refilling a fire extingusher

[geronimotwo]

we have a 10 lb extinguisher that has lost its pressure.  non of the dry-chem has leaked out, only the "air".  it will cost me around $50 to have it recharged by an extinguisher company.  it is about 10-12 years old and looks as new.  i am wondering what the thoughts are on using a compressor and filling it myself.

[never_retreat]

The small ones are cheaper to throw away usually. The dry chem makes a good fertilizer for the garden I have heard.

[Monkeyleg]

Do you know that it's lost pressure because of the gauge that's on it?

Another fire extinguisher question: if the gauge shows the correct pressure, is the fire extinguisher still good if it's 20 years old?

[geronimotwo]

yes, the gauge has gradually been going down.

[Hawkmoon]

Don't do it unless you have a VERY good moisture interceptor on the compressor. Dry chemical extenguihers are not charged with air, they are charged with nitrogen. If you use air and it has any moisture in it, the dry chemical cakes up and won't discharge when needed.

[Hawkmoon]

Do you know that it's lost pressure because of the gauge that's on it?

Another fire extinguisher question: if the gauge shows the correct pressure, is the fire extinguisher still good if it's 20 years old?

For practical purposes, probably yes. For legal/fire code purposes ... no. Shake the cylinder. If you can hear or feel the dry chemical shifting around inside, it's probably good. If you can't detect the dry chemical shifting around, it's probably caked up and won't discharge if you pull the trigger.

[geronimotwo]

well, no to the dry air equipment.  maybe i should use the gas from my oxy-acetelyne unit?   

[French G.]

Umm no to the oxygen charge? Now if you had an argon tank that'd be something.

On the 20yr old extinguisher, agent clumping is a real possibility. I habitually will whack a dry chem on something solid before discharging just to make sure the agent is free. New extinguishers are cheap, buy some newones. For the old one find a safe location and do some extinguisher training with yourself or someone else who has never been near fire.  Big old metal pan with a gallon of diesel in it is a good start.

[230RN]

I found out a long time ago (personal experience) that apparently once you use one even partially, the powder gets under the seals and they bleed down rather rapidly.  Be safe, be sure, buy a new one, and don't test them out.  As the pilots say, "trust your instruments"... meaning in this case, the gauge with the red and green segment son it..

Excellent advice about using them for training.  Beats having to read the instructions while a fire is raging..

But make sure you have a good one handy during  this excercise.   

Or two.

Terry, 230RN

[Boomhauer]

*Raises hand* Structural firefighter here, including a full course on fire extinguishers and their uise plus practical real world experience using them to extinguish fires.

Dry chem type fire extinguishers...
You should be checking your fire extinguishers about every six months...check the pressure gauge and then turn it up side down, take a rubber mallet, and whack away at the bottom to insure the powder is not clumped to the bottom. If you end up having to fight a fire with an extinguisher that is only hissing out it's gas charge, then slam the bottom of the cylinder onto the ground a couple of times. Vehicle mounted extinguishers are particularly susceptible to settling so they should be given special attention with the rubber mallet.

Use the old ones to train with and buy new ones if you have some positively ancient fire extinguishers in service. Believe me this is something you don't want to bullshit around with. Being in the right place at the right time can make what would be an extremely destructive fire nearly a non-event because you put it out before it got going good...unless you go to grab that 20 y.o. extinguisher and it's no bueno.

Now the water cans you can recharge those using the air compressor. They have a schrader valve and are meant to be done so...top even unscrews so you can add water.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Being in the right place at the right time can make what would be an extremely destructive fire nearly a non-event

much wisdom here!!!!
after i used a 12 pack of pepsi to foam out an engine fire my cars now sport multiple extinguishers.

[French G.]

Now you can re-charge that extinguisher with shop air and a rubber tip nozzle if you empty the agent out and re-fill with about 2/3 diesel fuel. Lotsa fun, but a very good idea to make sure it looks nothing like a fire extinguisher, rather poor results if grabbed to put out a fire. I use one for "weed control" yeah that's it but I keep it put away empty.

[HankB]

. . . maybe i should use the gas from my oxy-acetelyne unit?   

. . . re-charge that extinguisher with shop air and a rubber tip nozzle if you empty the agent out and re-fill with about 2/3 diesel fuel . . .

Judging by the way he's approaching various problems, that sounds suspiciously like the approach a well-known former community organizer from Chicago would take if he were going to fight a fire . . .

[Jamisjockey]

When I was in the Marines, I was on a detail cleaning out an old office building that had been used for storage.  It was slated for demo.  We found several extinguishers 15 years + with expiration dates that hadn't been inspected in forever.  So we did what any sensible young Marine would do.  They still worked.   

[geronimotwo]

Now you can re-charge that extinguisher with shop air and a rubber tip nozzle if you empty the agent out and re-fill with about 2/3 diesel fuel. Lotsa fun, but a very good idea to make sure it looks nothing like a fire extinguisher, rather poor results if grabbed to put out a fire. I use one for "weed control" yeah that's it but I keep it put away empty.

i imagine the same could be done with water?

[K Frame]

WHO WOULD PUT A GAG FIRE EXTINGUISHER OUT IN PLACE OF A REAL ONE?

Someone who cares deeply about physical comedy, that's who...


I'll be damned if I can remember where that line came from...

[Jamisjockey]

WHO WOULD PUT A GAG FIRE EXTINGUISHER OUT IN PLACE OF A REAL ONE?

Someone who cares deeply about physical comedy, that's who...


I'll be damned if I can remember where that line came from...

Family guy.

"Who buys a novelty fire extinguisher?  I'll tell you who: someone who cares enough about physical comedy to put his entire family into serious danger, that's who."

[230RN]

In the barn on my little farm, I found an antique passive fire extinguisher which had about a quart of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in a glass bottle with a spring-loaded firing-pin held back by a low-melting alloy, probably Wood's Metal, which would pop the bottom of the bottle and cause a spray of CCl4 .  It was supposed to be hung from the rafters.  I moved it to the milk room, which I used as my shop.

I tried to find an exact image of it, but this is the best I could do.

The bottle looked like this, but it was in a red sheet steel housing, with the "firing pin" on the bottom.

http://www.antiquemystique.com/images/9366a.jpg

I left it there when we moved because the danger of breaking the glass bottle in moving it was too great.  I wish I'd kept it, it would probably be worth a pretty penny nowadays.

Terry

[K Frame]

YES! Family Guy!

The Christmas episode where Kiss Saves Santa, Stewie gets Plutonium, and Lois goes nuts.

Crap. Not on utoob.

[Jamisjockey]

YES! Family Guy!

The Christmas episode where Kiss Saves Santa, Stewie gets Plutonium, and Lois goes nuts.

Crap. Not on utoob.

Not a lot of good family guy clips on you tube.

[Sergeant Bob]

I found out a long time ago (personal experience) that apparently once you use one even partially, the powder gets under the seals and they bleed down rather rapidly.  Be safe, be sure, buy a new one, and don't test them out.  As the pilots say, "trust your instruments"... meaning in this case, the gauge with the red and green segment son it..

Excellent advice about using them for training.  Beats having to read the instructions while a fire is raging..

But make sure you have a good one handy during  this excercise.  

Or two.

Terry, 230RN

I had fire extinguisher training in the Air Force using a pan with JP-4. I really need to invest in some fire extinguishers to train my wife in fire fighting. The cost is actually pretty cheap in regard to the benefit achieved.

[AJ Dual]

I had fire extinguisher training in tin the Air Force using a pan with JP-4. I really need to invest in some fire extinguishers to train my wife in fire fighting. The cost is actually pretty cheap in regard to the benefit achieved.

JP-4... JP-5, whatever it takes.

[French G.]

Yeah, funny we train with guns, but when it comes to fire extinguishers first aid and stuff we buy it, put it away, and hope for the best. And on that tangent, how many lives will the bunny huggers cost us now that they shamed the special forces into stopping the practice of shooting goats and then practicing first aid on them?

[geronimotwo]

you mean they were shooting goats.........and no bbq?     

[Sergeant Bob]

you mean they were shooting goats.........and no bbq?     

Goat meat is actually excellent  BBQ'd. I prefer it to Pork.