Hydrostatic Testing in San Pedro

What a hydrostatic test checks

A fire extinguisher is a pressure vessel. Over the years its shell can be weakened by corrosion, dents or damaged threads, and a weak cylinder can fail when it is under pressure. The test finds that first.

The technician empties the unit, takes off the valve and looks inside the shell. Next the cylinder is filled with water and brought up to its rated test pressure while the technician watches for leaks, bulging or permanent stretch in the metal. Units that pass are dried, recharged and labeled with the test date. Units that fail come out of service.

In California, extinguisher service must be done by a firm and technician licensed by the State Fire Marshal under Title 19. Our California work is done by Hedrick Fire Protection, which holds that Title 19 license for portable extinguisher service and for water-based systems, along with C-16 fire protection and C-10 electrical contractor licenses.

This page covers extinguisher cylinders. If you need a hydrostatic test on sprinkler or standpipe piping, go to our San Pedro fire sprinkler service page instead.

When your cylinders are due

The interval depends on what's inside:

• Dry chemical (the common ABC units): every 12 years
• CO2: every 5 years
• Water: every 5 years
• Wet chemical (Class K kitchen units): every 5 years

Stored-pressure dry chemical units also get an internal teardown at 6 years, about halfway through the 12-year cycle. To find your date, read the cylinder itself: count from the manufacture date stamped on the shell, or from the last hydrostatic test date stamped or labeled on it if the cylinder has been tested since then. The paper service tag only records the yearly visit. It doesn't reset the hydro clock.

A unit can carry a current annual certification tag and still be past its test date, because hydro testing comes up only every few years and is billed and done separately from the yearly service. A technician reading the cylinder stamps during annual service can spot which units are due.

Salt air on the San Pedro waterfront

San Pedro faces the Pacific and shares its shoreline with part of the Port of Los Angeles, so any extinguisher mounted outdoors or in an open garage spends the year in marine air. Salt speeds rust on steel shells and valve parts. A cylinder with heavy pitting usually fails inspection before it ever reaches the test bench, and at that point replacing it is the only option.

Check the shell during your monthly look at each unit. Rust likes the bottom ring and the spot behind the bracket, so lift the unit off its hook and look there too. Found rust? Tell the technician.

Booking a hydro test in San Pedro

Most of the San Pedro calls we take are about fire extinguishers. We come to street addresses in 90731 and 90732.

The site survey is free. On that visit the technician counts your units, reads each cylinder date and prices the testing or replacement before any work starts. For a small dry chemical unit, compare the test price with a new one: a new 5 lb extinguisher was recently quoted at $85, plus tax, with the wall bracket and installation included. If a unit has been discharged, it needs a recharge whatever its test date says.

To set up the survey, call us at (213) 568-0188 or email us at socal@1profire.com

More San Pedro services are on our San Pedro fire protection page, including fire extinguisher service. Outside San Pedro? See hydrostatic testing in Los Angeles County or hydrostatic testing in Orange County.

Questions about cylinder testing

Has extinguisher service changed from yearly to every few years?

No. Annual maintenance by a licensed technician is still yearly, and the multi-year items (the 6-year teardown and the 5- or 12-year hydrostatic test) are added on top of it.

Can I keep using an extinguisher past its hydro date?

Have it tested or replaced. A current yearly tag doesn't cover an overdue cylinder.

Are you located in San Pedro?

We serve San Pedro, including street addresses in 90731 and 90732. Book by phone at (213) 568-0188 or by email at socal@1profire.com.

Is the site survey free?

Yes. There's no charge for the survey, and testing or replacement is priced there before any work begins.