Check your extinguisers!

[Mirror Painter]

Recently I bought new fire extinguisers because they were on special offer. The two they replaced were of the same make, clearly a few years old but both were in the green part of thier gauge.

I noticed the gauge one of the old ones had gone to red in the past couple of weeks, (they have been cluttering the kitchen, waiting for disposal). Perhps moving it from boat to house caused that?

This afternoon I told my young son I'd show him what it was like to set off a fire extinguisher and took the 'good' old unit to the garden. I pulled the pin, pressed the trigger and a feeble, not quite spray of powder was emmitted. It was faulty.

I'm left a bit shaken by this thinking about what could have happened. Also, the new units are identical to the old - how can I know they are o.k?

 

[Dave_Seager]

I'm left a bit shaken by this thinking about what could have happened.

Powder extinguishers need to be shaken too. At the start of each season I check the gauges and also shake the extinguishers to try to prevent the powder from becoming compacted at the bottom of the cylinder.

 

[Ludd]

Powder extinguishers need to be shaken too. At the start of each season I check the gauges and also shake the extinguishers to try to prevent the powder from becoming compacted at the bottom of the cylinder.

You need to shake them oftener than that. I do mine about once a month,and I live aboard,so that's 12 times a year.

 

[Billjratt]

It helps to mount them horizontally rather than vertically if you've got the room. That way the boats motion helps to agitate the powder, or so I am told.

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

You need to shake them oftener than that. I do mine about once a month,and I live aboard,so that's 12 times a year.

Does going out to sea in a Force4 or above count for shaking?

 

[rivonia]

Hmm Interesting stuff. I bought a new firw extinguisher from a big diy shop here in Cyprus after a couple of weeks I noticed it was in the RED. So I thought I would test it. ZILCH, NADFA NOTHING came out. Dona und blitzen!!

Any way it has gone.

Now to get a new one from a reputable shop and to KEEP the receipt in case.

Peter

 

[monkfish24]

My extinguisher from 1983 works perfectly!

I'll explain a little further, I bought a bit of a project last week and found an old extinguisher, the gauge was still in the green, I got bored, i fired it off.... checked the fill date and it said 1983!!!!!!!

Stil, I was going to replace it anyway!

 

[Habebty]

Curiosity got the better of me once, so I tested a dry powder extinguisher.....

took months for the rain to wash away all the damn powder

 

[wolf]

Vibration

Does going out to sea in a Force4 or above count for shaking?

Fraid not its the vibration that compacts the powder, service engineers use a rubber hammer to loosen it up.

 

[VicMallows]

Hmm Interesting stuff. I bought a new firw extinguisher from a big diy shop here in Cyprus after a couple of weeks I noticed it was in the RED. So I thought I would test it. ZILCH, NADFA NOTHING came out. Dona und blitzen!!

But if I'm not mistaken, you are in that TRNC ?

Vic