Fast, non-invasive and cost-efficient maintenance of fire extinguishers

Maintenance of fire extinguishers is mandatory by law to ensure their proper function. Statutory maintenance intervals must be observed to determine if the pressure container and extinguishing agent are in good working condition. Current inspection protocols require opening of the fire extinguisher, removing the extinguishing agent and refilling the latter after examination. The procedure is time consuming and inefficient, especially when multiple fire extinguishers are inspected.

The present invention describes a method to determine the condition of the extinguishing agent and of the fire extinguisher’s inner wall without opening the fire extinguisher itself. For this purpose, electromagnetic resonances are generated within the fire extinguisher by a simple and inexpensive modification and are analyzed to derive requested information about the extinguishing agent and the inner wall of the fire extinguisher.

By means of this invention, the maintenance of fire extinguishers is greatly simplified. Time-consuming and invasive examinations are no longer required. Remarkably, the total maintenance time can be reduced to 1 to 2 minutes per fire extinguisher. Total material cost for said modification is negligible and a one-time investment, the readout device, is approximately € 200.

Maintenance of fire extinguishers at low cost and minimal time effort.

Proof of concept. Detection of extinguishing agent compression due to moisture confirmed.