Fire extinguishers

[RedRover]

Talking to the BSS examiner today he mentioned that all Fire extinguishers on boats should now be in date within 5 years during the examination. Can anyone point me in the diection of where it says that to confirm it.?? My 3 are still well into the green part but he says that does not matter,its now the Manufacturers date.. I'll have to check mine.

[petersjoy]

Barry, every thing should be in the BSS guide, had a quick look but cant find that bit.

http://www.boatsafetyscheme.com/downloa ... ap6web.pdf

[RedRover]

He did say when i mentioned that they were expensive that he had contacts where he could get them for a good price,maybe its me i'm a cynical bugger and am wary of some people..

[jimbo]

Prior to my last BSS I had mine serviced so the stickers were all upto date etc. It cost be roughly twice as much as it would have to buy new ones Won't be going down that route again

[goodall_m1]

Prior to my last BSS I had mine serviced so the stickers were all upto date etc. It cost be roughly twice as much as it would have to buy new ones Won't be going down that route again

Do you fail your BSS if you have enough "in date" extinguishers put have still got the old ones aboard "just in case".

I know that many salties going foreign have run into situations like that with their flarepacks.

Prosecuted by the French coatguard for having obsolete flares on-board...

But then old extinguishers must be easier to dispose of than old flares anyway

(that is another little problem most of you Broads types don't have to worry about)...

When the extinguisher I had in the kitchen in my house was

seriously beyond its supposed end-of-life date

I bought a new one but still kept the old one anyway.

When my tumble-drier caught fire (the controller went up in smoke!)

I went for the old one first knowing I had the newer one to fall back on.

Ten years out of date and it still operated correctly!

Those dry powder extinguishers don't half make a mess...

But it worked, that was the main thing.

[diesel falcon]

6.1.3/R REQUIREMENT

Can you be confident about the working condition of your

extinguishers? An extinguisher in poor condition may suffer

pressure loss, contents loss, mechanism failure or other reasons

for not working.

Are all portable fire extinguishers in good condition?

Check the condition of all portable fire extinguishers identified as

compliant at 6.1.1 and 6.1.2.

Portable fire extinguishers must be in good general condition, and

must not show any of the following indicators of poor condition:

n missing safety pin;

n dents;

n gouges;

n pressure gauge (where fitted) indicator in the ‘red’ sector;

n having passed the manufacturer’s express ‘expiry’ or ‘replace by’ date;

n perished hose;

n significant rust or other form of corrosion;

n obvious under weight indicating whole or partial discharge;

n signs of damage to trigger assembly, including deterioration caused

by ultraviolet light and heat.

Notes – Portable fire extinguishers having passed the manufacturer’s

express ‘expiry’ or ‘replace by’ dates are acceptable if supported by

evidence of servicing in accordance with BS 5306 by a service technician

within the last 12 months. Evidence must be in the form of a service

label on the extinguisher and an associated invoice or service report

on headed paper from a company recognisable as an extinguisher

servicing company.

Best practice b

We recommend all extinguishers of a serviceable type have an

annual service by a suitably competent person.

We recommend using companies and technicians registered with

the body known as BAFE to be assured of fire extinguishers

servicing standards

This is what the bss states ,nothing about what your man has come up with

[Antares_9]

If you mean that they should have five years left at the date of inspection Barry then a couple of things spring to mind, firstly I can see no reference to that in the BSS document, secondly as the maximum time it could have to next inspection is four years and two months it makes no logical sense. If you are unsure and still cynical then why not email the BSS office for clarification.

Of course if they only have a few months or so to run then you may just as well replace them anyway and keep the examiner on side.

[RedRover]

If you mean that they should have five years left at the date of inspection Barry then a couple of things spring to mind, firstly I can see no reference to that in the BSS document, secondly as the maximum time it could have to next inspection is four years and two months it makes no logical sense. If you are unsure and still cynical then why not email the BSS office for clarification.

Of course if they only have a few months or so to run then you may just as well replace them anyway and keep the examiner on side.

Reading between the lines David,its seems that if its out of date and as long as its got a service record and yellow label in date its ok.

Anyway,in case i have to buy new i've found this website for you to look at.

http://www.firemart.co.uk/webshop/index.php

[Antares_9]

Those 2kg CO2 ones look good value Barry, wouldn't take much to modify them to cable operated engine room use either.

[Guest]

Reading between the lines David,its seems that if its out of date and as long as its got a service record and yellow label in date its ok.

Anyway,in case i have to buy new i've found this website for you to look at.

http://www.firemart.co.uk/webshop/index.php

Hi Barry

I have now had i think 6 BSS inspections on the Great Ouse and you will have problems,one will pass one thing then if you use some one different next time they will not pass it, if they are not prepared to listen then tell them to get lost. If i am correct as long as the gauge is in the green then it`s ok if no gauge then it`s done by date. I am due in march for my first BSS on the Broads as it`s new on the Broads it could be fun.

Graeme

[Guest]

If anyone's thinking of renewing an auto extinguisher in an engine compartment, or fitting one as an additional safety measure, don't make the mistake of buying a dry powder one.

If it goes off while the engine is running, it will ruin the engine instantly, and the Insurance company will probably not pay out, as they may consider it "not fit for purpose".

Make sure it's one that is specified as safe for engine spaces, like those filled with "FE-36". They're more expensive, but leave no mess and won't destroy the engine.

Ok, if the boat catches fire you may say, then any fire extinguisher is better than none, but remember, an auto one could go off by mistake, and damage the engine even without a fire.

It always disappoints me where so many chandlers (online and shops), advertise auto dry powder as "suitable for engine spaces", when they are not, and would not be covered by insurance.

[Guest]

Mine don't have a date on them. They passed the BSS last time as they are all in the green on the gauge, but the BSS inspector did advise I should change them for new ones with a date on them. BSS is due again this year, so I guess it's time to replace them.

[RedRover]

Spoke to an ex fireman today on his boat and he said to turn the dry powder extinguishers upside down to shake up the powder as it settles and compacts during time and does not work as efficiently.

[jimbo]

Spoke to an ex fireman today on his boat and he said to turn the dry powder extinguishers upside down to shake up the powder as it settles and compacts during time and does not work as efficiently.

Very true Barry! A tapping with a rubber mallet whilst held upside down also helps to get the powder on the move again