Are Your Boat's Fire Extinguishers Expired? Here's How To Check | BoatUS

[@mariterbrueggen2140]

What is minimum fire extinguishers required

[@boatus]

Excellent question, Mari. Here is the info from our BoatUS Foundation: www.boatus.org/fire-extinguishers/ In addition, here are some Q&As regarding fire extinguishers from the US Coast Guard: uscgboating.org/recreational-boaters/fire-extinguisher-faq.php

[@SDMarineConsulting]

As some others have pointed out, the12 year "expiration" is only for plastic nozzle extinguishers, which are not rechargeable. Metal nozzle extinguishers are rechargeable.

[@boatus]

Your info is a little off here, Steve. You're correct in that the "expiration" law applies only to disposable fire extinguishers, which are the most common type found aboard recreational vessels. However, using plastic vs metal nozzles as the distinction between those two is faulty. Most, if not all of the disposable extinguishers on the market today have aluminum discharge components. You might be thinking of older Kidde extinguishers, which did have plastic nozzles, but most of those were included in a widespread recall. The litmus test should be disposable vs rechargeable, not nozzle material.

[@SDMarineConsulting]

@@boatus Agreed, the designation by the extinguisher manufacturer, disposable vs. rechargeable, should be the final arbiter. In hindsight, what I should have said is, no plastic valve extinguisher is refillable.

[@boatus]

I think we're both saying the same thing, Steve, but if someone has a plastic-nozzle extinguisher, it's likely expired or recalled anyway.

[@ctndiaye1]

Thanks!

[@boatus]

You're very welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@TJDST4]

Thank you!

[@boatus]

You're very welcome!

[@daviddeem9430]

What about the date stamped on the bottom of the extinguisher? I've read that after 12 years, the extinguisher must be replaced

[@boatus]

You are correct, David. We cover that in the video. If there's any question whether your extinguisher needs replacement, our friends at the BoatUS Foundation offer a really helpful decision tree and other resources at www.boatus.org/fire-extinguishers

[@daviddeem9430]

@@boatus I stand corrected. Missed that. Thanks.

[@phildray2797]

For boats 2018 and newer, do you foresee any issue with buying a new fire extinguisher 5BC, 10BC, 20BC to meet the minimum requirements and KEEPING the noncompliant "old BI or BII unit" --which may not be very old at all and with only issue being the noncorrect label, as back up? In a past similar strategy, I always had non expired flares aboard but kept the most recent expired flares as back up. Recently however, I have transitioned to electronic flares, but keep my "old" pyrotechnic flares as back up.

[@boatus]

A most excellent question, Phil, and a discussion we've been having here at the offices. In theory, you could keep the expired ones on board as backups (i.e., there's nothing that says you can't), though they obviously don't count toward the requirement. HOWEVER, the general feeling (Coast Guard, US Power Squadrons) is that you should NOT keep them on board. The reason is in case of fire, you have so little time due to how fast fires spread that want to be sure you're grabbing extinguishers that are most likely to work. You don't want to grab an expired one only to find out it doesn't work as expected -- or, worse, at all. While we agree with this opinion, we realize there are boaters who will keep expired extinguishers aboard. If this is the case, we strongly recommend keeping them separate from those in compliance and ensure the newer extinguishers are the most accessible. As always, we believe that exceeding the minimum number of extinguishers required is a good policy. Of course that leads to the inevitable question of how to dispose of the expired extinguishers, which is a whole other can of worms. Our best recommendation is to search www.earth911.com to find someone in your area that takes expired units. Most landfills won't take them.

[@phildray2797]

I absolutely agree it is wise to have more than the minimum number of extinguishers. And checking fire extinguisher compliance is simple and just another check box on the Spring commissioning check list. On top of that, portable fire extinguishers are pretty inexpensive. After buying and outfitting my boat with the required new extinguishers, my strategy would be to keep and add only the extinguishers that were 12 years old or newer--less than 6 years old is probably optimal just so you are not caught up in an imminent theoretical failure to discharge because of age for the next several seasons. The new CC rules indicate that the disposable units are "serviceable" for 12 years from the date stamp on the bottom so a 6 to 10 year old unit would seem safely in the good functioning zone. It seems so wasteful to dispose of a newish (less than 12 year old but possibly as new as 2 year old) "good" fire extinguisher that would discharge flame retardant as expected just because is has a non compliant older marine label.

[@boatus]

@@phildray2797 The old labeling is fine for certain boat model years as long as the extinguishers are less than 12 years old. I believe the thinking is that newer model years are likely going to come with units having the new labeling. As long as you meet all the other requirements, units 12 years and younger are just fine.

[@danlarson4350]

I agree with the CG changes and I am glad Boat US is getting the word out. 2 Concerns: 1) This feels like another boat flair issue. Boaters are required to replace them and no clear path to dispose of the old ones. I enjoyed the Boat US video but I feel you missed the opportunity to discuss the toxicity of the extinguisher discharge and a discussion / guidelines as how to safely dispose of the old ones. 2) I suspect this will generate hundreds of thousands + of extinguisher sales this year. With the purchasing power and devoted audience of boaters, does Boat US have any plan to offer for sale extinguishers to your members? If not, I feel this is another missed opportunity. You have done it before ( I wear my Boat US float coat ($30) all the time) and you could do a big service to your members.

[@boatus]

Hi Dan. You bring up some really important points that have been part of our discussion at BoatUS and the BoatUS Foundation. We discovered that most county landfills won't take fire extinguishers. (Though some will, or have specific dates when they do.) The best option is to visit www.earth911.com and use the "where to recycle" button at the top to put in your local zip and what you want to recycle. As far as selling fire extinguishers ourselves, I'll ask our Foundation team about it this afternoon when I'm there for a meeting, but with only a few people on staff and nowhere to store them, my guess is that it won't be feasible. However, as a BoatUS Member, don't forget that you get the benefits of purchasing at West Marine by earning points for each dollar spent and rewards certificates after you have accrued certain spending thresholds. We do very much appreciate your insightful feedback, and I will discuss your points with the team to see if there's some kind of program idea that can come out of this.

[@montromaximo7726]

Does this include pwc?

[@boatus]

Absolutely, Montro!

[@troystancil4500]

Much Appreciated!

[@boatus]

Thanks for watching, Troy!

[@retiredfedleo6441]

You should emphasize that the 12 year time limit only applies to DISPOSABLE (non-rechargeable) consumer grade extinguishers, not to rechargeable extinguishers. Disposable extinguishers typically have the manufacturing date stamped into the bottom and have cylinders made of aluminum, the label and the gauge may say "discard/replace after any use." Rechargeable stored pressure dry chemical extinguishers (Amerex, Ansul, Buckeye, Badger etc) typically have the manufacturing date on the label and a cylinder made of steel, they must be maintained in accordance with NFPA Standard #10 which calls for a teardown every 6 years and a hydrostatic test every 12 years. NFPA #10 has always specified that disposable extinguishers must be discarded after 12 years, this is just the USCG's attempt to come into compliance with industry standard NFPA #10 and get away from old ratings such as B-I, B-II (based on weight) and adopt current ratings such as 10-B:C (based on performance in fire tests). However, if you do have a rechargeable extinguisher USCG will now inspect to the NPPA #10 standard which means you need a yearly "maintenance" inspection by a "certified" technician, and need to do that 6 year empty/inspect/recharge and 12 year hydrostatic test. Disposable extinguishers are obviously going to be cheaper in the long run, if the goal is simply to stay compliant with USCG regs. However, due to so many disposable extinguishers slowly leaking pressure as shown in your video, my own solution would be to buy a high quality rechargeable unit and take it to a fire equipment dealer yearly for an inspection and new tag, and then either pay to have the teardown every 6 years, or buy a new one every 6 years and use the old one for crew training/practice. A high quality fire extinguisher of adequate capacity when out on the water is like a parachute: buy the best you can afford because you may not get a second chance. Just my opinion.

[@boatus]

Thank you for sharing your great advice, and you are absolutely correct, Leo. This regulation only applies to disposable extinguishers, which we've tried to make clear. And your point about not getting a second chance is so important. This can't be stressed enough! We don't disagree with your suggestion about investing in rechargeables, however, the disposables do have a certain convenience factor. It's hard enough to get most owners to do basic yearly maintenance and proper winterization on their boats. Ensuring that fire extinguishers are maintained yearly may be a stretch. There's a good case to be made for either option, but the bottom line is that they're available and in working condition when they're needed, because, as you know, you really only have seconds to react if a fire breaks out on board.

[@SDMarineConsulting]

Well-said, this not at all clear from this video and many other sources, including the CG's own website and the CFR to which they link.

[@caznazn3496]

Other than this video, how is the average boater made aware of these kinds of changes to regulations?

[@northwestlife_9]

I'm guessing many find out when they're boarded and inspected. 😞

[@boatus]

I can't really speak to that question in broad terms, Cazn. We try our best to get any changes communicated to our members through our magazine, social media, videos, newsletters, smoke signals, and any other channels available. Become and BoatUS Member and we will get the info out to you. The other option is to schedule an annual courtesy inspection through the US Coast Guard Auxiliary or the US Power Squadrons to make sure your boat is in compliance with the latest rules.

[@bowiehamilton9888]

When they’re fined a huge amount of money.

[@boatus]

@@bowiehamilton9888 The good news is that the Coast Guard is very unlikely to fine boaters for a few months (or even the first season) after a new regulation goes into effect. They will generally use it as an educational opportunity.

[@bowiehamilton9888]

@@boatus that’s GOOD TO HEAR