Where / how do I discharge an old fire extinguisher?

Factual Questions
1

I have a old home fire extinguisher, First Alert Model FE1A10G15. Although never used, the needle in the “Full/Empty” gauge is in the red. According to the directions, this means the unit is inoperable and should be disposed of. The directions for disposal say to empty the contents first.

Where? Are the contents toxic? My front lawn? My neighbor’s front lawn? Out in the street? Into the storm drain leading to the environmentally sensitive wetland area?

Seriously, where to I empty this thing safely and harmlessly?

Thanks.

2

Fire departments will normally take them. Just call and ask.

3

The manual says to take it outdoors and turn the unit upside down before pulling the trigger in order to discharge the unit prior to disposal.

In the section about cleaning up after use it merely states to sweep up/vacuum powder and wipe up the remaining powder with a damp cloth cloth.

Sounds non-toxic to me.

4

Ask at your local fire department.

Or ask at your local dump/trash hauler’s office.

5

In your lawn would be OK, just be sure to water it in. The “dry chemical” is called mono-ammonium phosphate or sometimes ammonium dihydrogen phosphate. While that might look like a scary hazardous chemical, it is really quite benign. It is used commercially as a fertilizer (much more than for fire extinguishers). It will make your grass grow green. I wouldn’t discharge it down a storm drain, since adding fertilizer to storm water can cause undesirable plant growth downstream.

6

If the needle is in the red that should mean that all the pressure has leaked out of it (it’s a pressure gauge). Which means if you were to pull the pin and squeeze the handle nothing would happen. You could try and remove the plastic head unit/lever/nozzle but I don’t think cheaper ones screw in, they are pressed in. You could just smash the head unit and dump the contents out of the tank, but as stated above there really isn’t anything hazardous inside it.

So since it’s no longer a pressurized tank nor does it contain hazardous material, I’d just throw it in the trash. like an empty aerosol can…

7

Advice: Point it away from you and shoot with the wind. The chemicals are non toxic but do not get them in your eyes, nor do you want to breathe it in.

8

Without any knowledge of the OP’s question, I still don’t feel comfortable with a few advices mentioned above.

(1) I would not feel sure at all that a needle in the red zone means it’s fully discharged. I would expect it simply means: Pressure too low to be effective for a fire extinguisher. I would still want to discharge it completely, and not by just lopping the head off.

(2) If it’s just fertilizer, I’d worry that discharging too much into one spot on the lawn might cause fertilizer burn.

9

Out back and toward a willing cow-orker. I thought that was the most obvious reply ever. Are you impaired? :wink:

10

A common problem in the 70s And 80s for people who recharged fire extinguishers was jaundice.

I would not discharge it I would take it into the fire department and ask them how to get rid of it.