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FOAM AGENTS

The extensive line of ANSUL® Foam Products includes premium foam concentrates for both Class A and B fires, proportioning equipment for various system arrangements, and an array of discharge devices to cover your application. And you can look to our experts for both products and design assistance.

F A Q on foam

  1. What is the shelf life of my foam concentrate?
    Depending on what type of foam concentrate you have, the typical shelf life will vary. Protein type concentrates have a shelf life of about 7 to 10 years. The synthetic type concentrates, which are the AFFF, ARC type AFFF, Class “A” and High-Expansion concentrates, have a shelf lives of 20 to 25 years.

  2. I bought some of your ARC type concentrate from your distributor a couple of months ago and I opened it yesterday and it has turned to gel. Is this product still good?
    All alcohol-type AFFFs are gel-like in nature. You are probably more familiar     with the standard AFFF that are for hydrocarbon products only. The ARC (alcohol resistant concentrate) have an ingredient called a polysaccharide, which gives it the gel-like nature and it is this ingredient that allows the ARC concentrates to work on polar solvent/water soluble liquids.

  3. But, it’s so thick, will I be able to proportion it?The ARC concentrates have both psuedoplastic and thixotropis characteristics. This means that as the shear of the product increases (by pumping or suction), the viscosity decreases. Another example of a thixotropic product that you are familiar with is catsup. When the catsup bottle is first picked up, it is very difficult to pour, but once the shear of the product increases, you usually have more catsup than you wanted. When the bottle is set back on the table, the catsup thickens up again.

  4. How often do I have to test my foam concentrate and system?
    The foam concentrate for foam premix should be tested once a year per NFPA. ANSUL will test both concentrate and premixes for a nominal charge (See Foam Analysis Request Form # F-88195-3). The system should be tested per the applicable NFPA standard or per NFPA 25 (Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems.)

What materials can I use with ANSUL foam products?

For acceptable materials of construction for use with ANSUL foam concentrates, refer to ANSUL Technical Bulletin #59.

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