Recharging fire extinguisher?

greylag
greylag Club Member Posts: 585 ✭
Name Dropper
edited March 2017 in Parts & Accessories #1

Having got the van out today and generally going over it, I looked at the fire extinguisher and noticed that it says to 'service at least once a year'....how do you service a fire extinguisher?  The extinguisher is about 4 years old.

The things that baffle me!

 

 

Comments

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited March 2017 #2

    Pop down to your local fire station and askwink

  • dmiller555
    dmiller555 Forum Participant Posts: 717
    500 Comments
    edited March 2017 #3

    Set it off and then go and buy another perhaps.surprised Can the small ones be serviced? 

  • SteveDSD
    SteveDSD Forum Participant Posts: 36
    edited March 2017 #4

    Depends on the type, but for mine the "service" is look at the pressure meter and make sure it's in the green.  Clean the dust off it and make sure the plastic "remove before use" tab is still intact. 

    Also, some have a "use before" date and so you can check that too. 

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,064 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2017 #5

    Depends on type. Most are pressurised one way or another. Water ones with a small pressure cylinder usually only need water topping up. If dry powder, my advice is don't DIY it, not unless you know what you are doing! The mess is unbelievable. 

    OH was in Fire Service, so we were ok. Just pop down to your local Fire Station, they will help. Fresh doughnuts always go down well!wink

  • allanandjean
    allanandjean Club Member Posts: 2,401 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2017 #6

    Whilst it is certainly true that donuts are always welcome at the fire station you may find that they are not that well versed in the maintenance of portable fire extinguishers.

    The requirements all revolve around using 'competent' people and many fire services do not even maintain the extinguishers on their fire stations themselves.

    Due to this it is often recommended that 'disposable' type be purchased,typically with a 5 year life, as it is very unlikely that servicing will be viable.

    In my 31 years plus I only used one extinguisher in anger and that was a CO2 on a postbox fire.

     

  • Jennyontour
    Jennyontour Forum Participant Posts: 26
    edited March 2017 #7

    Buy a new one and keep old one in the car 15 pounds well spent especially when £15000.00 pounds of caravan is on fire would not be the correct  time to find the  old one doesn't work 

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
    1000 Comments
    edited March 2017 #8

    As  Officially  "The  Officer  IN  Charge"  of  the  building  where  I worked  I  religiously  read  the  Technical  Instructions  for  the  Building.  They  told  me  to  Check  1/4  of  the  Extinguishers  yearly,  so  I  emptied  three  or  so  waste  paper  bins  into  an  old  dust-bin  ,  set  fire  to  it  then  gave  it  both  barrels  of  a  CO2  jobby.

    When  I  requested  a  replacement  &  said  why  a  few  strange  things  happened.

    1 )  My  boss  turned  a  nasty  shade  of  Puce

    2 )  Estates  Group  came  round  to  count  &  check  every  extinguisher

    3 )  The  Instructions  were  changed**  so  us  thickko  engineers  were  relieved  of  the  responsibility

    4 )  Every  year ( at least  to  my  retirement )  a  young  girl  from  Estates  Group  turned  up  with  a  load  of  extinguishers  to  Part  Ex  any  deemed  "Time  Expired"

    Brian

     

    ** I  think  that  some  where  my  name  just  might  live  on  as  the  reason  the  paperwork  was  changed   innocent  And  B  does  not  stand  for  berk  !!

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