2KG FE-36 Extinguishers

[chrisbell2009]

Hello all, I have just bought 2 FE - 36's for my boat, 1 for each engine room, before I bought them I asked the company if they would be date stamped 2009, they said yes, they arrived and they are 2008. When I phoned up they gave me some rubbish they do not come under british standards as they are auto, I use to be a service engineer till about 4 months ago,so not totaly clued up on the current regs now, but are these extinguishers suppose to be discharge tested every 10 years like the co2's, any help or advice would be greatly appreciated,

cheers chris

[AnthonyB]

From memory the small auto's are just an extinguisher can but with a sprinkler head nozzle and don't have a specific standard, generally being CE marked and having Lloyd's Register or LPCB approval, plus specialist bodies such as the FIA approve units for Motorsport.

Manufacturers guidance is thus the first port of call, but failing this would apply BS5306-3 for the models you have with an annual basic service and 10 year extended service (being a gaseous clean agent it falls in the same regime as halon did) as by construction they lend more to this maintenance code than others.

The maintenance requirements in the Boat Safety Scheme if inland or the various MCA requirements for ocean going vessels should also be checked & followed.

[nim]

Because these aren't shifted very often the chances of getting these extinguishers stamped 2009 would be slim. Even stock that shifts quickly six months into 2009 is still occassionally stamped 2008.

Are they stamped month and year? If yes what month because as long as they are stamped after 6/2008 then you will still have 10 years because assuming you have them maintained every June then in June 2018 they won't be 10 years old and when you get to June 2019 they will be 10 years old so you shouldn't be disadvantaged.

[Psuedonym]

Is the 10yr spec refering to the extingishant or the pressurised body? I wouldn't like to return a 10yr date stamped FE36 2Kg unit back to a client as the thin body would be weakened by the testing and stamping process. I was under the misguided belief that the level of internal pressure determined  pressure testing a body to the Pressurised Equipment Directive.
Does an 2Kg FE36 internal pressure (max operating pressure 21 Bar (volume 2.4 Lt), fall within the PED's spec? 
Does the Extended service refer to a 10 yr discharge test or pressure test

[AnthonyB]

The old 1985 version of BS5306-3 lumped halon in with CO2 for the old 20(10)-10-5 regime for discharge testing and in a separate note referred to the need to also pressure test both Halon & CO2 based upon the appropriate BS for the type of cylinder body (all of which also at the time had the 20(10)-10-5 intervals)

The about to disappear 5306-3:2003 appears to have carried this over and puts halon in the same category as CO2, namely annual BS an d10 year Overhaul.

But in the procedure chart for overhauls it explicitly states only CO2 should be pressure tested, halon units are just emptied, stripped, re valved wit ha new valve and recharged without pressure test.

Which makes sense as halon extinguishers are low pressure like water/foam/powder and as you say wouldn't take kindly to being pressure tested (about the only body strong enough for this would have been the old nu swift CTC/CB/Uniflash/BCF body)

Although pressure testing of water/foam/powders was a routine part of servicing until the 1970's, usually done with a hand operated hydraulic pump through the hose/nozzle outlet

[Psuedonym]

Agreed Anthony, it was a bit tongue in cheek  As for the old nu swift kit, we used to provide new rather than get them pressure tested from Eland. Which wasn't a bad thing considering both the awful design and costs for official "testing" 

[AnthonyB]

I don't think I ever sent any Nu Swift BCF or DP charges off for refilling, unless I had some exchange charges as spares they were replaced with other makes.

I've only filled  the 80's waters using the sicli charge or the Universal Waters with the conversion kit (although I now have two dozen 70's Wet Water charges in original boxes should there suddenly be a demand!)

Some of the most common old stuff I find is Nu Swift as although unconventional it was well built until the late 70's and Universal Waters, pressure charges and E600x Powders E4000x Uni flash & E5000x BCF's still pop up on my travels. Still not found an original E1805 blue strike knob CO2 though, nearest I found was about 4 years ago but was a renovate with generic label & black paint.

Quite a few firms in my neck of the woods went to the trouble of getting special charging rigs for the powders & BCF's thus only requiring the charging plugs thus keeping the stuff in circulation for longer than in other parts of the UK.

[Goodsparks]

Still not found an original E1805 blue strike knob CO2 though, nearest I found was about 4 years ago but was a renovate with generic label & black paint.

I might still have the chrome / black strike knob assembly and the little dumpy fixed horn in the garage, Ill have a look and add it to the pile.

Paul