Industrial IPA Solvent Suppliers: Questions to Ask Before You Buy

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Shop-hereThere are lots of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) suppliers out there. Having such an extensive range of options is nice from a customer standpoint, but it can also make the supplier selection process last longer than anticipated.

If you need industrial strength IPA — which generally has a purity of at least 99% — crossing suppliers of commercial grade and consumer grade IPA off the list, and limiting your choices to industrial IPA suppliers, is an easy way to narrow your field of options. You can refine your selection of IPA solvent suppliers further by asking the following five questions.

  1. Is formulating custom IPA solvents an option?

Working with IPA solvent suppliers that offer custom formulations is highly recommended. It helps prevent ordering a stock solution that works well in some respects but not in others. This problem is easily avoided when you work with a custom solvent supplier.

  1. What is the turnaround time for custom IPA solvents?

The chance to order custom solvents is a great option, but the ultimate value is determined largely by how quickly you can receive a custom order. If productivity is at stake, find out the maximum turnaround time for a custom solvent shipment before placing the order.

  1. Is it possible to get a free test sample prior to purchase?

The last thing you want is a large supply of IPA solvent that doesn’t work as well as expected. The surest way to keep it from happening is requesting a free test sample before placing an order. Ecolink provides a free test sample for each of our solvents.

  1. Are your containers designed to prevent IPA evaporation?

It’s relatively common phenomenon: An organization orders 99% pure IPA, and then finds the purity is lower after receiving the order and testing its IPA density. What happened? There’s a good chance the IPA container is to blame. Unless the seal is designed to withstand the vapor pressure of IPA, the alcohol can evaporate and weaken the formulation.

  1. Do your solvents contain ingredients scheduled for regulation?

Solvent ingredients the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates can’t be used in quantities that most large-scale users require. Consequently, ordering from IPA solvent suppliers whose products contain ingredients that are scheduled for regulation is like living on borrowed time. IPA solvent suppliers that offer environmentally-prefered solvents is the best option.

Contact Us Today

Ecolike is one of your best options among IPA solvent suppliers for several reasons, including the availability of both stock and custom IPA formulations, the availability of environmentally preferred solutions whose ingredients aren’t regulated by the EPA, and the option to order practically any volume of IPA, on any supply schedule, just to name a few.

To place an order for IPA solvent, or to learn about additional advantages of choosing us over other IPA solvent suppliers, please contact us today by calling 800-563-1305, or send us an email using the contact form on our website. We take pride in supplying best-in-class industrial IPA solvents!

Medical Grade Isopropyl Alcohol: Factors That Impact Use

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Medical grade isopropyl alcohol is a concentrated form of standard isopropyl alcohol. It has a purity of 99% or thereabouts, depending on a manufacturer’s formulation process. In medical settings, the product is generally used as a cleaner — particularly as a sterilizer — to cleanse skin for treatments and dressings, and to kill bacteria on medical instruments and surfaces.

Medical grade isopropyl alcohol has a truly diverse range of applications, but there are three safety factors that end users should consider with any type of application: the product’s low flashpoint, its high evaporation rate, and what happens when the solution comes into contact with humans. We take a closer look at each factor below.

  1. Low Flashpoint

The flashpoint for 99% Medical grade isopropyl alcohol is exceptionally low, registering at 12 °C closed cup and 18 °C open cup. Closed cup preparations have a lower flashpoint because the product retains more alcohol, and vapor from the alcohol remains concentrated instead of diffusing into open air.

This means the product should never be used to clean energized equipment and never be stored in an area that has possible ignition sources (heating elements, switchgear, metal grinding stations, etc.) A professional solvent supplier can advise you on the best storage options in relation to the structure of your facility and its operations.

  1. High Evaporation Rate

Due to its high percentage of purity, medical grade isopropyl alcohol is even more evaporative than the rubbing alcohol pharmacies sell, with a vapor pressure of 43.996 hPa at 20 °C. If the solution’s container is left open, waste occurs rapidly in the form of evaporation. In addition to wasting the product, letting it evaporate in medical settings can cause negative health effects in patients, some of which are listed below.

  1. Contact With Humans

Unlike many solvents used to sterilize medical equipment, medical grade isopropyl alcohol doesn’t cause immediate harm when it contacts skin, although repeated contact can cause profound skin dryness. Like standard isopropyl alcohol, the chemical produces a burning sensation when it contacts the eyes and open wounds, with the high-purity formulation intensifying the effect.

As an overview from MDGuidelines notes, negative health effects from medical grade isopropyl alcohol can occur with short-term exposure and include: “dizziness, giddiness, headache, nausea, vomiting, and irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat.”

Prolonged exposure can lead to skin corrosion, as well as “reduced memory and concentration, personality changes (withdrawal, irritability), fatigue, sleep disturbances, reduced coordination, and/or effects on nerves supplying internal organs (autonomic nerves) and/or nerves to the arms and legs (weakness, ‘pins and needles’).”

Need Medical Grade Isopropyl Alcohol?

If so, Ecolink has what you need. Our isopropyl alcohol is 99% pure, making it an excellent option for general sterilization and cleaning procedures in medical facilities. To inquire about the product or to place an order, please call us today at (800) 563-1305, or send us an email through our contact form. We look forward to supplying medical grade isopropyl alcohol to support your cleaning operations.

 

Essential Preparations for Storing Your IPA Bulk Order

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As a solvent, Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is an excellent option for dissolving accumulations that are classified as non-polar compounds, such as carbon deposits. In addition to its efficacy for dissolving these substances, IPA is also prized for its fast evaporation rate, relatively non-toxic formulation compared to alternative solvents of its generation, and the fact that it leaves practically no oil traces that could residually collect on surfaces and draw dirt and grime.

However, along with IPA’s solvent benefits come some potential drawbacks. For one, IPA has a low flashpoint that can create a fire hazard. Also, the solvent emits an unpleasant odor that can cause temporary, negative health conditions, such as drowsiness and dizziness. A third potential drawback of using IPA is that repeated, high exposure to the liquid has been known to cause more serious health conditions, even death.

Storing Your IPA Bulk Order
Organizations that have industrial cleaning needs often place IPA bulk orders because IPA is so effective at dissolving soils produced in industrial work environments, and is thus used in large quantities over short periods of time. This leads us to the topic of how bulk orders of IPA should be stored in order to minimize potential drawbacks. By taking the following four preparations for storing your IPA bulk order, you can increase safety in the work environment.

  1. Check to See if Drums are Tightly Sealed

When your IPA bulk order arrives at the receiving dock, carefully check the seal on each drum to see if it is compromised. The drums should be in perfect condition when they are shipped, but there’s always a slight possibility that drums could be damaged during transit due to unexpected events in the freight compartment. Performing a visual inspection of the seal and checking the tightness of the seal gently with your hand should be sufficient.

  1. Store Drums in a Low Fire Hazard Area

Drums of IPA should ideally be stored in a low fire hazard area. The area should be free of materials that easily combust (e.g., cardboard, low-grade plastics, and wood). The area should also be free of obvious, potential catalysts for combustion (e.g., electrical switchgear, furnaces with pilot lights, and machinery that creates sparks). Storing IPA in this type of area will help prevent combustion and limit damage if combustion occurs.

  1. Perform an Odor Test After Storing Drums

As a final safety measure, check the seals on your drums again by performing an odor test. You can do this by using a handheld odor meter that’s designed to detect infinitesimal amounts of odor in industrial environments. However, because IPA has a fast evaporation rate, you may be able to detect odor that comes from an imperfect seal by using your nose.

Whether you use an odor meter or sense of smell, here’s a good way to perform the test: (a) Place the drums in the low fire hazard storage area; (b) if possible, close the door to the storage area for about 8 hours, (c) then return to the area to perform the test. If the drums are stored in a large area that would make vaporous emissions diffuse, using an odor detector near the seal of each drum is the best strategy.

Make Safe Storage a Priority
IPA is a highly efficacious, affordable solvent solution for removing a variety of soils that accumulate on surfaces in industrial environments. However, due to the solvent’s low flashpoint and odorous vapors that can cause health ailments, it’s a smart idea to make the preparations above when storing your IPA bulk order.

If you need a supplier for IPA bulk orders, contact Ecolink today by calling (800) 563-1305, or fill out the contact form on our website. We supply 99% IPA in 55 gallon drums and ensure that each drum is in excellent condition when shipped.