Four Benefits of Non Flammable Solvent for Industrial Cleaning

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Industrial work environments often contain sources of electricity and heat that could cause combustion if they come into contact with a flammable cleaning solvent. This is why companies and organizations that have industrial cleaning needs often make choosing a non flammable solvent a top priority. When it comes to investing in solvents for business-critical cleaning operations, users receive the following four benefits when they choose a non flammable solvent.

  1. Reduced Chance of Injury

When they are used to clean high-voltage electrical equipment that remains energized during cleaning, flammable solvents can facilitate dangerous arc flashes, which are defined as “electric [currents] that [immediately] pass through air when insulation or isolation between electrified conductors is no longer sufficient to withstand the applied voltage.”

According to a report from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), “Five to ten arc explosions occur in electric equipment every day in the United States,” and “More than 2,000

people are treated in burn centers with severe arc-flash injuries [each year].” Using a non flammable solvent for cleaning energized equipment can help reduce arc-flash injuries.

  1. Improved Equipment Protection

Workers aren’t the only ones that can be severely affected by arc-flashes. The equipment they use can be heavily damaged, too. Sometimes, the damage occurs because the equipment goes up in flames (this is especially common with switchgear that contains plastics). Equipment can also be damaged by the concussive force that high-voltage arc-flashes emit. Using a non flammable solvent can help protect both your workers and the equipment they must clean.

  1. Wider Range of Use

Why use a flammable degreaser to clean non-energized equipment and a non flammable degreaser to clean energized equipment, when you could use the latter type of degreaser for both applications? In addition to helping you save money, using a single, non flammable solvent for all degreasing operations helps simplify the cleaning process. It also prevents workers from accidentally using a flammable solution for applications that require a non flammable cleaner.

  1. More Storage Options

There are several places in industrial facilities where flammable solvents are not recommended to be stored, such as near switchgear, around furnaces that maintain a lit pilot light, in environments that have foam-based sound absorbers, and in storage rooms that contain plenty of combustibles. Using a non flammable solvent helps eliminate barriers to storing solvents — a benefit that can be especially helpful for small facilities where square footage is at a premium.

Need a Non Flammable Solvent for General Cleaning?
If so, Ecolink is ready to supply you with a non flammable cleaner that meets your requirements. For example, our Hypersolve™ cleaner is a non flammable solvent that conforms to the performance of propyl bromide (NPB) while offering a better safety profile than NPB solvents.

Ideal for precision cleaning, cold cleaning, and vapor degreasing, this product may be all that you need to satisfy your cleaning requirements for industrial parts and equipment. If not, we can present you with other viable options among our readymade cleaners, or we will create a custom, non flammable solvent that is tailored for your unique cleaning operations.

To place an order or receive information about Hypersolve™ and our other non flammable cleaners, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or refer to the contact page on our website. Let us supply you with non flammable solvents that meet all of your industrial cleaning needs!

Four Reasons to Switch to a Non Flammable Parts Cleaner

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As a general category of cleaning solvent, parts cleaner is conventionally formulated with ingredients that have a flash point, which means they will ignite when exposed to the right amount of heat. When a flame or a spark touches the solutions when they are wet, they can ignite instantly, causing damage to parts they were used to clean and the person performing the job — a scenario that could potentially cost millions in lost equipment and legal settlements.

Benefits of Using Non Flammable Parts Cleaner
Preventing equipment damage and avoiding injury lawsuits are two reasons why companies switch out their conventional parts cleaner with one that doesn’t have a flash point, but there are also some additional, more commonplace benefits that companies receive when they switch from a flammable to a non flammable parts cleaner, four of which are presented below.

Broader Spectrum of Application
Flammable parts cleaner should never be used for some applications, such as cleaning energized electrical parts in maintenance applications that require a quick turnaround (e.g., degreasing the engine of an airliner before it returns to the runway). Because many maintenance applications ideally require the use of a non flammable parts cleaner, it is only sensible to switch to a non flammable solution that can be used for a wider variety of cleaning applications.

Easier to Comply With Fire Codes
Many states and municipalities have adopted a version of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code (NFPA 30). Using a flammable parts cleaner may mean that your company must use the solution within the parameters of the code, which can impact how much solution you can use, and how you can use it. Using a non flammable parts cleaner helps you avoid implementing NFPA 30 compliance measures.

More Options for Cleaner Storage
Parts cleaner that has a low flash point often presents concerns regarding how it should be stored. Ideally, it should be located in an area where no combustibles are present, including electrical infrastructure components that could ignite due to an arc flash or faulty electrical components. A non flammable cleaner, on the other hand, presents no such concerns. If need be, you can store it alongside combustibles without worrying about creating a fiery aftermath.

Reduced Protective Equipment Expense
Workers who use flammable cleaning solutions for applications that could cause them to ignite should be provided with flame retardant personal protective equipment (PPE) that offers head to toe coverage. If your company has a large workforce that uses flammable cleaners, providing such a high level of PPE can become quite costly. Although non flammable cleaners may not eliminate the need for PPE, they may allow you to invest in a less costly level of the equipment.

Contact Ecolink Today
If your company currently uses a parts cleaner that has a flash point — however high or low it may be — switching to a non-flammable parts cleaner offers some obvious benefits, particularly the four listed above. If you are in the market for a non-flammable, commercial grade cleaning solution, Ecolink can provide you with a ready made parts cleaner or a specially formulated parts cleaner that is non flammable and meets a wide variety of crucial parts cleaning needs.

For assistance choosing the best non flammable parts cleaner for your cleaning applications, call us today at (800) 563-1305, or refer to the contact page on our website. We look forward to supplying you with a non flammable solution that helps you realize the benefits listed above.

Non Flammable Solvents Offer a Reduced Fire Hazard

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A solvent is any substance capable of dissolving another substance to form a solution and may be non flammable or flammable in nature. On our planet, water is the most common form of solvent due to its ability to dissolve numerous substances. It is also capable of emulsifying other substances if combined with surfactants. Common flammable solvents include: acetone, alcohol, benzene, toluene and xylene.

The degree of flammability is determined by their volatility, which is the amount of time it takes for them to evaporate. Organic, carbon-based solvents are highly volatile; however, chlorinated solvents are the exception, as they have little to no flash point. The flash point is the lowest possible temperature at which the vapor is capable of igniting under certain conditions.

As opposed to petroleum-based organic solvents, chlorinated options are a minimal fire hazard. They are often used for surface cleaning and product formulations due to being extremely ignition resistant. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has listed them as an acceptable alternative for ozone depleting substances in regards to this quality.

Difference Between Flammable and Non Flammable Solvents
Flammable solvents are able to burn or ignite under certain conditions and create a significant risk of fire or combustion. The two most important characteristics for determining flammability are flash point and vapor pressure. Flash point is how easily the vapor from the substance ignites when released into the atmosphere by evaporation. Lower flash points are an indication of increased flammability while higher flash points are less dangerous. Any substance with a flash point below 100 degrees Fahrenheit is considered to be a potential workplace hazard.

Vapor pressure is directly related to temperature and is a measurement of how the liquids vapor is concentrated in the surrounding atmosphere during evaporation. Solvents with higher vapor pressures naturally have a lower flash point making it important to understand these measurements. A non flammable solvent will have a high flash point and a low vapor pressure.

Careful Selection is Imperative
Regulatory agencies use a rating system ranging from 0 to 4 to assess the danger of ignition. For example, water has a rating of zero because it cannot burn. Propane is rated as a 4 since it rapidly vaporizes under normal pressure and temperatures. Diesel fuel is rated as a 2 as it must be moderately heated to high ambient temperatures in order to ignite. It is important to understand these characteristics as you evaluate solvents. A solvent with a high flash point and low vapor pressure is the best choice when it is a viable option for accomplishing the required cleaning or degreasing.

Non flammable solvents are safer to use, but still have specific health risks when inhaled or handled improperly. At Ecolink we know how important it is to get the right formula while maintaining a minimal impact on the environment and worker health. If current solvent options are not providing what you need or a less harmful substitute is desired, we are able to formulate a solvent to deliver the right qualities for better results. Contact us today to learn more about current options and how we can tailor a solution to meet your needs.