How often should Fire Extinguishers be Checked (in 2025)?

Last Updated on December 22, 2024 by Abdullah Meraz

Are you thinking about the periodic checks for your home fire extinguishers? Are your fire extinguishers in good condition? Will they be able to function effectively in the event of a fire?

Don’t worry; I’ve asked you many questions, but these are the basic requirements for ensuring your fire extinguishers are reliable. It’s important to know how often fire extinguishers should be checked. Should it be daily, weekly, monthly, or annually?

During my service period, I was responsible for overseeing all aspects of fire safety in a garment manufacturing company.

In this article, I have shared inspection methods for fire extinguishers, technical guidelines, and much more based on my experience. I am confident it will enhance your knowledge and help improve fire safety measures at your premises.

Importance to know how often should fire extinguishers be checked 

A fire extinguisher is considered the first line of defense in the event of a fire. Therefore, it is recommended that you maintain routine inspections so that there are no discrepancies in an emergency. 

Regular visual inspection should be conducted monthly for all types of fire extinguishers in your premises such as Water-type, Dry or Wet chemicals, CO2, Foam, etc. You can perform this inspection yourself or delegate it to someone knowledgeable of visual inspections  

However, annual inspections involve more in-depth servicing, which can only be conducted by a certified inspector.

In the next section, I will explain the details of monthly and annual inspections for portable fire extinguishers.

Fire extinguisher evaluations are essential and may be performed individually. The following actions constitute a complete evaluation, and I do observe them while I examine them.

• It must be verified that the portable discharge extinguisher is within 75 feet of traveling on every flooring.
• Check that a mobile discharge extinguisher is within a 30-foot travel distance of commercial-type cooking tools that use food preparation oil or pet body fat. 
• Inspect for portable extinguishers and calculate that they are located within conspicuous and quickly on-call sites, promptly accessible for utilization, and certainly not obstructed or even obscured from sight.
• Remove blockage and confirm access to extinguishers is undoubtedly clear.
• Affirm that the hose (if therefore equipped) is undamaged and not obstructed.

• Make sure the pressure dial reviews are in the eco-friendly or “charged” area. They should also be removed and understandable.
• Examine that the pull pin is tightly fastened within the handle and kept inside the spot by the tamper seal.

• Check for noticeable damages or splits inside the extinguisher body system.
• A practical place and accurate mounting need to be verified for extinguishers.
• Check for alterations that might lessen the extinguisher’s performance.
• Make sure that the terminate extinguisher has a label and also that it is legible.
• Inspect the ailment of tires, wheels, carriages, hoses, and nozzles for wheeled extinguishers.

Month-to-month inspections need to be conducted by competent people, and more frequent inspections are necessary inside places prone to rust, affect, or even tampering.

Documents of month-to-month inspections should be affixed to terminate extinguishers and preserved in submits or even digital layouts. These documents ought to include:

• Monthly and also yearly indicators.
• Identification of the staff carrying out the evaluation.
• I am searching for an evaluation featuring rehabilitative actions and root triggers of problems.

Records must be kept for 12 months to demonstrate conformity with monthly assessments, and instant restorative activity is essential for any deficiencies found.

Regular maintenance of terminate extinguishers is vital to maintaining them functional during critical moments. This involves several assessments featuring:

• Checking the mechanical elements of the extinguishers.

• Inspecting the extinguishing agent and also its bodily ailment.
• Verifying the expelling of held pressure (STP)

Exterior evaluations must be performed yearly, during hydrostatic examinations, or even in case of inconsistencies. Interior assessments, as per the manufacturer’s solution hand-operated, must take place every 1-6 years, depending on the extinguisher type. Certified people accredited through the fire department are also well-informed regarding NFPA-10’s need to execute fire extinguisher maintenance.

The hydrostatic check involves internal and external visual examinations of the cylinder. Water or an additional suitable non-compressible liquid is utilized as the examination tool. The discharge extinguisher is disassembled, filled by water at a specific pressure for a particular duration, dried out, reassembled, and recharged. Any leakage, distortion, or also irreversible task of couplings proposes an assessment failing, needing condemnation.

Certified people, along with practical educating, accredits, resources, centers, and also maker service manuals, needs to perform hydrostatic examinations. The examine regularity differs relying on the extinguisher kind, generally occurring every 5-12 years..

For low-pressure cylinders, a classify needs to be connected having:

• The call of the staff carrying out the examination.

• The date of the examination.
• The pressure at which the evaluation was performed.

In addition, a distinct tester recognition amount should be stamped onto the extinguisher. This number does undoubtedly not include described relevant information needed for Examination, Testing, and Upkeep (ITM); however, it is provided as a referral.

I think you have some ideas about the fire extinguisher inspection from the above article.

Do you know the right method of using fire extinguishers? Find them in the coming section.

How To Use A Fire Extinguisher

Fire extinguishers are used by PASS method

• Pull the Pin: Activate the fire extinguisher by pulling the pin at the leading, breaking the safety and security lock.
• Aim low: Direct the nozzle or hose at the base of the terminate, certainly not the flames themselves, maintaining a secure range.
• Move side to side: Approach the terminate, brushing up the hose or even the nozzle side to side to deal with the base of the fire along with the extinguishing representative.

At the edge line, confirming fire safety at your property is expensive. Therefore, to keep the fire extinguishers maximum workable in the event of a termination, there is zero substitute for excellent Evaluation, Screening, and Upkeep (ITM) of terminated extinguishers. It will also enhance termination safety, save lifespan, and adore the moment and property.

In the remarks below, discuss your adventures with fire extinguisher evaluation, testing, and maintenance. Review the tests you encounter and the most typical offenses you’ve experienced in this respect.

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