freezemaster™ Antifreeze Blog
In-depth antifreeze and fire safety advice and insights from the experts behind the freeze protection technology like no other.
FAQs | Installation | Temperature | fire sprinkler systems
Because the primary purpose of antifreeze is to protect sprinkler systems from cold, contractors tend to only consider the minimum use temperature when selecting a listed antifreeze.
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A UL-listed, factory-premixed antifreeze – like freezemaster™ antifreeze – will soon be the new normal for sprinkler systems needing seasonal freeze protection. This new normal requires different installation and maintenance than building owners and ITM contractors are used to with traditional antifreezes. Not taking these differences into account significantly shortens the life of listed antifreeze.
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During the years when there were no listed antifreezes to protect fire sprinklers from freezing in severely cold weather, dry pipe systems were often chosen to fill the void after NPFA put into place new regulations requiring listed antifreezes for new systems. The most common applications affected by this included attics, unheated warehouses, commercial freezers, overhead canopies, loading docks and parking garages. Now that listed antifreezes are commercially available, however, it’s worth evaluating experiences from the field where dry system use increased in situations where it might not have been best suited. While these systems can be the right solution in some scenarios, they can have significant drawbacks in others.
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Many are not aware that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) fire sprinkler standards require new antifreeze systems to use an agency-listed antifreeze. And these same standards require that existing systems use an agency-listed antifreeze by September 30, 2022. In fact, when safety concerns led to these NFPA updates, no listed product was available.
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