Question:
I bought a "kiddie" 2.5 pound fire extinguisher at a yard sale last year for a buck. It needed to be recharged, but I figured that the firehouses around here might have some program where they would do it for free, or something like that. Plus, I needed one of these for the kitchen. Anyway, I found out our fire department does't mess with this sort of thing. I found a local place that will recharge these things, but they wanted $15 to do so. Anyone know if this is worth it? I thought these things sold new for about $15 anyway?

Answer: Well, I'm with you in using the fire extinguisher as a toy. I've bought junk at garage sales just for the entertainment of taking it apart. Sometimes you discover something uniquely usable. However, I would never depend on a home brewed extinguisher. And when the extinguishers get to a certain age, I let the kid go out back and empty it in the bushes for practice. Then I pitch it.