Each month, especially for cars, they should be turned and shaken
gently as settling occurs and you could end up with the same effect
as when you try to use spray paint without shaking enough- only
the propellant comes out.

Got one in the house, don't have one in the garage. Which I should get...

Question - what about freesing temps? MN garage, detached from the house.

Is it okay to leave the extinguisher in freezing temps?

Like a smoke detector, an extinguisher is a quick, easy way to be prepared.
( while you're at get a co2 detector too)

Excellent advice Alan, thanks. You've convinced me I need another extinguisher in my bedroom. I have a question on serviceable extinguishers, are they alot more expensive than replaceable extinguishers you might buy at Home Depot? Or is the advantage their larger size and ABC fire mixes?

I buy one smoke detector and one replaceable fire extinguisher each year, and rotate them out on expiration (I think its ~5-7 years for smoke detectors). One extinguisher in the kitchen, one in the garage, one in each car (3). All our detectors are linked, all I need to do is replace backup batteries at daylight savings time and pull down one detector, put up another.

Rotating out the extinguishers has the added benefit, once a year we have a family PASS test in the backyard, putting out a small gas fuel fire in a washbin. We have all done it a few times now so its no mystery, but I want the opportunity to drill into my teenager's head that I would much rather he GOT OUT and CALLED 911 than successfully put down any fire. We're only 4-5 minutes from local fire response here.

One time I was checking the gear on an ambulance parked in a small, closed garage. Someone had left the fire extinguisher laying on its side behind a gear bag, and the pin had fallen out (or was it sabotage...?!). I slid that bag around and it somehow engaged the extinguisher handle.

White powder was everywhere in about 1.2 seconds. It looked like a scene from "Scarface", but without the M16.

I believe they are primarily designed to give you an avenue of escape in a serious fire emergency. It takes a 5lb fire extinguisher about 18 sec to completely discharge and the distance and volume diminishes rapidly so you have to approach the fire while sweeping and you have realistically between 7 and 14 sec to provide an avenue of escape and bug out that way.

They are like pepper spray, you have to take the extinguisher and invert it (shake it) five times every month and reread the pressure gauge not only just to see if the needle is still in the green zone but also if it has moved at all. You may also check the hose for obstruction, check the tag to make sure that the extinguisher has been checked last month and up to date, and the mount to make sure that it's properly fastened. And they may work badly outside in windy conditions (like pepper spray).

When you pull the pin make sure you don't squeeze at the same time (just hold the bottle by the lower handle) there are many documented cases of people being killed in a fire found with a charged fire extinguisher in their hands with the handle squeezed completely together and the pin still in place because they were trying to pull the pin while squeezing on the handle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G0a-MLneRs
(my post is almost a transcript of that video)

Does anyone have experience disposing of the non-serviceable kind? I keep meaning to call the local waste removal folks to find out, given that it is a pressurized canister.

Make that a CO detector

A question for you experienced fire service people here:

Would it be considered reasonable, or stupid, to buy a used 2-1/2 gallon water fire extinguisher off of eBay? I see tons of them listed there, much much cheaper than buying a new one. I assume these things have pressure seals that wear out inside them - can the extinguishers be rebuilt inexpensively if needed? What brands are good to look for or to avoid?

Thanks!

But Alan, a CO2 detector is twice as good as a CO detector!

Izzy: great work!