One of the most popular methods to control small and local fires is to quickly spray them with a fire extinguisher. Therefore, you need to ensure that your fire extinguisher is always filled so you could use it at moment notice. “But what if my fire extinguishers run low and I don’t know any fire extinguishers refill near me?” you may wonder. In that case, this article is for you.
Down below, you would be introduced to the refilling principle of fire extinguishers as well as how to find a place that provides refilling services. In additional that, you could also find frequently asked question about fire extinguishers in general along with their answer in this article as well. From the cost of brand new fire extinguishers to how often should you refill them, everything would be carefully analyzed.
As mentioned above, you have to keep your fire extinguisher filled so you could deploy it at any given time. To achieve that goal and prevent potential malfunctions in a critical moment, a tight refill and inspection schedule is necessary. Just by setting up a logical refill and inspection scheme for your fire extinguisher, you would be able to protect your property, friend and family much better than before.
For most of the time, you have to refill the fire extinguisher periodically (not use) and immediately (after use).
In the usual case, periodic refills are accompanied by a thorough inspection as well and often take place once a year. The unit integrity, gauge, pressure and others would be examined before it could be refilled. Immediate refill is similar though it occurs after you use the unit no matter how much fire suppression agents are used.
At first, the unit condition and its pressure will be evaluated in order to determine the best course of action. For example, units that have a slightly low pressure will be refilled with a sufficient amount of fire suppression agent. On the other hand, units with an unacceptably low pressure will be emptied and cleaned before being refilled with agents. After the refilling is finished, all units should have a pressure between 185 and 205 psi.
To ensure consistent performance and prevent leakage, parts that appear to be damaged or deteriorated would be replaced without delay. The last thing people want to experience is to see their fire extinguisher fail unexpectedly while they are dealing with a fire. For aged units, a hydrostatic test is necessary to check whether the strength of the fire extinguisher remain adequate for people to use or not.
You only need to take a look at the fire extinguisher gauge in order to figure out whether it needs to be refilled or not. Almost all fire extinguishers in circulation come with an easy to understand gauge which consists of a green zone and a red zone. As long as the gauge needle stays within the green zone, there is nothing to worry about.
How many classes of fire extinguishers are in circulation?
Class A: Units contain water or foam and come in a silver cylinder. They are used to handle fires in ordinary combustibles like wood, rubber, plastic and paper.
Class D: Units contain powder and come with a yellow cylinder. They are used to handle fires in industrial application.
How much is fire extinguisher?
The price of brand new fire extinguisher depends a lot on its class as well as its purposes. Household/kitchen/ car fire extinguishers could be as low as $10 and go as high as $60. In most of the case, single-use units are considerably cheaper compared to their rechargeable counterparts. Industrial class fire extinguishers that could deal with multiple types of fires are usually expensive with a unit price between $300 and $800.
How much does fire extinguisher cost?
Besides the acquisition cost, there are other expenses associated with the use and maintenance of a fire extinguisher. A standard refill/inspection service could cost you $35 – $75 and a hydrostatic test for old units would add around $40 to your bill. In many cases, it’s could be wise to just simply discard your old fire extinguisher and buy new units instead of refilling/maintaining it.
Where to recharge fire extinguisher?
Generally speaking, you should be able to locate nearby refill services looking on the Internet. Places that offer fire extinguisher refill often provide excellent unit inspection as well so you don’t have anything to worry about. Nonetheless, it’s also wise for you to compare the cost of the operation to the price of brand new units. In some case, it’s cost effective to ditch your fire extinguisher when it runs dry and then purchases a new unit.
How to recharge fire extinguisher?
It’s advised that you should always let the professional refill your fire extinguisher since it dangerous to do so without proper training and tool. However, it’s possible for you to refill certain types of units by yourself but you need to stay concentrated. To refill a fire extinguisher, you have to unthread the valve, let the pressure escape, pour in suppression agent, pressurize the unit, add sealing grease, rethread the valve and add a date label.
Could I use one fire extinguisher on all types of fires?
Fire extinguishers are classified into classes for a reason: a particular unit is only able to deal with fires that it has been designed for. To handle a fire with unsuitable fire extinguishers is generally inefficient and may even worsen the situation in some cases. There are indeed certain units that could extinguish multiple types of fires. However, there is no such thing as the perfect product that works on all types of fires.