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Firefighting
Foam Products
Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs)
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- What
is the shelf life of my foam concentrate?
-
I bought some of your ARC type concentrate
from your distributor a couple of months
ago and I opened it yesterday and it has
turned to gel. Is this product still good?
- But,
it’s so thick, will I be able to
proportion it?
- How
often do I have to test my foam concentrate
and system?
- What
materials can I use with ANSUL® foam products?
- Are
ANSUL foam agents environmentally friendly?
- Are
the ANSUL foam agents biodegradable?
- Where
can I purchase a defoaming agent?
- Are
the ANSUL foam concentrates compatible
with the other manufacturers foam agents?
- What is
the shelf life of my foam concentrate?
Depending on what type of foam concentrate
you have, the typical shelf life will
vary. Protein type concentrates have a
shelf life of about 7 to 10 years. The
synthetic type concentrates, which are
the AFFF, ARC type AFFF, Class “A”
and High-Expansion concentrates, have
a shelf lives of 20 to 25 years.
- I
bought some of your ARC type concentrate
from your distributor a couple of months
ago and I opened it yesterday and it has
turned to gel. Is this product still good?
All alcohol-type AFFFs
are gel-like in nature. You are probably
more familiar with the standard AFFF that
are for hydrocarbon products only. The
ARC (alcohol resistant concentrate) have
an ingredient called a polysaccharide,
which gives it the gel-like nature and
it is this ingredient that allows the
ARC concentrates to work on polar solvent/water
soluble liquids.
- But, it’s
so thick, will I be able to proportion
it?
The ARC concentrates have both psuedoplastic
and thixotropis characteristics. This
means that as the shear of the product
increases (by pumping or suction), the
viscosity decreases. Another example of
a thixotropic product that you are familiar
with is catsup. When the catsup bottle
is first picked up, it is very difficult
to pour, but once the shear of the product
increases, you usually have more catsup
than you wanted. When the bottle is set
back on the table, the catsup thickens
up again.
- How often
do I have to test my foam concentrate
and system?
The foam concentrate for foam premix should
be tested once a year per NFPA. ANSUL
will test both concentrate and premixes
for a nominal charge (See Foam Analysis
Request Form # F-88195-3). The system
should be tested per the applicable NFPA
standard or per NFPA 25 (Standard for
the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance
of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems.)
- What materials
can I use with ANSUL foam products?
For acceptable materials of construction
for use with ANSUL foam concentrates,
refer to ANSUL Technical Bulletin #59.
- Are ANSUL
foam agents environmentally friendly?
Yes. Refer to ANSUL Technical Bulletins
#52 and 60.
- Are the
ANSUL foam agents biodegradable?
ANSUL foam agents are biodegradable.
For specific information please refer
to ANSUL
Technical Bulletin #52 and 60.
- Where can
I purchase a defoaming agent?
Defoaming agent or antiforming emulsion
can be purchased through the Dow Corning
Corporation of Midland, Michigan. Please
contact the Dow Corning Process Aids and
Additive Center at (800) 362-6373 for
further information.
- Are the
ANSUL foam concentrates compatible with
the other manufacturers foam agents?
For specific information regarding the
compatibility of foam concentrates,
please
refer to ANSUL Technical Bulletin #64.
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