Antifreeze Prohibited for Dwelling units

The NFPA committee made a decision and antifreeze for dwelling units is prohibited.

SUMMARY ACTION: The Standards Council voted to issue TIAs 1000, 995 and 994 on NFPA 13, NFPA 13R and NFPA 13D, respectively, which, for new installations, prohibit the use of antifreeze solutions within all NFPA 13D applications and within the dwelling unit portions of NFPA 13 and NFPA 13R sprinkler systems. In addition, the Council directed that the responsible technical committees conduct further activities as set forth in the decision.

More information on the NFPA web site at http://www.nfpa.org/antifreeze

View the Phase II report here RFAntifreezeSprinklerSystemPh2.pdf

Antifreeze Safety Alert

NFPA issued the following recommendation for residential sprinklers and antifreeze:

“If there is an antifreeze solution in the system, as an interim measure, drain the system and replace it with water only. Problems associated with freezing of sprinkler pipes can be mitigated by alternative measures such as insulation. NFPA hopes to provide further guidance based on additional testing before the winter freezing months.”

A copy of the California Explosion Report where “the blast caused window glass to be blown more than 86-feet … caused an interior door .. to be pulled out approximately 3-inch from the frame” can be found here Antifreeze Report.