A fire extinguisher is a piece of protective equipment you must have in your house, office, or store. It prevents fire outbreaks that can destroy properties worth a fortune.
However it’s one thing to have a fire extinguisher, but it’s another thing to have a fully charged one that can stop a blazing fire.
You never know when the fire extinguisher will be needed, especially in places prone to fires, such as kitchens, laboratories, and industries. Hence, keeping a fire extinguisher properly charged or pressurised is an extremely important step in owning and maintaining a fire extinguisher.
If fire extinguishers are not serviced, maintained, and recharged regularly, they may not work at crucial times. Therefore, even if the portable fire extinguisher has never been used, it must be appropriately maintained to ensure that it works when a fire occurs.
When To Recharge A Fire Extinguisher
- Immediately After Discharge
You must recharge your fire extinguisher immediately after using it on a blazing fire. Following the New Zealand standards, you must recharge all rechargeable-type fire extinguishers immediately after use, regardless of the quantity discharged.
- At an interval of Five years
If you have fire extinguishers installed, it is also mandatory that they’re inspected and recharged after the first five years from the manufacture date, even if they haven’t been discharged at all.
Then, after another five years, which is ten years after the manufacture date, you must repeat the inspection and refilling process.
To know what is required in every inspection and recharging, you can read through NZS4503 and the service guidelines from the manufacturer.
Detection of abnormalities
If you notice any abnormality with the fire extinguisher, it’s time to inspect and recharge it. For instance, your fire extinguisher needs to be recharged or serviced if the needlepoint isn’t in the green area on the pressure gauge.
You’ll find other abnormalities that call for attention, such as a blocked or clogged nozzle, broken safety seals, missing tamper indicators, corrosion, or leakage.
Additionally, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if your fire extinguisher needs to be recharged without prior and intensive inspections. This is why the NZ standards direct that you ensure 12 monthly fire extinguisher inspections.
You must also know that you are expected to dispose of non-rechargeable extinguishers after using them as they can’t extinguish the fire once they develop any of the defects highlighted above.
Call on a Professional
Recharging and servicing your fire extinguisher is a delicate task that tested-and-trusted companies like Spectrum Fire Protection should handle.
We are well-equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that help us deliver quality services to all our customers globally.
That’s not all; we have a team of experienced engineers and experts who will inspect, test, and service your fire extinguishers. Hence, we ensure your fire extinguishers are always ready to combat different fire outbreaks and emergencies.
We are an IQP-registered company, fully qualified to carry out necessary compliance checks on fire protection equipment, including Alarm and sprinklers.
What are you waiting for? Give us a call today, and we will gladly recharge your extinguisher and deliver it like new equipment ready for operation.