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Fire Extinguishers - replace??


Richard10002

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BSS inspection in a couple of weeks. Pretty sure my dry powder fire extinguishers have been on board since buying the boat in 2011, so no idea how old they are.

 

At the previous BSS inspection, the inspector looked at the pressure dial, which was, and is, in the green, checked the general appearance, and passed them.

 

Given their age, should I be thinking of changing them, both to pass the Scheme, as well personal safety, or is an extinguisher with pressure in the green as good at say, 10 years, as it was when new?

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First thing to check is whether it has an expiry date on it.  Most do not, these days, I think, but some may still have.  If it has, and it has expired, replace it

Manufacturing date should not count, though.

Generally if it is not expired, visibly in good condition , and the needle in the green, it should pass.

 

Whether it would actually work properly is perhaps more debatable.  Do you follow the recommendation of periodically taking them off the wall, inverting them, and giving a good shake to ensure that the powder is not compacted down?  I guess most of us know you should, but how many of us really do it on a regular basis?

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If they don't have an expiry date they'll pass the BSS check however old they are so long as the indicators are green.  If they do pass, I'd keep them as together they'll meet BSS Type A and Type B requirement figures, but to improve your capabilities you might add to your collection with something which will be more effective for some types of fires (powder are broad range) but won't add to your woes after use with powder deposits.  You could choose Water Mist which isn't really on the BSS radar yet so not yet acceptable under BSS requirements (but you've met that with powder ones now), and/or AFFF and CO2 may also be a good choice for particular spaces. A little reading up will reveal the advantages and disadvantages of each type. 

 

In the meantime,  give your powder extinguishers a regular damned good shake to keep the powder from becoming a lump - when you up-end them, you may just be able to hear a confidence boosting soft 'flump' as the powder falls.

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