Chemical storage cabinets are used for various purposes such as storing flammable liquids, corrosive chemicals, pesticides, poisons and so forth. Quite a number of chemical storage cabinets have bung openings that facilitate proper ventilation in the units. Manufacturers provide these capped bungs to ensure effective ventilation.
However, it may not be necessary to vent the storage cabinets because it is not usually required. If the state or local authority mandates you to use venting bungs, you will have to find the best venting bungs from manufacturers. On the contrary, it may not be necessary to acquire any venting bungs if it is not a requirement.
Why venting is not necessary
For the mere purposes of fire safety and protection, it may not be necessary to vent both flammable and chemical storage cabinets. This is because the design of a flammable liquid storage cabinet allows it to effectively protect the internal contents from external fire. The presence of vents in the storage cabinet simply compromises the effectiveness of the cabinet when it comes to fire protection. The storage cabinet may not be able to provide maximum protection to its contents in the event of fire. Therefore, it is not always recommendable to vent a flammable storage cabinet.
Provisions for venting a storage cabinet
There are cases where venting a storage cabinet may be worth considering (subject to certain requirements}. In a case where the storage cabinet is to be ventilated for whatever reason, the openings of the vents should be ducted and directed to a safe location. Alternatively, the vent openings could be directed to treatment devices that have been tailor-made to effectively handle flammable vapor as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This should be done in such a way that does not compromise the ability of the storage cabinet to perform efficiently in the event of fire breakout.
Determining whether you need vents
Well, you may be thinking about ways of determining whether your flammable storage cabinet requires venting. As mentioned earlier, it is not necessary to vent your flammable or chemical storage cabinet. However, you can always liaise with the local authorities for more clarification especially if you are more concerned about health. If you get clearance to vent your storage cabinet, there are a number of things that you should do for maximum safety. First, you need to acquire detailed guidelines that show you how to properly ventilate the storage cabinet. Secondly, you should have the right tools for successful venting.
Finding an ideal location
You will need an ideal and safe location for vent discharge. This will go a long way to minimize the chances of flammable vapor from finding its way to an ignition source and making things even worse. Therefore, flammable vapor should end up in a safe location after being discharged from the storage cabinet. You should also keep in mind that electrical equipment (used for ventilation purposes) that do not meet the requirements are not fit for use at all. This is because they have the potential to act as the ignition source.
There are professionals who handle chemical storage cabinet and low profile lift table among other products. They have in-depth knowledge in case you want to know whether a particular flammable or chemical storage cabinet requires ventilation. In most cases, it is usually not necessary to have ventilation in the storage cabinets. For the conventional storage cabinets, vents are less effective. They affect the ability of the storage cabinets to protect its content in the event of fire. However, there are special cases where ventilation may be required. In this case, you need clear guidelines on how to fix the venting bungs for efficient performance.