What happened here

I try to shake my fire extinguishers at least once every few months. Bouncing around in a motorhome tends to pack the powder down and it is advisable to loosen up the powder once in a while by shaking. I have 1 placed near all 3 exits, front door, side door and the bedroom emergency exit window. This is usually an uneventful chore. This time while attending to the one in the bedroom I noticed something amiss. It appears this extinguisher has been used. The first thing I noticed was the powder coming out of the nozzle while shaking it. This appears to be residual powder. I checked the gauge and noticed it was low (in the recharge range). How could this be, I wondered. Then I noticed the pin in the handle (to prevent accidental discharge) was missing. No it didn’t just fall out because it is normally held in with a plastic band to keep it in place. The really strange thing is I looked and looked and could not find the plastic band or the pin so it’s not like the band broke and the pin simply fell out. I asked Susan if she knew anything about this and she said no. We tried to remember the last time we left the motorhome unattended such as at a service center. I know I have shaken these extinguishers since the last time we left the motorhome anywhere. It’s a mystery.

Things have been quiet around here. We have had our usual minor incidences but nothing worth noting.


The thing I don’t understand is, even though our section is closed for maintenance and they have placed barricades across the road, we still see vehicles cruise through here occasionally. Either they are blind, can’t read or don’t think the signs and barricades pertain to them. It is amazing how full the campground has been this time of year. But after all, it is Southern California and the weather has been just great. I am sure it will slow down in a few weeks.