Have you ever heard a technician tell you that they did a “swap out” or “exchange” on your extinguisher? We’re you left wondering exactly what had happened? Wonder no more! Swap outs or extinguisher exchanges are fairly common place within the fire extinguisher servicing industry.
All extinguishers are on a service schedule. For the most common type, ABC Dry Chemical extinguishers, that service occurs every six years from manufacturer’s date. During the time of service, per NFPA AKA the God-father of fire extinguisher code, extinguishers should be replaced with an extinguisher of an equal or greater rating during this service. These temporarily placed extinguishers or temps hold the place of your regular fire extinguisher while it’s being serviced.
It’s at this time of service that technicians may make the decision to do a “swap out” rather than place a temp. Technicians may do this for a few reasons- efficiency, time saving, or flat-out laziness. At DRB, we do swap out’s when the customer has limited availability, when we’re unable to perform the service on-site and the jobsite is further than 20 miles away, or when it’s in the best interest of the customer to have the job completed during one visit.
Here’s what you should know about swap outs:
- You should be informed about any swap outs taking place! If you own your extinguishers then you have the right to refuse your extinguishers being swapped out.
- Swapped extinguishers should be of the same size, type, rating, and quality of the extinguisher they replace.
- Swapped extinguishers should be up-to-date on their services; their service should match the service the replaced extinguisher required.
- You should not be charged an additional amount for swap out or temp extinguishers!
