Fire extinguisher out of date?

ghostlymoron

ghostlymoron

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I was examining my dry powder fire extinguishers yesterday. They are 1kg Kidde models. I can't find a date on them anywhere but the pressure gauge is still in the green zone. Will they work if required?
They were on the boat when I bought it last year so I don't know what vintage they are. I thought they normally have an expiry date.
 
Is there a date embossed onto the cylinder itself? There almost certainly will be. 5 years I believe is the life of a pressure vessel before requiring testing.
 
I'm not sure about an expiry date but I would shake them up regularly. The powder tends to settle.

You might want to consider replacing with something less destructive. The powder does a lot of harm should you need to use them!


Tony
 
Jabs said:
You might want to consider replacing with something less destructive. The powder does a lot of harm should you need to use them!
Tony
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To be fair, so does a fire! I would rather have efficient extinguishers on a boat, and get the fire out, rather than worry about subsequent clear up problems afterwards.
 
ghostlymoron said:
I thought they normally have an expiry date.
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My understanding is that small extinguishers generally don't, as long as they have a pressure gauge. They're good as long as the gauge is still in the green, though as Jabs says, you should shake them from time to time to prevent the powder settling. Mounting them horizontally on a boat will tend to have the same effect from the motion.

I've heard it suggested that you should compare the gauge position in hot and cold environments - it should move a little, and if it doesn't then it may be stuck...

Pete
 
I've been over them with a FTC but can't spot anything resembling a date. I've given them a shake and am well aware of the mess they cause having been in a site hut when one was accidentally triggered.
CLB said:
Is there a date embossed onto the cylinder itself? There almost certainly will be. 5 years I believe is the life of a pressure vessel before requiring testing.
Click to expand...
 
CLB said:
To be fair, so does a fire! I would rather have efficient extinguishers on a boat, and get the fire out, rather than worry about subsequent clear up problems afterwards.
Click to expand...

Make sure the engine is turned off before deploying the extinguisher ........engines do not like powder being sucked into the air intake . Agood plan is to include turning the fire extinguisher every week into your maintence schedule .....you do have one don't you ? :)
 
In 1979 I had a petrol fire in my wooden boat & just managed to extinguish it on the last squirt of the second extinguisher.
The mess was a bit much, but the worse bit was how slippery everything was when we tried to wash the stuff away with a bucket of water.
That was after i got the crew back in the boat from the dinghy !!!!!
 
tidclacy said:
Took mine to the local fire brigade to be told as long as the guage is in the green they are ok.
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That is poor advice, and I am surprised. During the service the gauge should be tested to ensure it is not stuck. You can't tell that by looking at it.
 
clyst said:
Make sure the engine is turned off before deploying the extinguisher ........engines do not like powder being sucked into the air intake . Agood plan is to include turning the fire extinguisher every week into your maintence schedule .....you do have one don't you ? :)
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This is another falicy, unless the engine is not protected by a quality air filter. The micron size of dry powder should not pass through an air filter. It is more likely to block the filter and stop the engine through lack of oxygen.

But, even if there is a chance of ingestion, if you have an engine room fire I would suggest this would be the least of your worries. Having said that, engine room systems are a different subject, and personally I would have a different agent in their anyway.
 
>To be fair, so does a fire! I would rather have efficient extinguishers on a boat, and get the fire out, rather than worry about subsequent clear up problems afterwards.

The problem with powder is if you use it in the engine room it destroys the electronics which is why automatic extinguishers are gas. I never fitted an automatic extinguisher because the smoke from a slipping fan belt will set it off. We carried both gas and powder extinguishers.
 
KellysEye said:
>To be fair, so does a fire! I would rather have efficient extinguishers on a boat, and get the fire out, rather than worry about subsequent clear up problems afterwards.

The problem with powder is if you use it in the engine room it destroys the electronics which is why automatic extinguishers are gas. I never fitted an automatic extinguisher because the smoke from a slipping fan belt will set it off. We carried both gas and powder extinguishers.
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Most auto fire extinguishers are heat activated. Smoke from a slipping belt will not set off an auto dry powder. There are plenty of boats out there with auto powder in the engine room. Personally I would rather not, but I would have no problem having one fitted, if that was what was there. I have heard of one going off accidentally, due to an engine overheat that raised the engine room temperature above the activation level. Mess was cleared up with no lasting damage. If there is an actual fire, the mess will be the least of your worries.

But........this thread is not about engine room extinguishers, it is about hand held portables, so back on topic. They should be serviced but most people don't bother due to the cost. The pressure vessel should be tested every 5 years, but most people doesn't bother because of cost. If your are over 5 years old, throw them out and buy new ones. They are only £20 each!
 
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All very well but how do you tell their age if there's no date mark. I'm not concerned about engine room fires as I don't have an engine room.
CLB said:
Most auto fire extinguishers are heat activated. Smoke from a slipping belt will not set off an auto dry powder. There are plenty of boats out there with auto powder in the engine room. Personally I would rather not, but I would have no problem having one fitted, if that was what was there. I have heard of one going off accidentally, due to an engine overheat that raised the engine room temperature above the activation level. Mess was cleared up with no lasting damage. If there is an actual fire, the mess will be the least of your worries.

But........this thread is not about engine room extinguishers, it is about hand held portables, so back on topic. They should be serviced but most people don't bother due to the cost. The pressure vessel should be tested every 5 years, but most people doesn't bother because of cost. If your are over 5 years old, throw them out and buy new ones. They are only £20 each!
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ghostlymoron said:
All very well but how do you tell their age if there's no date mark. I'm not concerned about engine room fires as I don't have an engine room.
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There should be a date of manufacture on any CE certified extinguisher. You either haven't found it yet, or you have an extinguisher so old it predates the requirements, or you have a piece of Chinese junk. If either of the last two, you should buy new anyway. It is sort of self-embossed, so not always obvious.
 
I had a small (1kg?) dry powder fire extinguisher with a gauge fitted and showing green in the works van for many years probably well in excess of 12. It certainly worked OK when #1 son pulled some tools out from the back of the van and caught the trigger lever!!!!! What a bloody mess.
 
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