Fire extinguisher types and service dates

You can define your own fire extinguisher types in Office View. Those types control which service intervals appear on the iPad and on reports. This article covers:

1. How to add a type and choose which service dates it uses
2. What each service date means and how Next due dates are calculated

Office View and the iPad use the same calculation rules. If they disagree, sync or a stale saved date is usually the cause, not two different formulas.

Add a type and set which service dates apply

Not all extinguishers use the same intervals. For example, some types use 3-year testing and some do not. If you change an extinguisher to a type with fewer service dates, the previous service date fields for the intervals that type does not use will no longer appear on the inspection.

1. Go to Settings → Fire Extinguishers → Fire Extinguisher Types.
2. Choose Add (or edit an existing type).
3. Enter the type name and check the service dates that apply (for example 3-year, 5-year, 6-year, 12-year hydro).
4. Click Save.

On the iPad, open an inspection (or add an extinguisher) and select the type from the Type dropdown. Only the intervals enabled for that type appear. If you change type settings in Office View, refresh the iPad so the updated options load.

What each service date means

Next due dates are saved on each extinguisher. Clearing Next due (or updating the related Last date) and saving recalculates it. Editing a Next due by hand overrides the calculator until you clear it again.

How Next 12-Year Hydro is calculated

1. Last Hydro Test date + 12 years, or
2. If no last hydro is recorded, Manufacture date + 12 years

Recording a new Last Hydro Test resets the hydro cycle and becomes the primary base for the next 6-year calculation.

How Next 3-Year and Next 5-Year are calculated

When those intervals are enabled on the type:

• Next 3-Year = Last 3-Year + 3 years (or manufacture + 3 if there is no last 3-year)
• Next 5-Year = Last 5-Year + 5 years (or manufacture + 5 if there is no last 5-year)

How Next 6-Year is calculated

The 6-year date is the most involved because it interacts with hydro testing.

InspectPoint picks a base date in this order:

1. Last Hydro Test (when a hydro was actually performed), then + 6 years
2. Else Next 12-Year Hydro (scheduled), then + 6 years
3. Else Last 6-Year service, then + 6 years
4. Else Manufacture date, then + 6 years

It also ensures Next 6-Year is never earlier than 6 years after the last 6-year service, if one exists.

Month and year matter more than the exact calendar day when deciding whether the next 6-year conflicts with an upcoming hydro.

Early 6-year service vs the hydro cycle

Technicians sometimes perform a 6-year exam before the anniversary of the last hydro (a few days or a few months early).

• If the calculated Next 6-Year would fall close to the next hydro (same month/year, or within about 6 months of that hydro), Next 6-Year is set to about 6 years after the next hydro. That avoids scheduling another full internal exam right before a hydro.
• If the calculated Next 6-Year is well before the next hydro (for example about a year earlier), Next 6-Year stays service date + 6 years so a truly early exam does not jump years into the future.

If a next due date looks wrong

1. Saved date — clear the Next due and save, or update the related Last date and save, so it recalculates.
2. Device sync — the iPad may still show an older cached value until the unit syncs.
3. Type settings — if the type does not enable that interval (or is maintenance-free), that Next due stays blank. Update the type using the steps at the top of this article.

Do not hand-edit Next due fields unless you intend to override the calculator.

Related articles

• Fire Extinguisher Types and Makes
• Fire Extinguisher Setup Guide

Need help? Contact Support at support@inspectpoint.com or submit a request from the Help Center.