Fire Extinguisher Service
Have the peace of mind knowing that your portable fire extinguishers are being inspected by professionally trained and certificed technicians who follow NFPA standards. We don’t settle for just a visual inspection, our technicians are going to weigh each extinguisher with calibrated scales and will take the time to give each device a thorough lookover.
Annual Service
What do you get at an annual service?
Physical inspection of your extinguisher – our certified technicians are:
- Ensuring the pressure gauge is in the operable range or position based on the service pressure – is the needle in the green area on the gauge? An extinguisher that is under or overcharged may not give you the performance you would expect or need.
- Checking the hose for any obstructions.
- Making sure the tamper seal is in place and not broken.
- Identifying obvious physical damage or corrosion to all of the fire extinguisher components – i.e.) Damage to handle, gauge, cylinder, etc.
- Verifying the operating instructions are present, legible and facing forward
- Providing a new certification/inspection tag with the month, year, and type of service punched, and initialed by our technician
If needed, repairs and recharges will be performed.
Weight-Verified Certification.
Our technician will write the extinguisher’s exact weight on the tag. We do not use the “hefting” method of weighing extinguishers – we take the time to weigh each extinguisher on a scale for accuracy — as we want your equipment to work properly when needed!
Recommendation to Replace
Sometimes we will have to declare an extinguisher too damaged and recommend that you replace it with a new one. We are unable to certify any extinguisher that we feel would jeopardize the safety of individuals.
6-Year Breakdown
What is a 6-year breakdown?
Most extinguishers (dry chemical and clean agents) will need a more in-depth inspection every six years. CO2, water, and Class K extinguishers, require hydrostatic testing every five years.
At a 6-year breakdown, our certified technician will:
- Discharge the cylinder into a reclamation system and inspect internally and externally – looking for visible cracks, rust, or any damage that will decrease the integrity of the device.
- Examine and clean all the parts, replacing missing or damaged parts as needed; replace o-ring; refill cyliner; put back together and charge to operating pressure.
- Place a blue “6-year” sticker on the cylinder indicating when the inspection took place, as well as put a 6-year service collar on the neck of the device. (We are required to place a service collar on your device any time we open it up and look inside.)
- Record weight and tag it, as mentioned in the “annual service” section above.
Refill Extinguishers
What if I used my fire extinguisher or the needle on the gauge is below the green area?
We can refill most (but unfortunately not all) fire extinguishers at our shop, including those that use ABC, BC, Purple K, Class D dry chemicals; wet chemicals such as Class K, Water Mist, and Pressure Water; and clean agents such as CO2, Halon, and Halotron.
All plastic-handled extinguishers are considered disposable or one-time use and are press fitted. If they are used or require maintenance, they will need to be replaced. If you have a question about whether we can refill your extinguisher, we recommend that you give us a call at 503-362-4511 or email a picture to info@instantfireprotection.com.
When we refill your extinguisher, we will also perform a visual inspection and hang a new certification tag, as mentioned in the “annual service” section on this page.
Hydrostatic Testing
What is the purpose of hydrostatic testing and when is it required?
Most fire extinguishers will require a hydrostatic test every twelve years. CO2, water, and Class K extinguishers require hydrostatic tests every five years.
A hydrostatic test is performed by our certified technician to check the integrity of the cylinder.
- Like the 6-year maintenance, the chemicial will be discharged into a reclamation system.
- The cyliner will be tested in accordance with the applicable DOT (Department of Transportation) regulations.
- The extinguisher will be filled with water and pressurized to 3-times the service pressure within a protective cage. This test will ensure the cyliner can withstand the pressure rating.
- If the fire extinguisher fails the hydrostatic test, it cannot be put back into use and must be replaced.
- If the cylinder is able to maintain pressure throughout the test, it will be drained, dried and put back together similar to a 6-year maintenance.
- The technician will clean all components, replace the valve stem, as well as the o-ring, refill and repressurize.
- The technician will then place a silver hydrostatic sticker on the cylinder, indicating when it was tested, and a service collar will be placed on the neck.
- It will be weighed and have a new certified inspection tag put on it, as mentioned in the “annual service” section on this page.