Fire Extinguisher Recharging: What Everyone Should Know

When it comes down to a fire emergency, fire extinguishers can potentially make the difference between a close call and a fatal accident. So, you can understand why making sure that your fire extinguishers are properly maintained is an absolute must. We’re going to take you through what you need to know about fire extinguisher recharging and whether yours needs to be recharged or not.

Recharging your fire extinguisher means that you’re either refilling it with the proper firefighting agent or even draining the extinguisher completely before refilling it. This can be compared to adding to or changing the oil in your car.

Quick Response Fire Safety expands more on why fire extinguishers need to be maintained just the same way as any other piece of equipment:

While it’s important to have your fire extinguishers professionally inspected once per year, there are certain things you should watch out for during your monthly inspections. Looking out for these signs during regular inspections can make all the difference when it comes to whether your fire extinguisher is fit to use in an emergency.

Online Safety Depot tells us more on what to look for in “Should You Recharge a Fire Extinguisher or Buy a New One?”:

“There are a few indicators for determining if your fire extinguisher needs to be recharged or not. The first thing to look for is the tamper seal. If the tamper seal is broken or missing, then you should get it inspected to ensure that it wasn’t used, even a little. Next, you will want to look at the pressure gauge. If the needle is pointed in the middle of the green zone, then your fire extinguisher is properly pressured. However, if the needle is pointed near or in the red zone, you’ll need to get it recharged as soon as possible.”

You may be surprised to hear that it doesn’t matter whether or not your fire extinguisher has previously been used – it still may need to be recharged. For any reason at all, there may be a chance that your fire extinguisher is faulty or that it has been leaking slowly over time.

Hseblog.com expands more on why your fire extinguisher still needs to be recharged, whether it’s ever been used or not:

“Fire extinguishers need to be recharged periodically throughout their life, even if they haven’t been used. Both the NFPA 10 code standard for portable fire extinguishers and manufacturer’s service guidelines require periodic internal examination and recharging. For the most commonly used stored pressure dry chemical fire extinguishers, this internal examination and recharging are required at six and twelve years from the date of manufacture noted on the extinguisher.”

Now that you know how important it is to make sure your fire protection equipment is properly maintained, check out how we can help with fire extinguisher inspections, recharges, and many other mobile services to keep you and your business safe.