Maintenance procedure · Written to ASD-STE100 Issue 9 · Formatted to ANSI Z535

Fire Extinguisher Inspection for the Home

Household extinguishers — the gauge, the pin, the tamper seal, the cylinder, and the point where you stop and call a dealer
ApplicabilityHousehold portable fire extinguishers kept in a kitchen, hallway, garage, utility room or vehicle, of the stored-charge type with a dial gauge on the valve, and reachable from the floor
Task time20 min to 38 min editorial estimate, not a measurement
PersonnelOne
Revisionv2 · 2026-08-06
BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.

Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.

Summary

A fire extinguisher is one of the few safety devices in a house that gives no signal when it stops working. It loses charge slowly, its seal gets snapped by a knock, or it quietly ends up behind the recycling bin where nobody can reach it in the ten seconds that matter. This page is the walk-round: the gauge, the safety pin, the tamper seal, the label, the cylinder and the place it is kept. It needs no tools and it does not ask you to take anything apart. It is not a page about putting a fire out, and it will not tell you to squeeze the handle to see whether the extinguisher still works. First Alert's own manual for its residential dry chemical models says in capitals that you must not, because a unit that has discharged even briefly will lose charge and will not be full when you need it.

How often you are meant to do this is genuinely disputed, and this page publishes the disagreement rather than picking a winner. First Alert's user's manual for the FE5GR, FE10GR and FE1A10GR dry chemical extinguishers says to inspect the extinguisher once a week. Kidde, another major manufacturer, says on its own support site that fire extinguishers should be visually inspected once a month. OSHA does require a monthly visual inspection, but that is 29 CFR 1910.157(e)(2) and it governs workplaces, not your kitchen. Averaging a week and a month gives a figure neither manufacturer stands behind, so the interval that governs your extinguisher is the one in the manual that came with it. This page also prints no expiry date and no universal replacement age, because the standard everybody quotes for those is NFPA 10, a document you have to buy, and a number reachable only as somebody else's summary of a standard they may not have read is not a verified number.

Safety

WARNING

IF A FIRE BURNS IN THE HOME NOW, DO NOT USE THIS PAGE.
Move all persons outside. Then call 911 from outside the home. Smoke and fire can kill you.

Necessary equipment

ItemNote
Flashlight optionalThe date code on the cylinder is small.
Dry clothUse a dry cloth to remove dust from the extinguisher.
Pen and paperUse these to record the model number and the date code.
Manual for the extinguisherThe manual gives the interval for an inspection of your model.

Before you start

Estimated 3 min to 6 min

NOTEThis procedure is a visual inspection. Do not open the extinguisher. Do not operate the extinguisher.
Inspection interval
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE MANUAL FOR YOUR OWN EXTINGUISHER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

Two manufacturers give different intervals for a consumer extinguisher and this page does not reconcile them. First Alert (firstalert-dry-chemical-extinguisher-manual), in the user's manual for its FE5GR, FE10GR and FE1A10GR dry chemical extinguishers, instructs the owner to inspect the extinguisher once a week. Kidde (kidde-fire-extinguisher-service) says on its own support pages that a fire extinguisher should be visually inspected once a month. Both were read on 2026-08-06. A third figure exists and is not a third opinion on the same question: OSHA (osha-1910-157-portable-fire-extinguishers) requires a monthly visual inspection at 29 CFR 1910.157(e)(2), but that regulation governs the workplace and not a dwelling, so it is not carried here as household guidance. Use the interval printed in the manual for your own extinguisher.
  1. Do this inspection only when no fire burns in the home.
    <1m
  2. Find the manual for your extinguisher.
    • The manual gives the interval for an inspection of your model.
    • The manufacturers do not agree on this interval.
    • Some models need a monthly shake of the cylinder.
    • If you have no manual, get a copy from the website of the manufacturer.
    2m
  3. Read the model number and the name of the manufacturer from the label.
    <1m

Examine the location

Estimated 2 min to 3 min

Highest storage temperature
Unverified — do not rely on this value
READ THE LIMIT FROM THE LABEL ON YOUR OWN EXTINGUISHER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

WARNING

DO NOT PUT THE EXTINGUISHER NEAR A HEAT SOURCE.
The cylinder can rupture at a high temperature and injure you.

  1. Make sure that the extinguisher stays in its usual place.
    • An extinguisher that moves from its place is an extinguisher nobody finds in a fire.
    <1m
  2. Remove each object that prevents your access to the extinguisher.
    <1m
  3. Turn the extinguisher until the label points into the room.
    <1m
  4. Make sure that all the text on the label is legible.
    • The label carries the operating instructions and the class of fire.
    • If you cannot read the label, speak to a certified fire equipment dealer.
    <1m

Read the gauge

Estimated 2 min

NOTEA dial gauge shows the charge in the cylinder. Some models have a push indicator in place of a gauge.
Pressure gauge reading that shows the extinguisher holds its charge
Manufacturer or standard verified
The pointer stays inside the green band

Source: Where do I service a fire extinguisher? · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-06

Gauge band that shows a loss of charge
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE MANUAL FOR YOUR OWN EXTINGUISHER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

WARNING

DO NOT PRESS THE LEVER OF THE EXTINGUISHER.
The extinguisher then loses charge slowly and does not operate in a fire.

  1. Read the position of the pointer on the gauge.
    <1m
  2. If the pointer stays in the green band, the extinguisher holds its charge.
    <1m
  3. If the pointer stays outside the green band, speak to a certified fire equipment dealer.
    • The dealer decides to recharge the extinguisher or to replace it.
    • Kidde says that your local fire department can help you.
    <1m
  4. If your extinguisher has no gauge, obey the instructions of the manufacturer.
    • Some models have a push indicator in place of a gauge.
    <1m

Examine the extinguisher

Estimated 4 min to 5 min

WARNING

IF YOU SEE CORROSION OR A DENT ON THE CYLINDER, DO NOT MOVE THE EXTINGUISHER AGAIN.
A damaged cylinder can burst and injure you. Speak to a certified fire equipment dealer.

  1. Remove the extinguisher from its bracket.
    • Hold the extinguisher with two hands.
    • Keep the nozzle at a distance from your face.
    <1m
  2. Examine all the cylinder for corrosion.
    • Corrosion usually starts at the bottom of the cylinder.
    • Water on the floor or on the wall causes corrosion.
    <1m
  3. Examine the cylinder for dents and for other damage.
    <1m
  4. Examine the hose and the nozzle for cracks.
    • Make sure that no dirt blocks the nozzle.
    <1m
  5. Make sure that the safety pin stays in the handle.
    • Do not pull the safety pin.
    <1m
  6. Examine the tamper seal on the safety pin.
    • A tamper seal with a break shows that somebody moved the safety pin.
    • If the tamper seal has a break, speak to a certified fire equipment dealer.
    <1m
  7. Clean the outside of the extinguisher with a dry cloth.
    • Remove the dust, the oil and the grease from the surface.
    1m

Read the date code and the service record

Estimated 6 min to 10 min

Interval for service by a certified dealer
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE MANUAL FOR YOUR OWN EXTINGUISHER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

Service life before replacement
Unverified — do not rely on this value
CONSULT THE MANUFACTURER DOCUMENTATION FOR YOUR OWN EXTINGUISHER

No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.

  1. Find the date code on the side of the cylinder.
    • A flashlight makes the small print legible.
    • The format of the date code is different for each manufacturer.
    • Some old extinguishers have no date code.
    2m
  2. Write the model number and the date code in your records.
    1m
  3. Compare the model number against the recall database of CPSC.
    • CPSC recall 18-022 covers about 37.8 million Kidde extinguishers with a plastic handle.
    • The recall covers 134 models that Kidde made from 1 January 1973 to 15 August 2017.
    3m
  4. Read the date of the last service from the label or from the service tag.
    • Many household extinguishers have no service tag.
    <1m

After the inspection

Estimated 4 min to 12 min

  1. Install the extinguisher in its bracket again.
    • Make sure that the bracket holds the extinguisher tightly.
    <1m
WARNING

DO NOT REPAIR THE EXTINGUISHER.
DO NOT REMOVE THE NOZZLE OR THE VALVE. The gas in the cylinder is at a high pressure and can cause a serious injury.

WARNING

DO NOT PUNCTURE THE EXTINGUISHER.
DO NOT BURN THE EXTINGUISHER. The cylinder can explode and injure you.

  1. Give a damaged extinguisher to a certified fire equipment dealer.
    • Your local fire department can give you the name of a dealer.
    2m
  2. Write the date of this inspection in your records.
    <1m
  3. Make a reminder for the next inspection at the interval in your manual.
    1m

Recall notice

NOTICE

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission 18-022

CPSC recall 18-022, dated 2 November 2017, covers about 37.8 million Kidde fire extinguishers with plastic handles, across 134 models made between 1 January 1973 and 15 August 2017, and it absorbs the earlier Kidde recalls of March 2009 and February 2015. The notice states that the extinguishers can become clogged or need excessive force to discharge and can fail to activate during a fire emergency, and that the nozzle can detach with enough force to pose an impact hazard. The remedy given is that consumers should immediately contact Kidde to request a free replacement fire extinguisher and for instructions on returning the recalled unit. Model numbers are printed on the extinguisher label. Units made from 2007 onwards carry a 10-digit date code on the side of the cylinder near the bottom, where digits five to nine give the day and year of manufacture in DDDYY form, and the recalled date codes for units made between 2 January 2012 and 15 August 2017 run from 00212 to 22717. Units made before 2007 have no printed date code. This is the single most likely reason a household extinguisher that passes every visual check in this procedure will still not work, which is why the model check is a step here and not a footnote.

Read the recall notice

Recall feed checked 2026-08-06

Terminology

This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.

fire extinguisher
Also called: extinguisher, fire extinguisher canister, ABC extinguisher, fire bottle, fire can, fire spray
pressure gauge
Also called: gauge, dial, fire extinguisher gauge, the green zone, the needle, fire extinguisher gauge in the red, pressure dial
safety pin
Also called: pull pin, the pin, ring pin, safety ring, the pin you pull out
tamper seal
Also called: safety seal, tamper indicator, the plastic tie, the little plastic loop, zip tie on the fire extinguisher
date code
Also called: manufacture date, date of manufacture, expiry date, expiration date, fire extinguisher expiry date, when does a fire extinguisher expire
certified fire equipment dealer
Also called: fire extinguisher service company, recharge shop, who refills fire extinguishers, fire extinguisher servicing, fire protection company

When to use a professional

Stop this inspection if a fire burns in the home. Move all persons outside. Call 911 from outside the home. Do not go into the home again until the responders permit it.

Do not repair the extinguisher. Do not remove the nozzle. Do not remove the valve. Do not open the cylinder. The gas in the cylinder is at a high pressure. A certified fire equipment dealer must do all the service work and all the repair work.

Speak to a certified fire equipment dealer if the pointer on the gauge stays outside the green band. Speak to a dealer also if you find corrosion, a dent, a crack or a break in the tamper seal. The dealer decides to recharge the extinguisher or to replace it. Your local fire department can give you the name of a dealer.

This page does not tell you how to fight a fire. Fight a fire only when all persons leave the home and one person calls 911. If you have doubt, leave the home and call 911 from outside.

Common questions

How often should I check my fire extinguisher?

There is no single answer and this page refuses to invent one. First Alert's user's manual for its FE5GR, FE10GR and FE1A10GR dry chemical extinguishers tells the owner to inspect the extinguisher once a week. Kidde says on its support site that fire extinguishers should be visually inspected once a month. OSHA does require a monthly visual inspection, but that requirement is 29 CFR 1910.157(e)(2) and it applies to workplaces rather than to homes, so it is not household guidance. Splitting the difference would produce an interval neither manufacturer stands behind, so use the interval printed in the manual for your own extinguisher.

My fire extinguisher gauge is in the red. What does that mean?

It means the extinguisher has lost charge and you can no longer rely on it. First Alert's manual is internally split on what happens next: a warning near the top of its inspection section says that when the pointer drops into the red the extinguisher must be recharged, while the numbered inspection step for the same models says it should be replaced. This page does not pick between them, because the answer turns on whether your own unit is rechargeable, and that is printed on your unit rather than on this page. Take it to a certified fire equipment dealer and let them decide. Kidde says that if you are unsure where to service or recharge a fire extinguisher, contact your local fire department for assistance.

Do fire extinguishers expire?

They stop being trustworthy, but no free primary source gives a universal expiry date and this page will not print one. The figures that circulate online come from NFPA 10, which is a purchased standard, and a number you can only reach as somebody's summary of a document they may not have opened is not a verified number. What you can do without buying anything is find the date code on the cylinder, write it down, and read the replacement guidance in the manual for your own model. First Alert's manual for its residential dry chemical extinguishers gives a ten-year warranty period, and a warranty is not a service life, so do not treat the two as the same thing.

Can I test the extinguisher by squeezing the handle for a second?

No, and this is the most common way people quietly ruin a working extinguisher. First Alert's manual states in capitals that you must not check the pressure or test the fire extinguisher by squeezing the lever, even briefly, because once used it will gradually lose pressure and will not be fully charged for use in an emergency. The gauge exists precisely so that you do not have to fire the unit to learn whether it is charged. If the gauge reads in the green and the tamper seal is intact, that is your test.

How do I know if mine is one of the recalled Kidde extinguishers?

Look at the label for the model number, then look on the side of the cylinder near the bottom for a date code. CPSC recall 18-022 covers roughly 37.8 million Kidde extinguishers with plastic handles across 134 models made between 1 January 1973 and 15 August 2017. For units made from 2007 onwards the date code has ten digits and digits five through nine give the day and year of manufacture; the recalled range for units made between 2 January 2012 and 15 August 2017 runs from 00212 to 22717. Units made before 2007 do not carry a printed date code, so the model number is what you check. If yours matches, CPSC says to contact Kidde for a free replacement.

There is a bit of rust on the bottom of the can. Is it still OK?

Treat it as a stop, not a blemish. First Alert's manual tells owners to examine the surface of the extinguisher carefully for corrosion and notes that cleaning the extinguisher when it gets wet or dirty helps prevent it. USFA's guidance is that the can, hoses and nozzles should not be damaged, dented or rusted. A cylinder holds gas at high pressure, and corrosion is what turns a container into fragments, so a corroded extinguisher goes to a certified dealer rather than back onto the bracket.

How hot a place can I keep it in — is the garage or the car fine?

Read the limit off your own label, because it is model-specific and this page does not publish a number that would apply to everybody's extinguisher. As one worked example with the scope named: First Alert's manual for the FE5GR, FE10GR and FE1A10GR says never to locate those extinguishers close to an engine, stove or other source of heat, and warns that they could rupture or explode if exposed to temperatures over 150 °F (66 °C), even when fully discharged. That figure belongs to those First Alert models and to nobody else's. Whatever your own unit says, the practical reading is the same: an extinguisher stored against something that gets hot is worse than no extinguisher at all.

What is the tamper seal for, and can I just put a new one on?

The tamper seal is the thin plastic tie through the safety pin, and its only job is to tell you at a glance that nobody has pulled the pin since the unit was last serviced. A broken seal does not prove the extinguisher was fired, but it does mean you no longer know, and that is enough to stop trusting the gauge on its own. Fitting a new seal yourself puts the appearance of an untouched extinguisher onto a unit whose history you cannot vouch for, which is exactly the wrong outcome. Take it to a certified fire equipment dealer instead.

Sources

Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.

  1. Tier 1Fire ExtinguishersU.S. Fire Administration (Federal Emergency Management Agency) · accessed 2026-08-06 · re-verification due 2027-02-02
  2. Tier 1Where do I service a fire extinguisher?Kidde (Carrier Global Corporation) · accessed 2026-08-06 · re-verification due 2027-02-02
  3. Tier 1User's Manual — Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher Models FE5GR, FE10GR, FE1A10GRFirst Alert (BRK Brands, Inc.) · accessed 2026-08-06 · re-verification due 2027-02-02
  4. Tier 11910.157 — Portable fire extinguishersOccupational Safety and Health Administration (United States Department of Labor) · accessed 2026-08-06 · re-verification due 2027-02-02
  5. Tier 1Kidde Recalls Fire Extinguishers with Plastic Handles Due to Failure to Discharge and Nozzle Detachment: One Death ReportedU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission · accessed 2026-08-06 · re-verification due 2027-02-02

Revision history

Current version 2 · updated 2026-08-06 · next review due 2027-08-06

  1. v2 · 2026-08-06Corrected the end of the Kidde recall's manufacture window from 15 September 2017 to 15 August 2017, in three places on the page and one in the staged source note. The wrong date appears nowhere in CPSC recall 18-022; the notice reads 'manufactured between January 1, 1973 and August 15, 2017'. It looks like a collision with 22 September 2017, which IS in the notice as the end date for the Pindicator extinguishers — a separate part of the same recall that this page does not cover. Checked against the CPSC SaferProducts API record for RecallNumber 18022 rather than a summary of it. A wrong date on a recall is rule 9: a reader with an extinguisher made in early September 2017 would have been told it was recalled when it is not.
  2. v1 · 2026-08-06First draft. Gauge reading traced to Kidde's own service documentation. Inspection interval published as a recorded disagreement between First Alert and Kidde, with the OSHA workplace requirement named and explicitly excluded as household guidance. No expiry date, no service life and no storage temperature limit published: those exist only in NFPA 10, a purchased standard this session did not access, or in a single model-specific manufacturer manual. CPSC recall 18-022 carried as a step, not a footnote.

Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.

Comments and corrections

Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.

Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.

The comment system is not connected yet. Comments are stored in GitHub Discussions through Giscus, outside this site, so that a redeploy cannot destroy them.