Manufacture date turned into an inspection schedule
Enter the manufacture date stamped on the shell and the extinguishing agent. The page returns the hydrostatic test date, how far your reference date sits from it, the next monthly visual check, the next annual maintenance date, and and the next 6-year internal examination counted either from manufacture or from the last examination if you enter one. If only a month is stamped on the shell, choose the first of that month.
The intervals used, and how solid the sources are
The intervals reported for NFPA 10 are a monthly visual check, annual maintenance by a qualified person covering mechanical parts, agent and means of expulsion, a 6-year internal examination for stored-pressure dry chemical units counted from manufacture or from the last 6-year service, and a 12-year hydrostatic test for dry chemical units. Carbon dioxide, water and wet chemical units are reported at 5 years instead. A unit that passes 12 years without a hydrostatic test should be taken out of service. Note that these figures come from supplier and fire department summaries rather than the standard itself; the sources disagree on whether the monthly check is done by the occupant or a qualified person, and the 5-year item appears in one supplier table but not in others. Current as of October 2026.
Limits and disclaimer
This page does not describe how to operate an extinguisher; it works out dates only. Dates are built from year, month and day components, and a day number the target month does not have is pulled back to the last day of that month. Treat the output as a planning aid and have the actual verdict come from a qualified inspector.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choose the first of that month. The page adds the intervals to whatever date you enter, so a month-only stamp is best read as the first of that month.
The figures here come from supplier and fire department summaries rather than the standard itself, and they differ on whether the occupant or a qualified person performs the monthly visual check. One supplier table also lists a 5-year item that others do not.
No. Operating steps are not covered here. The page works out inspection and test dates only, and the procedure should come from the manufacturer and your local fire authority.