Fire Extinguisher Recharge – When and Why?

Fire extinguishers are acknowledged as the first line of defense in case of fires in residential and commercial spaces. Many people take these extinguishers for granted as 24×7 ready-to-use portable safety devices, which are not valid. Though they can be used any time if not recharged, the impact may not be as expected. Fire extinguishers can turn out to be incapable of dousing fire without fully recharged and pressurized. To avoid any unlikely scenario, one must consider recharging fire extinguishers as a regular practice.

Business and building owners must realize the importance of owning and maintaining fire extinguishers. Their timely maintenance can save on lives and expenses in the longer term. Also, a recharged fire extinguisher fills you with a sense of security. Let’s take a closer look and understand the details about recharging a fire extinguisher.

When to Recharge the Fire Extinguisher?

Recharge Fire Extinguisher After Every Use

Recharging the extinguisher immediately after use is essential. The duration of usage hardly matters in these cases as even with 2-3 seconds of use, the extinguisher’s internal pressure decreases, which calls for a recharge. Moreover, after one use, the fire extinguisher may not last long the second time, causing delays that can easily convert into casualties.

Periodically Recharge Fire Extinguisher

When shelved for long, fire extinguishers can sometimes develop tiny leaks that can release the internal pressure. The fire extinguisher can lose its effectiveness without your knowledge. To avoid any surprises, fire protection agencies encourage proactive inspection and recharge periodically every few years.

Besides usage, environmental factors also hold the potential to cause depressurization in fire extinguishers. This further adds to the periodic inspection of fire extinguishers. In addition to a recharge, inspections also ensure the absence of any structural defect.

Indicators of Recharge

While it is advised to get a fire extinguisher recharged regularly, sound knowledge about it helps reassure that the recharge has been successful. The fire extinguisher comes with a pressure gauge and pressure needle. If this needle points in the green zone of the pressure gauge, this signifies that the fire extinguisher is successfully recharged. These markings are made according to the specifications provided by the manufacturer.

How is Fire Extinguisher Recharged?

Fire extinguisher recharging primarily requires an extinguishing agent and a recharge unit. To start with, the fire extinguisher is wholly depressurized and then dismantled. Rigorous cleaning of all the parts takes place. A thorough check for leaks and other defects is done, followed by the fire extinguisher’s re-assembling. The extinguishing agent is re-filled, and the cylinder is re-pressurized. Different tests like hydro-static tests are performed to identify any loophole in the fire extinguisher cylinder and its functionality like deformations and leaks.

To ensure optimum volume, the technicians weigh the fire extinguisher and ensure that the total weight falls in line with the tolerance prescribed by the manufacturer. Finally, a new tamper seal is installed along with the recharge tag containing vital information such as total weight and the technician’s identity. The cost of the recharge generally varies with the size of the cylinder and the extinguishing agent used in it.

Who Can Recharge?

Training is available for individuals to learn to recharge a fire extinguisher. However, it is advised to hire professional fire protection services. Along with trained professionals, these services are equipped with the necessary material and equipment. Also, different extinguishing agents’ involvement demands training to use them, which automatically comes with professional services. Another benefit of hiring professional agencies is the regular maintenance of fire extinguishers without any reminder. From the user’s side, they should keep a check on the pressure gauge to ensure the pressure needle lies in the green zone. This can help the user in identifying the need for a recharge in case they forget the date of the last recharge.

Fire Extinguisher Recharge Practices

Generally, all the commercial spaces practice regular fire drills, which can be an apt time to check the functioning of the fire extinguishers. A recharge or inspection can be the next step, depending on their condition. A similar practice is advised for homes and residential complexes. Residences are more vulnerable to fire extinguishers faults as they are rarely used in case there is no accident. Training to check the pressure of the fire extinguisher can be given to maximum people to spread awareness and prevent any unnecessary surprise at the time of need. Also, assessing the weight of the fire extinguisher can be a possible method to determine the need for a recharge. Frequent inspections are advised in areas with a history of fires or the areas that witness vandalism cases. One important thing to take care of is regarding the type of fire extinguisher. While reusable extinguishers should be recharged, single-use extinguishers should be replaced in low pressure or multiple uses.

This blog post about "Fire Extinguisher Recharge" was first published on our website here https://www.collinsfire.com/fire-extinguisher-recharge-when-and-why