The law requires fire extinguishers in the workplace but once we buy them, we need to know the future fire extinguisher service cost for our budgeting.
You’d think it would be easy to find out the price. But, you’d be wrong.
A thorough search on Google using advanced search methods found a few companies explaining their basic service prices (and two of them are our websites!) but only 4 gave a full list of parts and refill prices.
You can phone and ask your supplier and may get an answer over the phone. But, the chances are, it’s wrong and not the complete price!
Background and Disclaimer
It will be easier for me to explain how it works from the fire extinguisher industry side and then leave you better informed with the correct questions to ask to get the real price.
Although the act of fire extinguisher servicing is controlled by regulations and British Standard 5306 part 3, as with all industries, companies operate in different ways and have different income models. This is despite the job being the same, no matter who does the work.
Let me add a disclaimer here on behalf of our servicing trade as well. Whereas a plumber or electrician can charge a call-out fee, maybe travel, an hourly rate, then parts, plus a small percentage, fire extinguisher jobs cannot be charged on a labour-based model and, as the trade is very widely spread with around 2000+ companies in the UK claiming to service extinguishers so will never be able to change.
The vast majority of local servicing companies are great and make just enough to get by. They cannot compete with volume internet pricing but build their reputations with quality service and by being local.
Just Tell Me How Much Already!
I can already sense you wanting to shout “Just tell me how much a fire extinguisher service is going to cost me, Jon?”
But, hang on a minute as I want to stress the “It depends!” part.
For example, one of the larger, better-known service companies charges £1.75 + vat per extinguisher at the time of writing. You then need to consider that, on average, a technician can correctly service 50 units per day.
As the technician probably earns around £120 a day, has to drive through traffic from job to job, is provided with a van, diesel, phone, uniform, tools, etc., and then his employers expect to make a profit on top of that, the 50 x £1.75 (£87.50 total) is not going to cut it.
If I now told you that, on average, their technician’s ‘income per extinguisher serviced’ is around £23 (the daily total comes to £1150) you’d be scratching your head to wonder how. It’s because that includes parts, refills, tests, replacements, and extras.
Now, do you see why I am going to such lengths to explain how this works from the industry perspective? Stay with me while I explain how this can happen.
How to Calculate the Real Price
The common way of charging for extinguisher maintenance is to charge an amount per extinguisher with a minimum charge per site or a visit charge on top. Then, parts and refills on top of that.
When asked the “How much?” question, your suppliers may casually throw in “it will cost £xxx plus small service parts”. In that above example, they’d say it’s just £1.75 + vat per extinguisher and you’d not think anything more about it. But, it may cost ten times that.
What the service company knows and you probably don’t is that “small service parts” are required at every service visit and can ramp up the cost as follows;
- Extinguisher gauge test – required for every extinguisher with a gauge – and often charged at £1.50 and up each
- Anti-tamper seal – they cost pennies but are commonly charged at £1 and up each
- CO2 Swivel horn washer required when the horn is removed and put back on – another £1 and up
- Hose o-ring required when the horn is removed and put back on – another £1 or more
- Sterilising tablets are often used when cartridge water models are opened to prevent the smell of rotten eggs – often £1 and up (these are Milton baby sterilising tablets bought at Superdrug or Boots)
- Safety pin – despite often being tied on, these are sometimes ‘missing’ and get ‘replaced’ – £2 or much more
- Fire extinguisher service label – some will even charge for this at around £1
And that’s just the basic service parts. Then there are other, non-basic parts that are usually not included as ‘common service parts’ (note – we do include these).
- Safety clip – some companies use expensive, unique plastic clips in place of safety pins – £4 and up
- CO2 swivel horn – you’d be surprised how often these are replaced at £8 to £30 (we sell these on this site at around £5)
Extended Service and Discharge Test
So, that’s most of the parts covered. But, just as your car has oil change (minor) services and major services, fire extinguishers require a 5 year ‘extended service’, also known as a discharge test. (note – CO2’s don’t need their first test for 10 years.)
These days, as powder makes too much mess and is not easy to refill on site, and foam, wet chemical, or additives cannot be discharged into drains, the original theory of taking it outside, firing it off, and measuring the time and throw distance has gone. Other than water, most are simply exchanged for a factory tested model (which may be an older, refurbished model).
But That’s Not Going to Happen for 5 Years, Is It?
And you would almost be correct in thinking that this won’t happen until 5 years have passed. Or will it?
If you purchased 20 extinguishers one day, would you want to pay to have them all suddenly tested at the same time in 5 years? To spread the costs, many technicians will start testing 20% of them every year so that they are all completed within 5 years and your costs are spread out.
Another quick Google search of the few prices that are listed online (suggesting these would be low prices if they are happy to print them) shows water extinguisher test and refill prices at £25 and foam at £30. You may pay much more.
How To Save Money On Fire Extinguisher Servicing
Firstly, remember that your extinguishers need to be maintained properly by a competent technician with the correct qualifications and tools. Trust me, when I say at the time you need one, you will want it to work!
Do not expect to pay peanuts. Do not think you can do this yourself.
These are the questions to ask before committing to anything:
- Can you give me a full price list of your service, parts, and refill costs?
- What is the basic maintenance charge?
- What parts are included in this price?
- What is the average cost per extinguisher of other parts that are usually required? Can you give me a price to include all incidental service parts?
- Do you bring extended services forward or do you wait until they are genuinely due?
- Will you tell me and give me a price before you refill or discharge test anything to give me the chance to see if it’s cheaper to replace it online?
- Will you price match if I can find the same at a lower price?
How Much You Should Be Paying
If you use a local service company, you should expect to pay a visit charge of around £20-30 + vat and a price per extinguisher of around £5-£10. The parts are likely to add around £2-£3 per extinguisher and, at three to five years, you will pay lots more to have them tested.
After the five years, warranties will usually have expired and extinguishers will occasionally need to be replaced. These replacements often ‘subsidise’ the service cost for the local companies.
If you use a modern internet-based service company, your price is likely to include all the parts with the cost per extinguisher serviced being around £5-£15. As for refills or extended service, the price to replace an extinguisher will usually cost less than testing and refilling so expect to have them replaced every five years with new ones.
If you’d like to know more about the different types of maintenance available, call one of our helpful staff at 0800 321 3145 and they will be able to, with no obligation, find a quality local fire extinguisher service in your area.