How to do a 6 Year Maintenance/Recharge A Fire Extinguisher

[@ElCalamardo69]

You explained the process very well! I've recharged so many extinguishers at work I could probably do it in my sleep at this point 😁 I can't even count the amount of times I've found shoddy workmanship from our competitors that resulted in so many condemned units and new extinguishers but at the end of the day it's my name and license on the tag. Quality and professionalism is what it's all about.

[@mikeschulte4271]

Omg me too. I service so many fire extinguishers at work as well. I can’t stand seeing the shitty work of everyone else. It pisses me off because I know if that it was an emergency and I wouldn’t work. It infuriates me that people don’t care so much as we both do.

[@Texaca]

...I had no idea that there was this much information in regards to a simple device as a fire extinguisher. It's something you overlook, or never consider to use, or need any specific information about them, like a fire escape door. But it's good to know something about them, especially if your life and property depends on them. Thank you for this invaluable information. ✌🏼

[@Firealarmcollectorperson]

Very well put together video!

[@WitchidWitchid]

Another important point. Never test a dry chemical extinguisher by momentarily squeezing the lever to see if it discharges. The extinguisher will continue to slowly lose pressure. We had several customers who thought it was a good idea to test their unit in this manner only to find it completely discharged later on and in need of a full recharge.

[@wellytms4713]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@mikeschulte4271]

Yea I use the Getz vacuum machine at my work I do too many at one time to do a scoop it’s too messy lol wonderful vid though

[@jackbn9353]

For most of us, a new extinguisher is the best answer. We do not have all your equipment, but we realize that a careless technician could easily make a mistake.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Certainly

[@WitchidWitchid]

I worked for a company that did fire extinguisher service and maintenance . Pretty much all the work we did was of the highest quality. We never left anything to chance. If there was anything questionable about a given unit we would run it through a battery of tests, including full discharge and recharge to make sure the extinguisher would not fail if needed to fight a fire. We understood that if a unit fails to operate properly in an emergency it would be a heavy strike against the quality of our work. We understood that in the fire protection business there is no room for failures . I can't speak for other companies. When done properly a refilled / recharged unit is just as reliable as a brand new unit .

[@samuelarney9224]

I'm not gonna lie I just do it because It's something fun to me

[@jzzhang726]

Nice vid! Love your channel 🎉😊

[@stevecooper2873]

Two thoughts. I generally put a thin coat of lube on the valve gasket. Second, make certain you dry out the valve body after submerging it, so there is no water in it for corrosion potential.

[@GraysonPuzzo]

Nice vid glad u know how to recharge them

[@VVav3s]

I do all this in the video, but I ALWAYS change the stem and o-ring. I use a toothbrush and spray wd40 on it, and clean the riffets and shit. I also don't dunk the extinguisher in water, I spray the areas with wd40, does the same job the water will

[@VVav3s]

@@skrettsnerk508 true true. But the company was the one buying the wd40

[@rchokelal]

Great video! Very helpful.

[@Aviation129]

Cool vid

[@tomtom19721]

Good job, nothing wrong with a funnel & scoop. Only use clean air or nitrogen.

[@stevecooper2873]

UL rating is based on NITROGEN, which adds to the effectiveness.

[@mrvelleful]

You are talking about "losing fines". I don't get it. Are those particles that are very very fine different from the rest, which is... less fine? Is there some ratio between fine and course in that power? I feel like there is a point that I missed :)

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Fines are the very small particles you see floating off. In the powder, the different grains of powder are different sizes. Some are coarser than others and the fines are the very fine powder particles that are important in extinguishing a fire. The more you lose, the less effective the powder will be.

[@mikeschulte4271]

If u service them ur self do u have a license? If not that’s ok since ur only doing them ur self. I service them and work for a company but service under my license # and absolutely love doing it. And yes I have seen shitty work done on them by other companies. Such as when they got hydroed someone didn’t dry it out all the way and when I discharged it into the recovery bin nothing came out turns out it was ALL CAKED UP AND CLUMPED! ohh I was pissed. Like what if someone needed it and it didn’t work. I always always always make 1000 percent sure that they r of upmost quality when I recharge them and follow procedures to the exact way! The ones I service I’m 100 percent sure will work in an emergency

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I’m certainly not licensed. And yes I would never offer this service to anyone else just for the sake of liability

[@rachellbenton1913]

I can definitely tell you're not licensed, absolutely the incorrect way to perform a 6-year maintenance @@FireAlarmDude5967

[@defaultbandaid7909]

very informative

[@shanesgettinghandy]

Well done video, thank you.

[@dylanreyes147]

where can you find the quickconnect piece for the nitrogen?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

The coupling is just a standard air coupling.

[@BrookeGatlin]

How big of an air compressor or what kind of air tank do you need to refill the extinguisher?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

For a water extinguisher, 100 + PSI. A dry chemical unit would need to be filled with nitrogen and with a regulator that accommodates 200+ PSI

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

For a water extinguisher, 100 + PSI. A dry chemical unit would need to be filled with nitrogen and with a regulator that accommodates 200+ PSI

[@RickTrajan]

Wow that was fairly easy... I don't have a nitrogen tank though and not sure if I'm willing to get one...

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

It is certainly simple but requires a lot of equipment and is not worth it for an average person.

[@s.ep30]

today on firealarm5967: how to fill an extinguisher with cocaine!

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Hilarious

[@s.ep30]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 i know right, peak comedy

[@Aviation129]

Lol

[@kenny72584]

Nice video, Wondering if you have info on the pricing for the powder; how much powder do you use for a recharge? seems like it might be cheaper to buy a new one than the powder itself? any help is appreciated

[@gwencrawford737]

It's about $300 to $375 for a 50 pound pail of Amerex ABC dry powder. About $40 for the nitrogen regulator. First buy of a nitrogen cylinder is around $350 USD... but it only costs $35 to $40 thereafter to get it recharged. Getting spare parts for extinguishers, and the adapters, would be another minor investment. End of the day, you're not going to do this for your average home fire extinguishers that are seldom, if ever, used. It would be cheaper just to let a licensed extinguisher service do the job for you. On the other hand... if you're in a business where you end up using the extinguishers a lot, and don't want to be doing without a charged extinguisher handy? THEN it might be worth it to go ahead and make your own little investment to support your own extinguishers. To put this in perspective for you... my first fire department... we were ALL trained to service our own extinguishers, and had the spare parts and such to do it with. It was one of our chores we did, along with recharging our SCBA (breathing air) bottles. And if we got detailed to our headquarters station (and everyone would!), we'd also get trained in hydrostatic testing, and we'd hydrostatically test our fire extinguishers and air bottles sent in from each station. MOST fire departments, do NOT maintain this capability. They contract at LEAST hydrostatic testing out, and honestly, most departments don't bother with recharging their own dry chemical or CO2 extinguishers, either, because candidly, we don't use them very much. So it's easier and cheaper to contract with a local fire extinguisher contractor to handle it. The only extinguisher that most fire departments can recharge in-house, is the 3 gallon water extinguisher, which you obviously just fill with tap water, and pressurize with the same compressed air hose you'd use to air-up your vehicle tires. Used properly, it'll pack a punch and knock down a ton of fire, as you can see in the following video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4XMi4VpbriZm8k At the end of the day... I would agree... it's usually cheaper and easier/less time-consuming, to just write the check to the fire extinguisher service company local to you, and let them sweat the charging and testing of fire extinguishers.

[@WitchidWitchid]

There is nothing wrong with refilling it yourself, provided you are familiar with the refill and maintenance process. Otherwise its probably best to have a reputable company that stands behind their work 😂refill it for you. They have the facilities and equipment needed to run any and all tests on the unit as well as any parts that may need replacement, i.e valve stems, hose, pickup tube, etc. This way you are assured you have unit you can rely on in an emergency.

[@RyanLeung7]

oh very nice

[@OverloadedSolutions]

Hiya mate. I have refilled 2 fire extinguishers. Both water. When I refill to an appropriate level of water I screw the top back on as tight as human hands possibly and when I recharge them the air goes inside the bottle but the pressure gauge doesn’t go up. I am using a hand pump tho. But I can’t figure out why the gauge isn’t moving. Any idea why?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

If you’re using a hand pump you probably aren’t pressuring it enough. You need to get to 100 PSI. If you’re sure that you’re getting to 100 PSI, the gauge is probably just bad. Water can gauges especially are prone to failing

[@OverloadedSolutions]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 I fill it 3/4 and I only get arround 40/50 psi but when it gets sprayed most of the water is ejected.

[@OverloadedSolutions]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 and it’s also only a 6L water

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

@@OverloadedSolutions right so that’s why your gauge won’t move. Regardless of size they’re pressurized to at least 100 PSI. For a 1.5 gallon or “6 liter” unit 100 PSI would be the nominal pressure

[@OverloadedSolutions]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 so should I start filling it half way becuase it won’t go anything over 40/50 psi. Also would my other one not work because it was made for powder and was 1kg for powder also it has been bullied (the gauge)

[@gwebb9216]

Where do you get the refill ABC dry chemical from? I’ve seen some online but its literally cheaper for my local guy to do the 6 year than for me to buy chemical and do it myself

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I save it from other factory charged extinguishers. I always separate them by brand to avoid mixing powder

[@firelitelight]

I need help! No matter how hard i try I cannot get the amerex b500 head unscrewed!! It broke the handle when i tried with a rubber mallet!!

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Don’t hit the extinguisher’s handle. If you need to, perhaps you can use a pipe wrench or channel locks. It is against manufacturer recommendations but I think it would help

[@defrimmehmeti4032]

can u show a video performing a hydro test?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

No because I have no way of doing a hydro test

[@thoward575]

hello i recently got an amerex a402 but i was wondering the model of the o ring so i can replace it on mine, im assuming the one you used would fit the 402 since they are both 5lb units

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I believe that’s OR27

[@thoward575]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 ok thanks

[@mraided4308]

Yeah they are the exact same as in o ring and valve stem. The difference between 500 and 402 is the hose. 500 has a cone shaped end and the 402 has the smaller shaped hose tip that keeps the same circumference.

[@Hellogelloeee]

what do you use to put the air in how much is it

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

You do put air into any extinguisher. Rewatch the video. You use nitrogen and only nitrogen.

[@firesign89]

Hi

[@West_Kootenay_railfan]

how fast can you refill a fire extinguisher?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Takes maybe 10 minutes

[@zacharykorbet9690]

where did you get the dry nitrogen tank???????

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Traded it from someone else

[@rollzolo]

I did a job and it was really strict about fire watching when cutting rebar and they throw out a few, I should have grabbed a few

[@Hellogelloeee]

Where do you get your inspection tags? anyways great video

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

I print them myself

[@Hellogelloeee]

@@FireAlarmDude5967 That's really cool! Is TZ your own "brand"?

[@nejlelemen5821]

Is air compressor enough to recharge a fire extinguisher?

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Air can only be used with water extinguishers

[@rachellbenton1913]

The title should read - How not to do a 6 year maintenance

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Elaborate. Claims with no reasoning don’t mean anything

[@mraided4308]

@@FireAlarmDude5967that was a perfect explanation. Only thing I would say is make sure to include the head and hose when weighing the powder (unless you already calculated that before) . Great vid. I do around 125-150 of these a week 🤣.

[@feconsultinginc.5537]

Too much talking. Get to the point.

[@FireAlarmDude5967]

Appreciate the feedback

[@ddsforever1]

Do you conduct training?