Guide 08 Building operation and maintenance
How often should fire extinguishers be refilled and pressure tested?
Under IS 2190:2010, fire extinguishers are not all on the same clock. Annex D sets refill intervals by extinguisher type, from two to five years, and Annex E sets hydraulic pressure testing at three years for water, foam and dry powder types, and five years for carbon dioxide types.
- Topic
- Building operation and maintenance
- Checked
- 23 September 2026
- Sources
- 2
- Questions
- 6
01
Refilling on Annex D's schedule
IS 2190:2010 Annex D sets discharge, or performance, testing and refilling on a rotation that depends on the extinguishing agent and the way it is pressurised. Stored-pressure water and foam extinguishers are due for refilling once in two years. BC and ABC dry powder extinguishers go three years between refills.
Nine-litre gas-cartridge water and foam types run to five years, because the cartridge keeps the agent isolated from the shell until it is struck. In a corrosive atmosphere, such as a coastal plant or a chemical store, halve every one of these intervals. Any extinguisher that has been discharged, even partially, is refilled immediately rather than waiting for its due date.
02
Hydraulic pressure testing on Annex E's schedule
Annex E is a separate clock from Annex D, and this is where most web pages get it wrong. Water, foam and stored-pressure dry powder extinguishers are hydraulically tested every three years, at 35 kg/cm2 held for two and a half minutes. Carbon dioxide extinguishers are tested every five years, at 250 kg/cm2.
A search on the topic turns up plenty of pages stating a flat five years for every type. That figure is correct only for CO2. Water, foam and dry powder cylinders still being tested on a five-year cycle are two years overdue by the standard's own table. CO2 and clean agent cylinders also get a pressure test at every recharge, whenever that falls.
03
The monthly and quarterly checks in between
A pressure test every three or five years is not the only thing IS 2190 asks for. Every extinguisher is inspected monthly by personnel trained to spot a dropped pressure gauge, a damaged hose, a missing pin or a corroded shell. Quarterly maintenance goes deeper: the manufacturer, an authorised service agent or a professional fireman works through the checklist for that specific agent type.
Once a year, the inspection is more thorough again, and where it coincides with the refill or hydraulic test due date, the two are combined into one visit rather than two separate ones. Keeping the monthly log current is what lets a facility manager show, at short notice, that every extinguisher on the premises is within date.
04
Interval at a glance
The table below reads the two annexes side by side, by extinguisher type, so a refill visit and a hydraulic test visit are not mistaken for the same event.
IS 2190:2010 refill and hydraulic test intervals by extinguisher type
- Stored-pressure water and foam
- Refill every 2 years; hydraulic test every 3 years at 35 kg/cm2
- BC and ABC dry powder (stored pressure)
- Refill every 3 years; hydraulic test every 3 years at 35 kg/cm2
- 9 litre gas-cartridge water and foam
- Refill every 5 years; halve the interval in a corrosive atmosphere
- Carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Hydraulic test every 5 years at 250 kg/cm2, and at every recharge
Asked next
Questions people also ask
How often should fire extinguishers be refilled and pressure tested?
Are all fire extinguisher types pressure tested every five years?
No. IS 2190:2010 Annex E sets hydraulic pressure testing at three years for water, foam and stored-pressure dry powder extinguishers, and at five years only for carbon dioxide types. Several websites quote a flat five years for everything, which understates the water, foam and powder interval by two years and can leave a cylinder overdue for test.
How often does a fire extinguisher need refilling in India?
Under IS 2190:2010 Annex D, stored-pressure water and foam extinguishers are refilled every two years, BC and ABC dry powder every three years, and nine-litre gas-cartridge water and foam types every five years. Halve every interval in a corrosive atmosphere, and refill immediately after any discharge, partial or full.
Who is allowed to service a fire extinguisher under IS 2190?
Monthly inspection can be done by personnel trained to check the gauge, pin, hose and shell. Quarterly maintenance and the annual thorough inspection need the manufacturer, an authorised service agent or a professional fireman, working through the checklist set for that extinguishing agent, and combined with the refill or hydraulic test visit where the dates coincide.
What pressure is a CO2 fire extinguisher tested to?
IS 2190:2010 Annex E sets the hydraulic test for a carbon dioxide extinguisher at 250 kg/cm2, against 35 kg/cm2 for water, foam and stored-pressure dry powder types. CO2 and clean agent cylinders are also pressure tested every time they are sent for recharging, independent of the five-year hydraulic test date.
Does a corrosive environment change the fire extinguisher refill interval?
Yes. IS 2190:2010 Annex D says to halve the standard refill interval in a corrosive atmosphere, such as a coastal site or a chemical handling area. A stored-pressure water or foam extinguisher due for refill every two years in a normal environment is due every year in a corrosive one.
Does an extinguisher need refilling after it is used once?
Yes, immediately. An extinguisher that has discharged, even partially, has lost pressure and agent and no longer performs to its rating. It is refilled, and retested where applicable, before it goes back into service, rather than waiting for its scheduled refill or hydraulic test date to come around.
Checked against
Sources
- 01IS 2190:2010, Portable Fire Extinguishers: Selection, Installation and Maintenance, Code of Practice, Bureau of Indian Standards
- 02Central Public Works Department, official website, Central Public Works Department, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
This guide explains how the system works in general, as the documents above describe it, and was last checked on 23 September 2026. Rules and thresholds change: the governing document is the authority, not this page.
On this site
Where this meets the work
Have a requirement rather than a question?
Send the specification, the part or the drawing. The first reply says what we can do and what we need from you.