What to do with old fire extinguishers?

[Lhorn]

The former owner of my home left (2) Kidde "Fire Away" extinguishers in the garage. They look like they've been used and recharged in the past. The safety pin has been replaced with a piece of wire and they both have a paper tag on them that says they've been inspected by the fire marshall in 1994. Obviously the pressure gauge on them shows they are flat.

Is it worth seeing if these can be recharged? Where would one go for that?

Thanks.

 

[DIC]

I would take them to a welding supply store and see if they are rechargeable

 

[socapots]

Id take em in and see if they can re-charge them. be cheaper then buying new ones too..
always a good idea to have some around.

 

[fireguy]

Do those used FX have the plastic valves? If so toss 'em. If they have the metal valves, maybe someone will recharge them. We do not recharge Kidde extinguishers. The failure rate is 20 to 50 %.

 

[browntown]

I'd chuck em and get some good ones. Which reminds me that the 1st of the year I take all 7 or 8 in my kitchen, garage, project car, reloading room, strapped to the oxy/acety cart, etc. in for their yearly certifications.. The local fire place by me sells new and also some used but re-certified extinguishers for affordable prices. To find out where to go, just look at the tag on the fire extinguishers at your local stores or work. That'll tell you who certifies them and they're usually happy to certify private extinguishers too. the place I deal with local to me is valley fire control. http://www.sac.to/index-v.html

 

[TexasT]

with the right ingenuity you can make dandy air horns out of em!

 

[Buckgnarly]

I get mine recharged at the local fire extinguisher place. WAY cheaper than new, runs 20-45 bucks depending on what you are filling.

 

[gtcs1]

The former owner of my home left (2) Kidde "Fire Away" extinguishers in the garage. They look like they've been used and recharged in the past. The safety pin has been replaced with a piece of wire and they both have a paper tag on them that says they've been inspected by the fire marshall in 1994. Obviously the pressure gauge on them shows they are flat.

Is it worth seeing if these can be recharged? Where would one go for that?

Thanks.

Being that old, unless they're valuable to you (i.e. metal tank, nice look,... etc,) it is quite often cheaper to buy new one.

Don't forget that the regulation (at least here in Quebec) request an hydrostatic pressure test every 12 years after date of manufacture. Plus you need to pay for recharge too.

I just did mine, a 5lb one, which needed all that. It costed me $35. New ones (plastic tank), on sale, go for the same price. But mine being a metal tank, looking more rugged, and it was in perfect shape (never used) bearing all the original components and pins etc, so I decided to keep it. Otherwise I would have replaced it.

So in recap, consider the need for hydrostactic pressure test fee plus the recharge fee.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

That reminds me, I've got an old antique one up in the attic that I need to bring down and display in the garage..

 

[DekeT]

Target practice?

 

[rwhite692]

I get mine recharged at the local fire extinguisher place. WAY cheaper than new, runs 20-45 bucks depending on what you are filling.

^^^^This.

Look up "fire extinguisher" in your local yellow pages or online.

 

[Strouty]

the 1st of the year I take all 7 or 8 in my kitchen, garage, project car, reloading room, strapped to the oxy/acety cart, etc. in for their yearly certifications..

And what do you do when the house or shop starts on fire?


I think unless they are really old ones, they will be junk. If they have the metal valves you might have a chance, but the plastic ones are junk right out of the box.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Do those used FX have the plastic valves? If so toss 'em. If they have the metal valves, maybe someone will recharge them.

Yep

^^^^This.

Look up "fire extinguisher" in your local yellow pages or online.

yep, yep

 

[Lawson4450]

dump them go to home depot and for like 30 bucks get a new one.

 

[KaotiK TrendZ]

buy a new one, just call around for the best price. at work we turn the old ones in and buy new ones because we get a better price on the new ones versus having them tested and refilled.

 

[KaotiK TrendZ]

im actually interested in what someone has built out of them.... i have an old water extinguisher that i believe is made out of aluminum. i might just put on my shelf in garage as an antique....

 

[jdaallen]

The former owner of my home left (2) Kidde "Fire Away" extinguishers in the garage. They look like they've been used and recharged in the past. The safety pin has been replaced with a piece of wire and they both have a paper tag on them that says they've been inspected by the fire marshall in 1994. Obviously the pressure gauge on them shows they are flat.

Is it worth seeing if these can be recharged? Where would one go for that?

Thanks.

They are JUNK!! Too old and will need tested and charged which will cost much more than new ones. A good responsible Fire Extinguisher Service Contractor probably will not touch them and recomend new.

 

[A_Pmech]

I would retire them and get some proper serviceable extinguishers.

 

[Fastcat]

If you can find them I would buy a Halon tron(sp?) extinguisher.
They are more expensive than the dry chemical but don't leave a mess.

They consume the oxygen in the fire and leave no residue

Can be used on a running engine and start right back up

 

[countryroad82]

If you can find them I would buy a Halon tron(sp?) extinguisher.
They are more expensive than the dry chemical but don't leave a mess.

They consume the oxygen in the fire and leave no residue

Can be used on a running engine and start right back up

I like putting those in my hot rods with the line kit going to the fuel tank and engine bay with a pull pin under the dash. Expensive? Very. Worth it? I have had to use it once due to a piece of shi$ fuel filter that sprayed gas on the headers. I also keep a regular ABC mounted in reach in case the halo doesn't get the fire out. As for the original question, I would see it they are rechargable, if not buy some new ones for your shop, nothing ***** more than a fire that gets out of control like this http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127415&highlight=fire

 

[Lhorn]

Well looks like it's not gonna be worth it to recharge. I think these are rechargeable but are old (last inspected 15 years) and looks like to nozzle is mostly plastic. Just for kicks I called a recharge place and they charge 25 bucks to have them hydrostatically tested. If I understood him correctly it was only $15 or so for the charge.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to repurpose the bottles?

 

[DoyleDee]

I've seen some of them turned into bells... Kind of a Texas (Western) thing..

 

[browntown]

^^ Commonly done with scuba cylinders when they aren't hydro safe anymore. Cut the bottom off, make a gong, and hang it in your garden.

 

[gt40mkii]

What to do with a used non-rechargeable fire extinguisher? Use it for anything you'd need a nice, lightweight spun aluminum container for.

I use an old Kidde extinguisher as a vacuum reservoir on my race car (power brakes and little or no idle vacuum make life interesting for the driver -- the extra capacity of the vacuum canister makes the brakes MUCH more consistent.)

 

[Nozzlejocky]

Depending upon age and style, you may or may not want to spend the cash to get them redone. If they are a style that needs a hydro test, you likely won't want to spend that. If they just need a fill, you might be ok. Like many have said, check the yellow pages for a service company. Whatever you do, keep at least one available that works and know how to use it! It may sound funny, but over 20 years as a firefighter have shown me that many people have no clue how to properly use an extinguisher. Sad but true. Another thing many don't realize is that with a dry chem extinguisher, it can read "full" and be inoperative, hence the need to get them inspected/serviced regularly.

 

[frozen_bohemian]

"convert" them to NOS to impress the kids in the neighborhood.....

 

[Lhorn]

Some pretty good ideas. I especially like the vacuum reservior idea, but unfortunately I don't need that. I was thinking some kind of an air tank (but they aren't very large and not sure how much pressure I'd want to put in them) or some kind of solvent sprayer but converting them might cost way more than just getting the real thing.

 

[jf781]

Heard someone mention before get a small fire going in the back yard and have the kids practice with them so they know how to use them if needed. Might be worth it to have a spare good on hand just incase the olds ones are done.

 

[JoeMama]

Target practice?

Bingo! Throw some lead at them with the 5.56 AR and call it a day.

 

[billybudge]

Depending on your local law regulations etc,
It might be a good ideal to have them emptied and refilled.with new type spray nozzles,also depending on the contents there may be a charge for removal of hazardous waste, for example Halon extinguishers are restricted in the UK,
I am and have been the fire marshall for different garages for many years, and I would truly recommend to go for C02 extinguishers, hope this was a little helpful,