Fire extinguisher 101: Care and maintenance

In both residential and commercial settings, people mostly depend on fire extinguishers to put off a small fire. But, what if they fail to work at the time of emergency? You don’t want to face such situations? As it may lead to endangering your and your loved one lives and loss of property. So, similar to other emergency equipment, fire extinguishers also need regular inspection. Although most people maintain their fire extinguishers by themselves, once in a while a professional fire extinguisher service is also needed to ensure proper functioning of the fire protection equipment. 

The following are some of the ways to care and maintain your fire extinguisher system.

Seal inspection - If you have a fire extinguisher at home, you need to check its seal from time to time. If you notice any interference with the seal, immediately call fire extinguisher maintenance provider. Loosen or broken seals usually lead to gases or liquids leakage, rendering your fire extinguisher completely ineffective at the time of a fire incident.  

Check the quality of being reached of your fire extinguisher - Regardless of what type of fire extinguisher you’ve installed in your setting, you must place it in an easily accessible location. In case, any member of your family finds it difficult to reach the fire extinguisher, change its position. Consider every member of your family before placing a fire extinguisher, and inform everyone in case of changes.  

Keep a tab on the pressure - Usually, most of home fire extinguishers come with a pressure gauge attached to them. So, you need to monitor if the pressure read on it is appropriate or not. In case, your fire extinguisher has the test indicator, you can use it to know whether the pressure reading is ideal for a proper working fire protection equipment or not. If you read inappropriate pressure levels, you must report to the fire extinguisher maintenance company as soon as possible.

Check for visible damage - Besides checking pressure, you should also look for all visible signs of damage to the fire suppression equipment. These signs include corrosion and clogged nozzle. Such damages is an indication that it’s time to replace your fire extinguisher with a new one. Approach the fire extinguisher service provider to explain all the damages, and they will take care of everything.

Record each and every inspection - Finally, it’s necessary to record all the maintenance and monthly checks properly. You can also keep an inspection tag to your home fire extinguisher so that you know the date you inspected your fire protection equipment.

Are you looking for the fire extinguisher maintenance company in New York? Contact Fireserv

Is your fire sprinkler system ready for winter?

The fire life safety systems are one of the most important fire safety systems in the country. One of the most common fire suppression systems used in all kinds of property is fire sprinkler system. However, just like the all the safety system, it is crucial that the fire life safety systems are also updated for the winters.

Winterining the fire sprinkler system reduces the chances of any damage to the piping and the property due to freezing water. If the fire life safety systems remain unchecked, they can not only cease to work but can burst leading to the damage to the property.

Fire sprinkler system testing

Fair labor standards act (FLSA) advices the homeowners to inspect and test all kinds of fire life safety systems such as antifreeze, wet and dry. It will ensure that the systems will keep on working even in the dead cold. Here are a few things that are required to be checked:

• Check if fire department connection (FDC) is full of water or not. The ball drips also need to be checked if they are working properly or not.
• Check the water storage tank heaters to make sure that they properly work during a crisis.
• It is important that the heat tracing is intact and properly operating. It need to be ready for the emergency. The heat tracing system includes heat trace monitoring systems.
• The wet pipe in the attic areas also needs to be checked. It is the insulation that often gets disturbed.
• According to experts, 40 degrees F is the minimum temperature that is required on any wet part of the sprinkler system.

Dry pipe and pre-action systems

• All the dry pipe and the pre action system need to be checked to ensure that they are not flooded.
• Drain all the low points drain. Special attention needs to paid to the areas outside the the pump room.
• Record and verify the location of all drains and ensure that they are in working condition.
• The proper operation, settings and the function of the air compressor need to be checked.
• Condensation from air compressor tank also needs to be drained
• The valve rooms, stair enclosures, pump rooms, and all areas with exposed piping also need to be checked. Check if:
  • Heaters are working properly
  • Dampers are closed
  • No unprotected openings are present

Antifreeze systems

In the wet sprinklers system, the experts prevent the pipes freezing by adding an antifreeze solution to the sprinkler system. The concentration system needs to be checked by testing out the system. Adjust the level of the antifreeze solution to prevent the system from freezing.

Want to get your fire life safety systems updated for winters? Contact Fire Serv. They are leading fire suppression system services who focus on providing excellent fire suppression and fire extinguisher service to the residents in New York.