Fire extinguishers are your first line of defense when a small fire has the potential to turn into a big, and possibly deadly fire.
There are maintenance and inspection requirements that fire extinguishers must meet in order for them to work should such plugs not fare so well. Standard ABC Fire Extinguisher Inspections and Testing NFPA mandates the testing and inspections for standard ABC fire extinguishers to include:
- Monthly visual, owner self-inspections of all fire extinguishers at your business establishment
- Yearly maintenance to all fire extinguishers by a trained technician
- 6-year maintenance/recharge on all fire extinguishers by certified technician.
- 12-year hydrostatic testing (Stamp performed by a certified hydro testing service)
Monthly Self-Inspection of Fire Extinguishers
Monthly fire extinguisher self-inspections can be performed by one of your employees in-house. What can be done is a straightforward task that requires minimal training. Here is a simple infographic detailing on how to go about conducting monthly Fire Extinguisher Self-Inspections:
- Verify the existence of a fire extinguisher in the proper location
- Fire extinguisher is readily available and is marked or there are signs to show where to find the fire extinguisher
- If fire extinguisher is easily available
- Make sure that the gauge is working
- Ensure you have a full fire extinguisher
It was further comment that all fire extinguishers are to be checked in accordance with these directive at the commissioning and thereafter.
A journal of each inspection should also be maintained. This info can be printed on a fire extinguisher tag, or a detached paper or electronic file of some kind. For your records, the only information you need to keep is the month and year of the inspection and the name of the individual who performed the inspection.
Yearly Checks of the Fire Extinguishers
7According to NFPA 10, service inspections must be performed every 12 months by a qualified fire extinguisher service technician. Monthly inspections are not the same as the annual ones though, they have to be conducted of a company licensed and bonded to do so. An inspector will visit your premises and inspect all the mechanical parts of your fire extinguishers.
The object is to eliminate any expelling means and have both fire extinguishers in good physical condition. If a fire extinguisher is not perceived as operable, the device may have to be opened for internal examination and testing.
TIP: Coordinate your annual fire extinguisher inspections with your other fire protection service inspections (fire sprinkler, fire alarm, etc.) and save your staff time and money by avoiding unnecessary appointments and invoicing.
6-Year Maintenance of Fire Extinguishers
NFPA 10, standard, requires all stored pressure fire extinguishers to be serviced and refilled every 6 years. This servicing should be performed by a licensed fire extinguisher company. Here is a summary of the 6-Year fire extinguisher maintenance procedure:
Inspection & ID
Our trained fire extinguisher technicians will make an appointment to visit your site and perform an annual inspection on all fire extinguishers.
Excretion and Valve Core Substitute
We then empty the current dry powder from the extinguisher and install a new valve stem and O-Rings so it will not leak down the road.
Dry Chemical & Nitrogen Recharge
The fire extinguisher is then recharged with ABC dry chemical and nitrogen to the manufacturer’s specified weight.
Testing for Leaks
Before the team leaves, they want to make sure there are no leaks in the extinguisher and use a solution of water and soap to verify that there are no small leaks.
Audit Sticker and Inspection Tag
Both the 6-year compliance sticker and the annual inspection sticker are affixed to the cylinder and it is now NFPA compliant.
12-Year Fire Extinguisher Inspection & Maintenance
DOT requires that low-pressure cylinders (ie fire extinguishers) be tested hydro-statically every twelve years to be safe for use.
Due to the fact that these tests require a specialized equipment and high pressure, any hydrostatic testing should be done by certified personnel only, and with right equipment. The following is a information to the 12-Year hydrostatic test procedure:
Cylinder Discharge
A certified technician will locate and examine. the extinguisher. The cylinder is then evacuatedin preparation for hydrostati@testing.
Hydrostatic Testing Machine
It works like the handwheel control, the fire extinguisher is linked to the hydrostatic test unit, into the water test jacket cylinder, placed for pressure.
Pressure Testing
The fire harvest the charge with the method of a water expanded and the fire extinguisher body must bear against 30 second to have the factory stipulated pressure.
Air Dryer
The tank will be tested, the liquid will be drained and the fire extinguisher will be placed on a hot air dryer.
Cylinder Refill
The fire extinguisher is then recharged and a hydrostatic test sticker/metal stamp is attached directly to the cylinder.
Test For Leaks
Lastly, the cylinder is checked for leaks. Once the fire extinguisher has been checked and if no leaks are found, the annual inspection tag is then attached to the cylinder and your fire extinguisher is now up to NFPA and D.O.T standards.
To learn more about fire extinguisher inspection visit the NFPA website. Ready to book your next 6-Year fire extinguisher inspection? Schedule your next fire exinguisher inspection now with Brazas Fire and we will follow up with one of our local fire extinguisher specialist links for next steps.