Hopefully you have a fire extinguisher in your shop. I have two inside the shop and one outside the roll up door to my shop. I noticed the one outside had the gauge in the red. I did not know that fire extinguishers expire. Even if the one outside had not gone flat it would not have worked because a dirt dobber had a nest inside the nozzle. I bought a new one at Walmart for $50.00.
Fire extinguishers should be by a door. Plus after 10 years they expire. I hope I never need to use an extinguisher but a CNC can start a fire as well as many other hazards in a workshop.
Here is a good youtube video about inspecting fire extinguishers you should watch.
Here is a picture of my old outside fire extinguisher.
A dirt dobber had a nest inside the nozzle. I put a plastic bag over the nozzle of my new extinguisher to prevent a bug from getting inside.
I loosely wraped painters tape around the outside of the plastic bag so it would fly off if used. I think it will keep critters out of the extinguisher.
I wrote the date I installed the new extinguisher so I can visually see when it expires in 10 years.
I highly recommend you inspect your fire extinguishers. They do not have an expiration date but they do have a manufacture date. So after 10 years they should be replaced. I understand even if the pressure gauge still has pressure the chemicals inside can solidify and would not spray out when needed.
This is one of the two inside the shop. The needle says good but look at its condition. Plus it was manufactured 11 years ago. Shame on me.
FYI. I will be replacing the two inside extinguishers in short order as well. You could keep the ones that still have pressure but only as a backup to a new one. When a fire breaks out you may only have seconds before it goes out of control. Better to be safe than sorry.
Note that old extinguishers probably should go into hazardous waste pickups (depending on local ordinances) — our township is having theirs, and I’m sure all of ours are expired…
I had a BIL that had a business as a fire extinguisher inspector / refurbisher / seller mostly to other businesses and generally to the oilfield businesses. Most of them are required to keep the extinguishers in good order.
To the point, he had regular rounds of inspections. So, what he did was turn the extinguishers upside down and back 3 or 4 times. He was feeling for the movement of the powder inside, but mainly so it was regularly being “shook up.” Not literally shaken, but stirred.
These were larger extinguishers that could be refilled and replaced so there was a lot of powder inside.
I believe that in Canada most if not all firehalls will take your old extinguishers. You might get a lesson on fire safety when you bring it in but thats never a bad thing.
Back in my army days we had to inspect and sign off on all fire extinguishers every month. Once a year the firehall would sign off on them as well.
Thanks for this vey important safety message, Guy. You only need them when you NEED them and at that point it’s too late to wonder if you have one or if it will work. Great post.
Be sure to also invert and shake your powder extinguishers at least twice a year, otherwise the powder could clump up or become a solid in the bottom, loosing effectiveness.
We don’t have daubers where I live, but I have used a piece of aluminium foil and a rubber band to protect the nozzle from dirt ingress on an off-road vehicle.
As an alternative to a traditional fire extinguisher, I use “First Alert EZ Fire Spray, Extinguishing Aerosol Spray”. I keep a pair in my shop and pair by my deck. I had an incident while cooking on my deck that lit a pile of pine needles. The fire quickly spread and started on my wood deck. These spray extinguishers stopped it, thankfully.
