Posts Tagged ‘pipe markers’

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What is a snap-around pipe marker?

September 8, 2010

In manufacturing environments and other harsh conditions it can be difficult to keep pipes clean and dirt free.  Therefore sticking self-adhesive pipe markers to pipes in your facility can be difficult. The dirt, rust and/or grime keeps the marker from sticking securely and you can almost guarantee that it will fall off in a few month’s time. To save money on replacement costs and ensure your pipe markers stay in place for as long as you need them there, you should consider using snap-around pipe markers.

What is a snap-around pipe marker?

Snap-around pipe markers easily wrap around (snap) around any pipe. Emedco’s snap-around pipe markers are precoiled to snap securely in place without tape or messy adhesive. This eliminates the need to clean dirty, oily, greasy or corroded pipe surfaces. Plus, they are more durable than the typical self-adhesive pipe markers you can purchase.

So, next time you need to mark pipes in your facility, consider using snap-around markers. I think you’ll be pleased with their durability and ease with which you can mark any type of pipe.

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Why do some susbstances have multiple pipe marker colors?

June 22, 2010

If you’ve ever opened a catalog to order a pipe marker, you may have noticed that some legends have multiple ANSI standard pipe marker colors. Some of these substances include compressed air, heating return, and carbon dioxide – just to name a few. So why are there multiple pipe marker colors for one substance?

Well it has a lot to do with the state of that substance.  Some substances are harmless in certain states, but can be considered toxic or dangerous in others. Take compressed air for example. Under low pressures, compressed air is harmless, hence the blue/white pipe marker. But, under high pressures compressed air can be extremely dangerous, so there is also a yellow/black pipe marker so that people working on or around the pipes are aware of the potential hazard.

Another example is hot water supply. In some cases a facility’s hot water supply may not be hot enough to harm someone so you would mark it with a green/white pipe marker. In other instances, the water could be hot enough to severely injure someone. Then, you would need to mark the pipe with a yellow/black marker to indicate the hazard.

When choosing pipe markers, think carefully about the state of the substances the pipe is carrying. If it could be potentially hazardous you need to mark it accordingly to ensure no one is injured or harmed.

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Special Standards for Medical Gas Pipe Marking

June 7, 2010

If your facility has pipes carrying medical gas, you should be aware of specific standards that are slightly different from general pipe marking standards. The standards were designed to prevent incidents in which the wrong gas is accidentally used.  This is critical in the medical field because one mistake could kill or severely harm a patient.

Standards developed by the Compressed Gas Association (CGA) specifically require pipes carrying medical gases to be clearly labeled with the name, direction of flow and pressure (if between 200 and 300 psi) of their contents.  Also, pipes should be labeled according to the following color requirements:

A visual look at the medical gas pipe marking color requirements.

  • Oxygen = Green
  • Carbon Dioxide =  Gray
  • Nitrous Oxide = Blue
  • Cyclopropane = Orange
  • Helium = Brown
  • Nitrogen = Black
  • Air = Yellow

You can find medical gas pipe markers that comply with the Compressed Gas Association Standard: (CGA) C-9-1988(R1993) here.

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Pipe marking: A blast from the past

April 20, 2010

Emedco pipe marking catalog cover (1968)

People always seem to have  some kind of reverence for things from the past — I’m no different. While going through some file cabinets at work, we discovered our company’s  second pipe and valve marking catalog printed in 1968. Check out the Emedco cover to the right.

It’s not like 1968 is ancient history or anything, but there was some excitement in feeling the old paper, seeing the colorful illustrations, smelling the musty pages (joking, the smell wasn’t exciting). There was just something interesting about seeing how pipe markers were sold and merchandised more than 40 years ago.

First, the cover. The design screams retro. Look at the Emedco logo – very reminiscent of a drive-in or diner sign if you ask me.

First page of 1968 pipe marker catalog

Then, when you open up the catalog it first states the “big news” for that catalog. What’s the news? That all Emedco pipe markers would be made with directional arrows right on the marker and that Emedco was the only company that offered that unique feature.

Emedco still sells pipe markers with arrows on them – both snap around and self adhesive versions. But we now also offer arrow banding tapes and a variety of custom pipe marker options.

The first page also spoke to the benefits of our pipe markers – all of which are still true today.

Interior pipe marker catalog page

The catalog is only 8 pages in its entirety. Most of the pages are used to explain the benefits of the product, show installation procedures, discuss pipe marking standards, and walk through ordering instructions (see page to the right). Only two pages are devoted to listing product – a pretty big change from today’s catalogs.

Hope you enjoyed this little blast from the past.

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Guidelines for Ammonia Pipe Marking

April 9, 2010

Does your facility have pipes carrying ammonia? If so, did you know that there are specific pipe marking requirements you need to follow? Looking at the diagram below, you can see that there are numerous labeling components that must be present on ammonia-carrying pipes.

Let’s walk through what all of these components mean.

1. Direction of Flow: Arrows are required at both ends of the pipe marker to indicate the  direction of flow.

2. System Components: Using the abbreviations below,  indicate the specific system components.

Abbreviation Component
BD Booster Discharge
CD Condenser
DS Defrost Condenser
ES Economizer Suction
HGD Hot Gas Defrost
HPL High Pressure Liquid
HSD High Stage Discharge
HSS High Stage Suction
HTRL High Temperature Recirculated Liquid
HTRS High Temperature Recirculated Suction
LIC Liquid Injection Cooling
LSS Low Stage Suction
LTRL Low Temperature Recirculated Liquid
RV Relief Vent
TSR Thermosyphon Return
TSS Thermosyphon Supply

3. Content State: Indicate whether the refrigerant is a liquid, a vapor or both.

  • Liquid: Use black or white text on an orange band.
  • Vapor: Use black or white text on a blue band.
  • Both: Use both color bands if both states may be present.

4. Ammonia Label: Mark the pipe with a yellow label with the word AMMONIA in black text.

5. Pipe Pressure: Indicate whether the pipe pressure is high or low.

  • High: Use black or white text on a red band.
  • Low: Use black or white text on a green band.

For more information on the size and/or placement of pipe markers, see my previous blog posts.

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