical Bulletin 45.

You can Google both documents and read them online.

Trust me if you have a high quality stored pressure extinguisher in your shop, home, or place of employment there is no need to turn them upside down and hit the bottom with anything or shake them. :) This practice does nothing to enhance or insure the proper operation of the unit. In fact it may plug the pickup tube and prevent the proper operation.:eek:

Jerry
 
Good thread! Are there similar precautions for a Halon fire extinguisher, in terms of mixing it up, life cycle, etc?

Halon is, in the extinguisher, a pressurized liquid and becomes a gas at atmospheric pressure after discharge. There is nothing to clump like in a solid powder.

Regarding the controversy about this topic, is there a difference in maintenance procedures for ammonium phosphate extinguishers and bicarbonate extinguishers?
 
The maintenance is the same for ammonium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, and potassium bicarbonate extinguishers. As I said in my previous post, if you have a high quality extinguisher it is designed to over come "packing" and "caking" of the chemical.
 
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