How often should you check a fire extinguisher?

Short answer

A quick check once a month. Look at the pressure gauge, make sure the pin and its tamper seal are in place, look for dents or rust, and read the date. It takes 5 minutes for every extinguisher in the house and costs nothing. A disposable household extinguisher is replaced every 10 to 12 years, or sooner if the gauge needle drifts out of the green, and a new one costs $20 to $60.

Why it matters

An extinguisher is the one tool in the house you only reach for in an emergency, with no time to discover it's empty. The pressure that drives the powder out leaks slowly through the valve seals over years, and when the gauge drops out of the green, the extinguisher may spit for a second and stop. The powder inside can pack down into a solid cake from vibration or damp, so that nothing comes out even with full pressure. Neither problem shows from across the room.

The monthly check takes less than a minute per extinguisher and catches both. It also keeps the extinguisher where it belongs. An extinguisher that's been moved to the garage shelf, or buried behind cleaning supplies under the sink, isn't there when the pan catches, and the check is a monthly reminder of where it lives.

When to do it more often

Monthly is already the schedule, and the index's one modifier is about the extinguisher's life rather than the check: a disposable extinguisher is replaced every 10 to 12 years, or sooner if the gauge leaves the green. Rechargeable extinguishers, the kind a fire equipment company services, follow the service tag instead.

Check an extinguisher immediately after it's been used, even for a second, because a partly discharged extinguisher loses the rest of its pressure. Check after a move, too, and after any knock that could have bent the handle or cracked the gauge.

What you need

Nothing. The check is by eye. For a dry powder extinguisher, your hands are the only tool: turning it over and giving it a shake keeps the powder loose.

Steps at a glance

1. Find every extinguisher: the kitchen, the garage, near the furnace, and one on each floor is a common set.
2. Look at the gauge. The needle should sit in the green zone.
3. Check that the pull pin is in place and the plastic tamper seal around it is unbroken.
4. Look over the cylinder for dents, rust or corrosion, especially at the bottom and around the valve.
5. Read the manufacture date on the label, and the service tag on a rechargeable unit.
6. For a dry powder extinguisher, turn it over and shake it a few times to keep the powder from caking.
7. Put it back where it belongs, with the label facing out and nothing stacked in front of it.

You're done when every extinguisher is in the green, pinned, undamaged, in date and in its place.

Signs it's overdue

• The gauge needle is out of the green zone, on either side.
• The pin or the tamper seal is missing, which means someone has squeezed the handle.
• Dents, rust or corrosion on the cylinder or the valve.
• The date on the label has passed.

DIY or pro

The monthly check is an easy job for whoever lives in the house, and there's nothing to hire out. The decision point is what to do with an extinguisher that fails. A disposable household extinguisher that's out of the green, past its date or damaged is replaced, not repaired, and a new one costs $20 to $60. Take the old one to a fire equipment company or a hazardous waste drop-off rather than putting it in the trash, since it's still pressurized.

A rechargeable extinguisher, the heavier kind with a metal valve and a service tag, is serviced by a fire equipment company, which recharges it and tests the cylinder on the schedule printed on the tag. For a home, a disposable extinguisher in each key spot is usually simpler and cheaper.

FAQ

How do I know if a fire extinguisher is still good?

The gauge needle sits in the green, the pin and seal are in place, the cylinder is undamaged, and the date on the label hasn't passed.

Do fire extinguishers expire?

A disposable household extinguisher lasts 10 to 12 years from its manufacture date. The pressure leaks out slowly over that time, and the gauge shows when it's gone.

Where should fire extinguishers be in a house?

In the kitchen, in the garage, near the furnace or any fuel-burning appliance, and one on each floor, each mounted where it's visible and reachable without crossing the likely fire.

Can a fire extinguisher be used twice?

A disposable one, no. Even a short burst lets the remaining pressure escape. Replace it after any use.