Reference
How often should you check a fire extinguisher?
Check each extinguisher's gauge and date once a year, and service or replace any that reads low. That is the interval the HomeAlmanac app schedules for this job, adjusted for the systems your home actually has.
- How often
- Once a year
- Time needed
- 10 min
- Best time
- Any time of year
- Priority
- Medium
Why it matters
An extinguisher with low pressure or past its date may fail when you need it most.
How to do it
Confirm the gauge reads in the green, the pin and seal are intact, and the unit isn't past its service date. Replace or recharge as needed.
When to do it
There is no season for this one. What matters is the interval, which is exactly the kind of thing that quietly slips when you are tracking it in your head.
HomeAlmanac schedules this one for you, works out the next due date each time you mark it done, and reminds you before it is late.
Build your free planQuick answers
- How often should you check a fire extinguisher?
- Check each extinguisher's gauge and date once a year, and service or replace any that reads low.
- Why does it matter?
- An extinguisher with low pressure or past its date may fail when you need it most.
- What happens if I skip it?
- Nothing, right up until it is expensive. These jobs are cheap and quick precisely because they are preventive; the repair they prevent is neither.