Does anyone throw away old fire extinguishers?

replace it

Jack Guzman from Maine

With something like a fire extinguisher frugality should take a back seat to safety. If you are not sure if it will be good to use you should replace it. You don't want to find out it doesn't work while your shop burns down.

Re: Does anyone throw away old fire extinguishers?

Dick Coers

If you had that extinguisher in a business shop, it would have had to been emptied and recharged years ago. Insurance requirements are much more strict than the information you listed. Ask your agent for information. When I had my business, fire extinguisher felt like a pretty major expense. Anything sold in a big box store did not meet commercial applications. But that was quite a few years ago, could have changed since then.

Re: Does anyone throw away old fire extinguishers?

Don Stephan

My understanding is that the dry chemical can settle into a lump due to gravity. Given the high cost of annual servicing, I have heard of people buying the least expensive extinguisher they could find annually, and tape the purchase invoice to the extinguisher, to meet annual fire dept inspection requirements.

Regardless of the size of the extinguisher, when I was a part time firefighter we always asked people to dial 911 first, THEN try to put out the fire. It was a lot less wear on the equipment and on us to turn the engine around when we got a disregard (we would respond anyway to confirm) than try to put out a working fire.

Re: Does anyone throw away old fire extinguishers?

Larry Edinger

If it's a dry chemical (ammonium phosphate) you can Discharge it. The Chemical in a fertillzer and put the Container in the recycler. Of take to a Fire Extinguisher Service Company.

My shop was next to a Fire Extinguisher Service Company

Try it and report

Larry Rupprecht

If you decide to replace, why not activate it and tell us the result. Maybe light a small bonfire, if allowable where your live, and check it for doing what we all expect in a fire.

My oldest one is a 1969 model, a 20 pound dry chemical unit. Still showing a full charge of pressure. And for those who worry, we also have four others of more recent vintage.

If you do discharge it and get a poor result, I will discharge my old one and one of the 1995 models and report as well.

Re: Does anyone throw away old fire extinguishers?

Larry Rupprecht

I meant to post under Tim's message. Fingers faster than eyes!

Re: Does anyone throw away old fire extinguishers?

walta

I do have an old extinguisher it is likely pre 1990.

The gage reads OK but I would not bet my life that it will work so I have new units positioned in all the key spots. I keep the old one around it would likely be the 3 or 4 unit I would use and it is next to the exit.

FYI it is a good idea to fluff up the agent in the extinguisher every year or so. The do this turn the unit upside down and shake you can hear and feel the weight of the power shift repeat 3 times. Then check the gage before you put it back on the wall.

If you are shopping for a new extinguisher I try to avoid the units with plastic valve bodys.

Walta

Re: Does anyone throw away old fire extinguishers?

Yonak

I've made wind chimes out of old canisters. They more clang than ring but we have so many chimes around that all the different sounds are fun. I even made a chime out of a welding gas tank.

Re: Does anyone throw away old fire extinguishers?

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

The fire department of the company I once worked for inspected these regularly and so long as they remained pressurized they remained on duty. They only way it can fail to work is lack of pressure.

Re: Does anyone throw away old fire extinguishers?

John K Jordan

I have maybe 10 fire extinguishers around the house (3 in the house alone), barn, shop, and small extinguishers in the vehicles. (I was riding with a guy once when his Volkswagen van caught on fire due to failed insulation in wiring - I put the fire out with his 2 liter mountain dew) My philosophy is you can't have too many fire extinguishers.

Most of my extinguishers are fairly large, 20 and 10 lb ABC dry chemical. I purchase and have them serviced at a local commercial/industrial fire extinguisher place.

I check them regularly for pressure and get them recharged periodically. I throw away the small disposable extinguishers that can't be recharged and buy new ones. (I think those with plastic valves sold at places like Home Depot can't be recharged.)

If yours is rechargeable and you just don't want it, maybe you could get it renewed and donate it to a charity or someone who could use one such as a family or elderly person without resources.

JKJ

Not true.

Jason Roehl

The dry chemical can settle and compact enough to where it doesn’t come out. Like someone else posted, it’s a good idea to, once a year (once a month is better) turn it upside down several times to “fluff” the chemical inside.

As part of my job, I have the pleasure of taking around the fire systems company once a year to check the 20-some extinguishers (along with checking the sprinkler and fire alarm system), inspect them once a month if my coworker is unable, and take the fire inspector around once a year.

Jason

Can you tap them with a rubber mallet?

Bill Howatt

I heard you could do this and I also heard you shouldn't use a mallet.

Bill

Try this  *LINK*


Fire extinguisher bell

Yep...

John in NM

We rotated the monthly extinguisher checks at my last job between the 4 telescope operators working there. The boss and I came up with that when we were discussing how to allocate the job when the previous guy quit and i realized that I didn't know where they all were. Good practice for all the employees if a bit tedious.

In general, I would say that if they need percussion to get the dry chem moving, it's time to replace the unit. We generally didn't trust any where you couldn't feel the stuff move when shaking it.

Re: Can you tap them with a rubber mallet?

Steve jenkins

When I had mine inspected annually that is what he did. Turned it upside down and used a a rubber mallet on the side near the bottom.

Thanks, good to know

Re: Yep...

Jason Roehl

I’m not sure of the process, but every several years, the tanks have to get re-certified—the vendor we use will leave a loaner behind in its place and take the extinguisher back to their shop, returning it either later that day or the next.

Jason

Its a hydro-static test....

John in NM

Same as other pressure tanks. They empty the extinguisher, remove the valve hardware and then fill with water and pressurize beyond 125% for some period of time, watching for leaks. Then they reassemble with new dry chem - that's a big part I think, new ABC chemical that won't cake up before you need the thing or before the next test. The impression I've always had is that testing like this is done on an interval that ensures things will still work even if you don't do monthly or annual checks.

Dry chem extinguishers that have sat for 10-20 years without checks should be emptied and tossed, or if they are good ones, taken in for a hydro-static test and refill.

The one time I needed an extinguisher in earnest I had to use an old wool shirt instead (car battery fire). It worked, but an extinguisher would have been better!