Alert Summary

FM Approvals has been made aware of a corrosion issue related to the grease used in the following model hydrants that can make the hydrants difficult or impossible to operate.

Company (As Listed in the Approval Guide)

American Valve and Hydrant Mfg Co.
3525 Hollywood Avenue
Beaumont, TX 77701, Texas 77701
USA

Alternate Company Names

American Darling Valve, American Flow Control.

Contact Information

American Flow Control Customer Service phone number: 800-326-7082.

Company Identity

Waterous Co.
125 Hardman Ave So
South Saint Paul, Minnesota 55075-1191
USA

Contact Information

Waterous Customer Service phone number: 866-683-3911.

Parent Company

American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO)

Product Identity

Dry barrel hydrants.

Description

Fire hydrants intended for use where ambient temperature may fall below freezing.

Graco has discovered that a revised version of the Graco branding label on the gun shroud cover is conductive. This label can build up a charge that can arc to the grounded manifold, potentially igniting any flammable fumes that may be present.

These guns should not be operated until the blue branding label shown below is removed. Each of these PRO Auto Xs Guns/Kits uses two Graco branding labels. Graco has created replacement branding labels that will be available after July 13, 2012.

Make/Model

American Valve and Hydrant Mfg Co models B-84-B, B-62-B, B-50-B, MK-73; Waterous model WB67-250.

Model Years Affected

American Valve and Hydrant Mfg Co models - 1999 through 2003 Waterous Co - 1999 through 2004.

FM Approval Status

All models were FM Approved throughout the affected manufacture years. The only model not currently FM Approved is the American Valve and Hydrant Mfg Co model B-50-B, which was delisted on April 28, 2005 at the request of the manufacturer.

Hazard Involved

The affected hydrants were manufactured with grease containing an acetate additive with the potential to corrode the operating rods of the affected hydrants. The corrosion can result in the hydrant being difficult or impossible to operate.

The actual postings for the Safety notice can be found at:

American Valve and Hydrant Mfg Co models web address: http://www.american-usa.com/product_alerts/darling/general-information.
Waterous Co. model web address: http://www.american-usa.com/product_alerts/waterous/general-information.