Paint Booth Fire Suppression System

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) records indicate that the most common cause of fire in spray painting operations is proximity to sparking equipment. These fires start when airborne paint mist is ignited by welders, cutters, grinders, and other similar types of equipment.

The Rules for Paint Booth Fire Suppression

According to guidelines in NFPA Standard 33, there are many safety requirements for paint booths. There are also a number OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) standards that apply to paint booths. There are also a lot of local ordinances and guidelines for paint booths.

Learning to stay inside all the requirements can be difficult. The hardest part is knowing all the rules from all the different sources that you need to follow.

The easiest way to make sure that you keep them all in order is to let an expert set up your fire suppression system.

Automatic Fire Suppression for Paint Booths

There are a number of fire suppression systems that can be used in a paint booth based on the type of product being sprayed and the configuration of the booth. The most common system is a dry chemical system that automatically detects and suppresses fire 24 hours a day.

The system is designed to operate automatically. It will detect fire, turn on the fire suppression system, and emit a loud alarm to alert workers to evacuate the area. The air flow into the space is instantly shut down to stop the flow of fresh oxygen into the paint booth, thus starving the fire of its power. The system also has a delay that will wait for the exhaust fans to stop so that the fire isn’t spread further.

The systems that are used for these booths are ABC dry chemical to handle A (combustible materials), B (flammable liquids), and C (flammable gases) fires.

Kidde Fire Suppression for Paint Booths

At All Florida Fire Equipment, our most popular system is the Pyro-Chem Monarch fire suppression systems. The Pyro-Chem is designed for vehicle and industrial paint spray booths, open-faced booths, general industrial total flooding and general industrial local application.

We also offer and maintain the Kidde Fire Suppression for Paint Booth systems (Model 8548, 8550, and 8601). We will also choose the Ansul R-101 system when that’s the better choice.

All of these systems meet and exceed national, state, and local guidelines for paint spray booth fire suppression. Each is designed to provide everything you need.

The only thing that’s required next is expert installation. If you’re in Florida, All Florida should be your first choice. We have more experience than anyone else with fire suppression systems of all types, especially paint booth fire suppression systems.

Outside of Florida, look for a company that has the right experience and is state-licensed for installation and maintenance of these systems. There are sometimes fly-by-night organizations that will try to sell you a fire suppression system, but they aren’t anywhere to be found if you can’t get the approval of it.

Your paint booth fire suppression system has several parts that need to be properly installed.

  • PAC 10 and 200 cylinders- Allows multiple cylinders to be activated simultaneously
  • Agent tanks – Multiple sizes for various size applications
  • Time delay – Stop discharge long enough for exhaust fan shut down
  • Pull stations
  • Alarm bell
  • Control heads – Several designs will control flow
  • Nozzles and caps – Different designs for different uses
  • Detectors, brackets, and fusible links – Temperature rated triggers for the system

Additional Fire Protection

The paint spray booth fire suppression systems are excellent, but you should also have high-flow fire extinguishers available in case of fire. These extinguishers are designed to handle highly combustible products, like paint and grease.

For high-flow fire extinguishers, the preference at All Florida are products from Amerex and Pyro-Chem. They are able to put out a small fire before it has a chance to grow.

We recommend that there are fire extinguishers within easy reach of each workstation, especially ones that create sparks or fire. There should also be extinguishers near and inside the entrance to the paint booth to let employees create a buffer in case of a fire in the booth.

You Must Have Paint Booth Fire Suppression

Fire suppression in your paint booth is not negotiable. It’s about more than laws; the airborne chemicals in a paint booth can cause a fire or explosion.

At All Florida, we create custom systems for paint booths of all sizes for every business: auto repair and bodywork, factories, and manufacturing plants. Each system is designed to meet every law, ordinance, and guideline that might be required.

If you’re anywhere in the Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Lakeland, Largo, Sarasota, or Bradenton area just give us a call at 727-525-5950, or email us at service@allfloridafire.com. Or, you can fill out our Contact Us form, and we’ll reach out to you to arrange a time that works best for you.

 

Paint Booth Fire System

Paint Booth Fire Suppression System Florida