Fire Extinguisher Servicing & Maintenance

Our Fire Extinguisher Services

Fire extinguisher servicing and maintenance is a key part of any fire safety plan. As well as being a legal requirement under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a working fire extinguisher can stop the spread of fire, saving lives and your property.

We hold a range of accreditations and memberships to instil confidence in our services, including ISO 45001, FIRAS, SafeContractor, Achilles UVDB Silver Plus and British Fire Services Association membership. Our fire division is overseen by our director Luke alongside John Boyton, an ex-firefighter with over 30 years of experience.

Fire extinguisher servicing

Fire extinguisher servicing and maintenance should be performed on a yearly schedule with regular visual inspections being performed by a competent, responsible person on a regular basis. We offer two types of servicing for your fire extinguishers:

A basic service, which should be performed yearly, checking the outside is free from damage and maintains the correct pressure.
An extended service, which should be performed every 5 years, reviewing the internal components of your extinguisher.

At FIT we can service the full range of fire extinguishers, from smaller 1kg extinguishers to industrial-size 20kg extinguishers, including both stored pressure and cartridge-operated fire extinguishers. These include:

CO2
Foam
Water
Powder (including class A B C and D)
Wet chemical

We can also service fire blankets which are commonly found in commercial kitchens, workshops and storage areas.

Our BAFE fire safety experts are also DBS checked which means we can support schools and other childcare facilities with their servicing needs. When booking a fire extinguisher service we will arrange a time slot for our engineers to visit, minimising disruption. We are also able to visit out of business hours for maximum convenience.

Whether you’re looking for an ongoing service and maintenance plan or just a one-off inspection our engineers are on hand to keep your business compliant and your staff safe.

Fire extinguisher selection

We know that with fire extinguishers, it can be difficult to understand the different classes of extinguishers, what size you need and the number required to cover your building effectively. Our experts can visit your premises and document what type of extinguisher is required in each part of the building, as well as purchasing and fitting these for you.

Fire extinguisher recycling

We know that for most businesses the cost of having an extended fire extinguisher service is often more expensive than just replacing the fire extinguisher itself. With this in mind, we have created a fire extinguisher recycling service to make replacing your extinguishers as sustainable as possible.

As part of our recycling service, we will come and collect your old extinguishers and remove them to be recycled. This assists clients in meeting increasingly challenging environmental improvements and targets. During the collection process, we can also provide you with replacement fire extinguishers. This removes the need to deal with multiple suppliers and coordinate the collection of the old extinguishers and the delivery of the replacements simultaneously.

As we are a licensed waste carrier, our recycling service means that your business complies with your legal duty of care to dispose of waste legitimately and safely.

Get your extinguishers serviced today

Contact Us

Fire Extinguisher Service Procedures

Basic service procedure (stored pressure extinguisher)
1. The first thing our BAFE-qualified fire safety experts will look at is the outside condition of the fire extinguisher to make sure it’s rust and corrosion free, as well as free from any damage. We will also check the hose (if applicable) to make sure it hasn’t started to perish and remains flexible. Another important visual check is to make sure the operating instructions are clear and legible.
2. We will then check it hasn’t been discharged and that the pressure reading is still within the green value on the gauge.
3. Next we will remove and check the discharge hose for blockages. This is especially important if the fire extinguisher is stored in an older building or an unused room as insects can make their way into the hose and start to build a home. This can then impede the efficiency of the extinguisher in an emergency.
4. Lastly we weigh the extinguisher to make sure it’s within a 10% tolerance of the original weight. If there are any issues with the weight our engineers will inspect the extinguisher to determine the cause. Depending on the cause they will either recharge the extinguisher or advise that it is replaced.
Basic service (cartridge operated extinguisher)
The cartridge-operated fire extinguisher basic service starts off very similar to the stored pressure service procedure with an inspection of the outer casing, checking the instructions are legible and checking the hose for blockages or signs of perishing. After this there is a slightly different procedure:
1. Once the externals have been checked the headcap is unscrewed and the contents are checked. For powder extinguishers, this means checking the powder for signs of clumping or caking. For water-based fire extinguishers, the contents are poured into a bucket. If there is a 10% difference between the manufacturing weight and the recorded weight it will be investigated and replaced.
2. Next, the gas cartridge is inspected to ensure that there are no signs of corrosion, the 7 key pieces of information are legible, it’s less than 10 years since manufacture and is within the 10% tolerance by weight. If the cartridge fails one of these checks it will be replaced with a new one.
3. If everything passes, the contents of the extinguisher (liquid/powder) will be put back, the headcap reattached along with the gas cartridge.
We can also carry out extended services which are required every 5 years however due to the cost of these services it is typically cheaper to replace your fire extinguishers at this point. The majority of the materials used within a fire extinguisher can be recycled once it has been fully dismantled although an extended service is usually the most sustainable solution.
Extended service procedure (stored pressure extinguisher)
Our extended service includes the complete basic service described above however also looks at the internals of your fire extinguisher.
1. Our engineer will discharge the extinguisher so that they can dismantle the fire extinguisher safely.
2. They will then unscrew the headcap and make sure that all of the removable elements are free from any corrosion or damage.
3. With the headcap removed they will inspect the inside of the extinguisher using an inspection camera to check for any corrosion or damage.
4. If the extinguisher passes the internal inspection the engineer will replace all of the O-rings, and refill the fire extinguisher with the same medium (foam, powder, water etc). Once the headcap has been screwed on the extinguisher will be repressurised.
5. If the refill requires a chemical additive (such as foam or powder) the fire extinguisher will be labelled with the new chemical formula.
Extended service (cartridge operated extinguisher)

The extended service of a cartridge-operated extinguisher is very similar to the basic service. The difference with an extended service is that once the basic service is completed, it will be discharged to test that it is working correctly. After the discharge, any remaining liquid/powder will be drained from the casing which is then rinsed out. It is then refilled with the same type of extinguishant and a new gas cartridge replaces the one that has just been discharged.