Statutory alert: Kidde Fire Protection – Recall of HFC227/Novec 1230 fire extinguishing system chemical agent gas cylinder valves.
23 February 2018
Applicability: All shipowners and operators of vessels equipped with a Kidde chemical agent fire extinguishing system
Kidde Fire Protection has issued the attached safety bulletin, dated 10 July 2017, requiring the hardware replacement of cylinders used in its HFC227 and Novec 1230 fire extinguishing systems.
Issue description
The two-inch valve used on the Kidde chemical agent cylinder has four retainer screws in its piston design. On the affected cylinders, some valves, with one or more of these retainer screws not tightened to the required torque specification, may have escaped the production and inspection process required before shipping.
The two-inch valve operates on a differential pressure design and the loss of any of the screws from their set position could potentially result in the equalising of pressure between the cylinder and the top chamber of the valve. Such pressure equilibrium could prevent the valve from fully opening and the suppression agent from being discharged into the affected space if activated in response to a fire event.
This issue may affect products with the following valve markings and manufacture dates:
45-150000-001 2" Valve NOVEC - PI Mark- Jan 16, 2015 - December 31, 2016
90-150000-X0X 2" Valve HFC227 - PI Mark - Jan 16, 2015 - December 31, 2016
Refer to the bulletin for a full list of affected part numbers.
What should owners and operators do now?
Owners and operators of vessels should check to see if their vessels are fitted with any Kidde Fire Protection chemical agent fire extinguishing system (cylinder will be marked with ships wheel label and 0038/YY) and, if so, should check with the manufacturer (email address: Kidde.recall@kiddeuk.co.uk). Kidde has advised that if affected units are found, replacements will be provided free of charge for exchange. If found to be affected by this issue, please also notify your local Lloyd’s Register office.
For further information
Speak to one of our experts at your local Lloyd’s Register Group office, or contact: statutorysupport@lr.org