PS Magazine - TB 43-PS-613
PS, The Preventative Maintenance Monthly
ISSUE 613
DECEMBER 2003
C
rew chiefs, aircraft portable hand-held fire extinguishers that are handled fre-
quently and exposed to the forces of nature can have worn-out data plates.
The data plate information is important because the extinguisher is inspected and
weighed every 6 months to ensure the gross weight has not dropped 4 or more
ounces.
That can’t be done if the stamped
weight measurement is not legible on
the data plate. An unreadable data
plate makes the fire extinguisher
unserviceable. It must be replaced
with a new fire extinguisher, NSN
6830-00-555-8837, like it says Para 2-
5C, step (5) in TM 1-1500-204-23-1.
To protect the data plate informa-
tion, use the attached DD Form 1574
serviceability tag to cover the data
plate. Overlay the tag with a piece of
clear plastic. Then tape it down over
the data plate with duct tape, NSN
‘Course, always treat your fire
extinguishers with care and place
them back in the bracket after you’ve
done your aircraft walk around to
check for fire during engine or APU
run-ups and engine shutdown.
Don’t toss them on the seats or
leave them on the floor.
PS 613
DEC 03
41
Dear MSG Half-Mast,
Pitching BA-5372/U and BA-1372/U bat-
teries because we
THINK
they are no longer
good is costly. My unit invested in a $30 bat-
tery tester and we feel like we saved more than
$300 in the first 6 months by not throwing
away good batteries. Using the tester is now
a part of our battery maintenance SOP.
SFC John T. Kakac
181st Sig Co
Landstuhl, Germany
Dear Sergeant Kakac,
The SMART program and
CECOM agree with you. They rec-
ommend a multi-battery tester that
is in the supply system, NSN 6625-
00-295-1902. It can be used on
other batteries, as well as the two
you mentioned.
Commanders, getting one (or
more) of these battery testers is
your call. But if you use a lot of bat-
teries, this small investment might
save some big bucks in procurement
and disposal.
PS 613
DEC 03
40
All Aircraft…
Cover data
plate with
plastic to
protect from
damage and
exposure to
weather
When not
in use,
keep fire
extinguisher
in rack
Batteries like
BA-5372/U
can be tested
Dual scales
show voltage
of each cell
and overall
battery
condition
HMM…
do your
worst, mother
nature! I’m
protected
against you!!
We’re
not sure
if they’re
good or
bad.
hey,
what’s the
deal with
all these
batteries?
613. 40-41 (C)
10/31/03
1:42 PM
Page 1
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