When to replace Fire Extinguishers?

[rfrye1]

Is there some way to know when to replace the on board fire extinguishers? All mine still show in the "green" on the pressure gauge, but is there a time limit I should consider too? I don't see any expiration date.
Thx. Bob.

 

[Chief RA]

Green should be good. Chief

 

[Capt jgw]

On inspected vessels they have to be pressure tested at 12 years, so that's a good interval. I don't know if there is a required replacement date for pleasure craft.
If they're the dry chemical type, the powder can clump in the bottom. Part of the monthly inspection is to turn them upside down and give them a good whack with a rubber mallet to break up the clumps. After that you should be able to feel the powder falling from one end to the other as you turn the bottle end for end.

 

[centerline]

Is there some way to know when to replace the on board fire extinguishers? All mine still show in the "green" on the pressure gauge, but is there a time limit I should consider too? I don't see any expiration date.
Thx. Bob.

No expiration date on most fire extinguishers... there are laws for commercial and industrial use that say they need to be annually inspected, but nothing regarding private/consumer use.

There was a recommendation in years gone by that the dry extinguishers be turned upside down and shaken/bumped to unsettle the powder, but that recommendation has been rescinded... so just look at it and if its still in the green, which is a pressure indicator, mark the inspection date in your log book and cruise on...

 

[Davidasailor26]

If they're the dry chemical type, the powder can clump in the bottom. Part of the monthly inspection is to turn them upside down and give them a good whack with a rubber mallet to break up the clumps. After that you should be able to feel the powder falling from one end to the other as you turn the bottle end for end.

I had read that someplace and started doing it, but then I read this:
http://coastguardaux.com/f9_11/FireExtinguishers.pdf

 

[Mulf]

On inspected vessels they have to be pressure tested at 12 years, so that's a good interval. I don't know if there is a required replacement date for pleasure craft.

Does anyone have any information on the 12 years statement above, regarding pleasure vessels? I had my VSE recently and the inspector said he thought he heard that 12 years old is time to replace, but he did not tell me I had to replace my three 12 year old extinguishers.

 

[woodster]

Does anyone have any information on the 12 years statement above, regarding pleasure vessels? I had my VSE recently and the inspector said he thought he heard that 12 years old is time to replace, but he did not tell me I had to replace my three 12 year old extinguishers.

did he know they were 12 years old if he did he was telling you that if he didn't he was telling you when they are 12 years old you need to replace them is the way i take it

 

[Rich Stidger]

One of our members is the owner of a fire extinguisher inspection business and he told me that the proper technique to determine if a dry chemical extinguisher is OK is to first check that the gauge is in the green area. Then, holding the extinguisher in the normal upright position, strike the bottom with your open palm. You should be able to feel the contents quiver like jello inside with the hand that is holding the unit. It is not necessary to shake the extinguisher to "loosen" the contents. As long as these two checks - pressure and "jello feel" pass, you can continue to use the unit. Age is not a significant factor.

 

[Capt jgw]

The 12 year pressure test is required on commercial vessels, and I believe it's an OSHA or NFPA requirement for commercial buildings too. No such requirement for pleasure craft that I know of. IMO, of the regulators are concerned with extinguishers being "too old" in the commercial world, that's good guidance for the private world too, although not required.
Legally, as long as the gauge is on the green, paint's intact with no visible corrosion, and the nozzle is clear, you're good.

And we do still give ours a whack, the CG inspectors have never told is to stop doing that.

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

I am a certified Vessel Safety Examiner, and we formerly did the shake and whack routine. But guidance has since rescinded that recommendation. We no longer take that approach. And as far as I know, there are no regulations for age-based replacement for pleasure craft.

 

[All U Get]

There should be a date of manufacture on the bottle. Some have it nicely stamped, others have a date on the bottom (ie. 09). NFPA 10 is the code but you have to buy the book like all the lawyers do. However the USCG has the following: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg5214/docs/Portable Fire Extinguisher Inspection and Maintenance FAQ.pdf

This seems more sensible than reading the CFR's.

All U Get

 

[woodster]

There should be a date of manufacture on the bottle. Some have it nicely stamped, others have a date on the bottom (ie. 09). NFPA 10 is the code but you have to buy the book like all the lawyers do. However the USCG has the following: http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg5214/docs/Portable Fire Extinguisher Inspection and Maintenance FAQ.pdf

This seems more sensible than reading the CFR's.

All U Get

i wondered when you were going to comment it's always good to see a retired fireman contribute their wealth of knowledge thanks

ho! ... and happy fathers day

 

[Roadking Larry]

For pleasure boaters the expense of a couple of dry chem extinguishers isn't that much.

When I bought my first boat a couple of years ago the Kidde dry chem extinguisher had "94" stamped on the bottom, same year as the boat, the gauge was showing green. I bought a pair of new ones before I put the boat in the water the first time and when I took the old one off the boat I had managed to pull the safety pin out and managed to bump the handle on the companion way. All I got was a tiny little "poof" of powder, not even enough to require any cleaning, the gauge was still showing green but nothing would come out of the nozzle.
There are very few things in the world that can make a fellow pucker up worse than a fire extinguisher that just goes pffft when you really, really need it to work.
A pair of the Kidde B-C rated units can be had for under $50. A new set every 4-5 years just isn't that big a deal, the darn things aren't collectable anyway.

 

[Capt jgw]

And that's why the minimum carriage requirement is just a starting point. I'm required to have two onboard, last count I had six.

 

[Ron20324]

My sailing club (Singles on Sailboats) has an annual event to shoot expired flares and fire extinguishers. We have come to notice that any extinguisher with the guage in the red is pretty much a guarantee that the unit is bad, but also that one in the green does not guarantee that the unit is GOOD.

 

[jlp0217]

My Kiddie extinguisher has a date stamped on the bottom and the fine print says to remove from service 12 years after that date (per NFPA 10). My First Alert extinguishers have neither. My refillable First Alert extinguisher says to have it professionally serviced annually (yeah right).

 

[Kingjim91]

I received a citation during an inspection for out of date extinguishers. Mine had no date code, so they were older than the law that requires a date code and a note about replacing them after 12 years. I was glad to know this. I would never want to have a fire and only get a poof from the extinguishers. Investing $50 in boat safety every 12 years works out to be pretty cheap peace of mind.

 

[galen-SOM]

These units can be serviced by the end user: https://firesinc.com/products/greenfire-handheld/
Also, the fire suppressant itself is non-toxic and non-corrosive.

 

[Gunni]

Not C-rated. Electrical. Like arcing high amperage DC voltage.

 

[jssailem]

Limited use on a boat.