Does your Vapor Degreaser meet MACT Standards?

Recently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspected vapor degreasers at several plants, in a variety of industries, and unfortunately, every plant involved in the inspection did not comply with the EPA’s Vapor Degreaser Maximum Available Control Technology (MACT) Standard. The average penalty cost levied on each plant found not to be compliant was over then thousand dollars, which, because the penalties are not tax deductible, had to be paid out of the profits of each company. Additional costs were involved as well, such as management time, fees for both attorneys and consultants, along with wasted solvents. The following were reasons for non-compliance found during the inspections:

  • Ecolink1The chain hoist used to lower and raise a parts container into the vapor degreaser exceeded the maximum allowable speed of eleven feet per minute. The reason for the specified maximum speed is to assure the vapor blanket is not disrupted to the extent that vapor spills out of the degreaser and emanates into the air.
  • The temperature at the center of the air blanket did not comply with the requirement that the temperature be thirty percent or less of the solvent’s boiling point. This ensures that the solvent vapors condense and fall back into the sump tank rather than evaporating throughout the plant.
  • The freeboard ratio was not measured correctly. Freeboard ratio is the ratio of the freeboard height to the smaller interior dimension (length, width or diameter) of the machine.
  • Covers were not in place when the degreaser was not in use.

In addition, (and a hint to those industrial businesses finding it difficult to meet compliance standards) the biggest tip-off that violations are present comes when entering a shop and one can smell the distinct odor of degreaser solvent.

The best way to ensure your vapor degreaser meets MACT standards is to incorporate Ecolink’s Hypersolve vapor degreaser. Hypersolve is a new cleaner solvent vapor degreaser based on n-propyl bromide as an alternative for traditional chlorinated solvents. Hypersolve has very low ozone depletion potential (0.002) and no flash point. Applications include the ability to vapor degrease a variety of contaminants and substrates. Hypersolve cleans difficult contaminants such as oils, greases, adhesives, solder fluxes, and resins.

Hypersolve is a diverse compound that has numerous applications including the following:

  • Drying agent
  • Precision cleaning
  • Cleaner/degreaser
  • Automotive parts cleaning
  • Printed wiring board cleaning
  • Adhesive and sealant removal
  • Surface wipe cleaning
  • Carbon soil removal
  • Metal cleaning, hydraulic parts, wheels and brakes

If your business is in need of any of the above applications, then let Ecolink help you make the transition to their Hypersolve vapor degreaser to ensure you are compliant with MACT standards concerning vapor degreasers. When switching to Ecolink’s Hypersolve, your industrial business immediately reduces its chance of being found non compliant with MACT standards.

Can Companies Save Money Using Green Industrial Cleaners?

By now, industrial organizations should already know the importance of using green industrial cleaners, as it is paramount to improving the safety aspects of the workplace, the employees performing labor in the work place, and the environment. This is due to the extreme push by eco friendly conscious companies such as Ecolink to inform and educate industrial businesses of the potential risks and hazards they place their facilities and employees in each and every day, as well as help these industrial businesses transition to a green industrial cleaner. What companies might not know about is the additional incentive included should an industrial company decide to switch to a green industrial cleaner. The additional incentive, an enticement from which all companies can benefit, is that companies can save money using green industrial cleaners. EcolinkImage

What?! How can companies save money using green industrial cleaners?! It is no surprise to us that most company executives would read the above statement and be suspicious to the veracity of the claim. Why? Well, for one, most people associate eco friendly and green alternative options as expensive. For example, solar energy: To place solar panels on a home to be able to utilize solar power would cost so much that the estimation of how long it would take for people to realize a cost savings is over fifteen years. Subsequently, more people are deciding that the initial price does not justify the far reaching final conclusion. There are other examples of large expense attached to green alternative solutions, such as natural gas. People read these wonderful, but practically unfeasible eco friendly options and associate exorbitant cost with any green alternative solution. This assumption is understandable, but luckily, this does no pertain to the use of green industrial cleaners.

Green alternative industrial cleaners have been developed with inexpensive chemical compound solutions – significantly less costly than the conventional industrial solvents. Therefore, because of the reduce cost in developing, the retail cost for an industrial company to implement its use is much lower than what they were previously paying for their effective, yet harmful cleaner and degreaser. One of the most important aspects to a company is finding ways to reduce overhead while still being able to maintain efficiency in operation and full functionality. As it concerns industrial businesses, they have been bestowed unbelievable fortune in the offering of an eco friendly, green industrial cleaner that will clean and degrease parts, metals, and materials of grime, dirt, grease, oil, rust, and other potentially harmful particles as well as or better than their older model. In addition, the company will significantly reduce the exposure of their workers to harmful substances, as well as reduce the hazard to the environment, along with reduce the monthly, or annual cost of purchasing an industrial cleaner solvent.

Ecolink’s mission statement clearly defines their goals regarding industrial cleaning:

To eliminate the waste and pollution of duplicate, unnecessary, harmful and non-complying and/or non-conforming chemicals through lean(er) chemical solutions including customizable delivery, dispensing, distillation, filtration and recycling/reclamation systems.

Call today to start saving: 800-563-1305

 

Is your Company Using the Best Industrial Cleaners?

“If it is not broke, do not fix it.” It is likely that at some point in your life, you have heard this ubiquitous quote in some manner. Regarding the industrial cleaning industry, this quote is quite true to point. The fact of the matter is most industrial businesses that use industrial cleaners to clean and degrease parts, metals, and materials or dirt, stains, rust, grime, oil, and other harmful particles have been using the exact same industrial cleaner for years, perhaps even decades. The problem with this is there have been a lot of changes, pertaining to advancements in chemical products and the law regarding what chemicals can be used to clean parts because of the health risks associated with the compound solvent. It is easy to understand why industrial businesses have not made the switch to a new industrial cleaner when the one they have been using for a long time, in their opinion, works fine. However, if these industrial companies were to conduct research into the subject, they would find that newer, stronger, safer, and less costly industrial cleaners are now available. Ecolink1

Now, your industrial company must ask itself the following question: is our company using the best industrial cleaner on the market? If your company has been using the same chemical cleaning solution for the last five years or longer, then the answer to the posed question is most likely no. Why? Significant advances have been made to industrial cleaners that render older model industrial solvents obsolete.

Most importantly, scientific research has found that older industrial cleaning solutions are filled with toxic chemicals and hazardous agents that could cause serious ramifications and dire long term effects to those who are in constant contact or even close proximity to these solvents. In addition, the hazardous cleaning agents hurt the environment. Today, there are eco friendly and green alternative solutions available that not only eliminate potential injury to people and to the environment, but also can clean and degrease better than older industrial cleaners.

Secondly, industrial companies are riddled with expensive liabilities and overhead that eat away at a business’ cash flow. Newer, cleaner industrial solvents are developed with chemical compounds that are safer and cheaper than older industrial chemical solutions. This means the cost of using these newer degreasing models is significantly less than what your company was paying for your current brand.

Safer industrial cleaning ingredients that are more effective and cheaper sounds too good to be true, but it is the truth. Ecolink – a company that has been pushing the eco friendly, green alternative movement for a safer and more efficient industrial cleaner for quite some time – can further explain the benefits to these newer industrial solutions, and will help you make the transition to these improved solvents. With the help of Ecolink, your company will soon be using the best industrial cleaner available today.

Industrial Cleaners That are Eco-friendly

Cleaning agents in the forms of liquids, sprays, powders, or granules simplify the removal of contaminants on surfaces during many industrial processes. It has been common for companies to rely on organic solvents with carbon as part of their chemical solution to eliminate undesirable contaminants; however, these chemicals have raised much concern about worker and environmental safety. The development of eco-friendly industrial cleaners has increased as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations buckle down on the use of dangerous solvents and consumers demand companies to utilize safer solutions. Companies desiring to “go green” have the option of selecting environmentally preferred or natural agents with little to no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP’s).

What Are the Cost Benefits of “Going Green”?

Eco-friendly industrial cleaners deliver several benefits to businesses using these products for meeting cleaning or degreasing requirements. Cost savings is one of the biggest advantages and a safer cleaning agent can help your bottom line in these expense areas:

  • Purchasing
  • Shipping
  • Storage
  • Facility Operations
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Worker Safety

A safe alternative to traditionally applied hazardous materials allows purchasing, shipping, and storage costs to be reduced as the agent can be bulk purchased in its concentrated form. Additionally, the choice to switch to green chemicals decreases the amount of hazardous materials residing in the workplace and limits worker exposure to harsh chemicals. Insurance costs are also reduced because the switch prevents workers from developing serious health conditions caused by chemical exposure.

Tips for Selecting the Right Cleaning Agent

Eco-friendly cleaners can be found just about anywhere these days as regulations and consumer awareness of the dangers of toxic chemicals have increased. A number of characteristics contribute to the eco-friendliness of a product; however, the industrial process to be performed, type of contaminant, and involved equipment will be major decision factors when making the switch to green cleaners. Here are a few things to consider before choosing a safe alternative for your business:

  • Is the industrial cleaner biodegradable?
  • Does the manufacturer use eco-friendly manufacturing processes?
  • Does the solution contain hazardous materials?
  • Does it contain “All Natural” ingredients?
  • Is it water-based or derived from natural sources?
  • Does the cleaner contain VOC’s?
  • Does it emit HAP’s?

It is easy for companies to say their product is eco-friendly, but your keen eye will be required to ensure the safest option is being selected. Some cleaners fall in the environmentally preferred category meaning the ingredients meet the defined standards of the EPA, but are not completely natural. An environmentally preferred choice is a great secondary option when an “All Natural” cleaner does not meet specific industrial needs. Make certain you read the list of ingredients before choosing an alternative for your business. Several eco-friendly industrial cleaners have been made available for degreasing, equipment maintenance, general cleaning, and production processes. Contact an industrial cleaner manufacturer today to learn more about what eco-friendly products are available for meeting your specific business needs.

Industrial Cleaners with eco-friendly qualities decrease costs and play a pivotal safety role in the workplace. For additional information about environmentally friendly, low VOC products, please call (800) 886-8240 or email info@ecolink.com.

How Businesses can make Environmentally Sound Choices in Industrial Solvents

It is no longer a secret that many of the older industrial solvents that were used to clean parts, metals, and materials were hazardous to the environment and to people who were exposed to the cleaning agents. What is puzzling is that some industrial businesses continue to use hazardous solvents in the workplace. It is believed that companies continue to put themselves, their workers, and the environment in danger because they have implemented other safety measures and precautions that they believe reduces the scale of danger. These safety measures and precautions might seem as though a business has done enough to reduce danger, but what companies need to do is make environmentally sound choices and eliminate any potential danger by switching to an eco friendly cleaning agent.

Other reasons that companies have not switched to a green alternative cleaning solution is because they are unconvinced that eco friendly cleaning solvents cannot clean parts and dissolve particles as well as industrial solvents. Fortunately, green alternative companies, such as Ecolink, have factual information and documentation that proves the ingredients and chemical compounds used in green alternative industrial solvents are not only safe and one hundred percent eco friendly, it is as strong and reliable in its performance as any other industrial solvent available. This truth is why green alternative companies like Ecolink are pushing for industrial organizations to make environmentally sound choices and switch to an eco friendly cleaning solution, especially when proof exists that the performance of eco friendly industrial solvents degrease as well or better than other cleaning agents.

As an industrial business that relies on cleaning parts, metals, and materials, it is in your best interest to start making environmentally sound choices and transition to an eco friendly industrial solvent. Many regulatory and compliance firms are enforcing penalties and fines on businesses that continue to use hazardous chemical compound agents to clean components. Get in touch with Ecolink today, and a professional will help you make a seamless transition to a green alternative industrial solvent that will work as good – if not better – than your current cleaning solution. Start making environmentally sound choices now.