Do fires extinguishers need to be shaken to prevent settling?

[sixdogs]

Not sure where I read it but someone wrote that fire extinguishers need to be turned upside down every now and then and shaken to prevent settling. That implies they may not work right if they sit too long and the material does settle out. Not good.Does anyone know anything about this?

I've got some that are 10 years old but still fully charged and I'm not sure what to do.

 

[k0ua]

Not sure where I read it but someone wrote that fire extinguishers need to be turned upside down every now and then and shaken to prevent settling. That implies they may not work right if they sit too long and the material does settle out. Not good.Does anyone know anything about this?

I've got some that are 10 years old but still fully charged and I'm not sure what to do.

Some manufactures recommend shaking dry chemical ones periodically. I can't see how it would do any harm to do it so why not do it?

This is a cut and paste from an extinguisher site.:

Fire extinguishers expire and they do this for a few different reasons. One common way is that, over time, the seal on the neck will weaken and allow compressed gas to escape. Extinguishers that have lost much of their pressure will not operate. Pressure within an extinguisher can be conveniently checked through a pressure gauge. “ABC” class extinguishers (ammonium phosphate) have the tendency to fail due to solidification of the chemical in the canister base. Homeowners and inspectors can delay this process by periodically shaking the extinguisher. Expensive extinguishers that have expired, especially those designed for commercial use, can be refilled and resealed by companies who specialize in this service. Inexpensive models are disposable.

 

[Toyboy]

In a one word answer YES. I do mine when we go on and off DST

 

[Retiredguy2]

I have always made a habit of turning ours upside down every fall and giving the bottom a few smacks with a rubber mallet to be sure the dry chemical powder inside the devices does not get caked.

 

[WM75Guy]

Yes, it is part of the annual inspection procedure. Turn it upside down and tap it with a rubber mallet if needed to loosen the powder. Gently shake or rotate the extinguisher. You can tell when the powder is loose. The other is just a visual inspection of the parts and pressure and make sure it is clean. If it has a hose make sure it is clear. The hose should unscrew from the valve and you can blow through it to verify nothing got in and made a nest. If you are required to have an annual inspection you also get a new tag showing the date inspected. In the industry this was known as the annual "rag and tag".

NFPA Standard 10 also requires every 6 years the extinguisher is discharged and refilled. Every 12 years the cylinder is required to be hydrotested. A fire extinguisher company should not refill an extinguisher out of hydrostatic date. Only the expensive metal valve body extinguishers would get tested. If the extinguisher has a plastic valve body it is pretty much disposable. You can replace it cheaper than the cost of a test and refill. Some cannot even be refilled if the nozzle is built into the valve body. The hose to charge the extinguisher with nitrogen screws in where the hose or nozzle screws in.

 

[bigtiller]

The fire extinguisher company I use told me to turn it upside down and tap it with a rubber mallet once a month, if it makes you feel good. It isn't really necessary to do.

They said when the extinguisher was placed back on the wall hook, it would settle back down in short order. The main thing was to use a 5 or 10 pound high quality refillable extinguisher, keep it charged and the hose cleared of spider webs and bee nests, and never depend on the little cheapies sold in big-box stores.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I owned and operated a fire extinguisher service for years. The only time that I took a rubber mallet to a fire extinguisher was if it was mounted, in an upright position, on a piece of moving equipment. Vibration is the only reason that the chemical powder will pack on a charged fire extinguisher.

. . . NFPA Standard 10 also requires every 6 years the extinguisher is discharged and refilled. Every 12 years the cylinder is required to be hydrotested. A fire extinguisher company should not refill an extinguisher out of hydrostatic date. Only the expensive metal valve body extinguishers would get tested. If the extinguisher has a plastic valve body it is pretty much disposable. You can replace it cheaper than the cost of a test and refill. Some cannot even be refilled if the nozzle is built into the valve body. The hose to charge the extinguisher with nitrogen screws in where the hose or nozzle screws in.

Randy's giving some solid advice. But, I would add that if the extinguisher has a plastic valve, you were a fool to buy it in the first place. Go get a real extinguisher. Plastic is fine for sandwich bags and TupperWare, but not fire extinguishers.
As far as a recommendation for a really good extinguisher: Amerex is the best, Badger is second and Ansul is not bad. Buckeye is a distant fourth. Anything else is pretty much JUNK!
JMHO

 

[sixdogs]

I have metal tipped quality extinguishers but they have set for 10 years. Will tapping be OK or replace them?

 

[George2615]

I have metal tipped quality extinguishers but they have set for 10 years. Will tapping be OK or replace them?

If yours are serviceable, they need to be done. contact your local extinguisher company.
Six-Year Maintenance
Every 6 years, stored pressure fire extinguishers that require a 12-year hydrostatic test (e.g. dry chemical extinguishers) must be emptied and proper maintenance procedures performed [see NFPA10(98), Sec. 4-4.3]. The exception to this rule is nonrechargeable extinguishers, which are required to be removed from service 12 years from the date of manufacture. Again, this maintenance must be performed by an approved extinguisher servicing company.
Hydrostatic testing At certain intervals, fire extinguishers are required to be pressure tested using water or some other noncompressible fluid to help prevent unwanted failure or rupture of the cylinder [see NFPA 10(98), Chapter 5]. This is called hydrostatic testing and includes both an internal and external examination of the cylinder. Because this testing requires special training and equipment, it needs to be performed by an approved extinguisher servicing company.
Hydrostatic testing intervals for fire extinguishers are outlined in NFPA 10(98), Sec. 5-2 and Table 5-
2. Test intervals for some of the most commonly found extinguishers are as follows:

Pressurized water, carbon dioxide and wet chemical extinguishers every 5 years

Dry chemical extinguishers every 12 years
As mentioned earlier, the exception to the rule
for hydrostatic testing is nonrechargeable
stored pressure extinguishers (e.g. dry chemical extinguish
ers), which are required to be removed from service 12 years from the date of manufacture.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I have metal tipped quality extinguishers but they have set for 10 years. Will tapping be OK or replace them?

Turning an extinguisher upside down and whooping on it with a rubber mallet won't hurt anything.
A good, high quality extinguisher that is 10 years old is most likely just fine. I say "most likely" because there is a remote possibility that the gauge could be wrong. (but that's rare. failure rate on gauges is probably less than 1%) But that's what the 6-year Maintenance is for. The fire extinguisher tech discharges the unit, verifying that it works as it should, and then recharges it.
A good, reputable fire extinguisher company should do a 12-year Hydro-Test and recharge for about half of what a new extinguisher would cost. So, no, I would not replace them. If you don't have complete confidence in them, have them serviced.