> Agreed. But after I tested my copper bodied water type [soda- acid]
 > extinguisher, the maintenance service refused to refill it due to 
 > the date of
 > mfr being too long ago. Sold it to an antique shop. No the timber 
 > house didn't
 > burn down later, we sold and moved to a brick one.
There's certain things that you DON'T want to test. Regular dry-chemical type 
fire extinguishers are one such item. They have a guage on them to show state 
of charge, and that guage must be believed. Opening the valve even once will 
cause particles of the chemical to get into the valve seat, causing slight 
leakage and a pressure loss.
I've heard that if you insist on testing a dry-type fire extinguisher, the 
best procedure is to gather the family, build some fires outside, and let 
everyone have a turn at putting them out. Then take the extinguisher to the 
refill place and have it recharged.
                                      >
--- FLAME v1.1
---------------