Allied Tube and Conduit Corporation ABF Coated Steel Sprinkler Pipe

January 2, 2009 - Recently, questions have arisen regarding the compatibility of CPVC pipe with steel sprinkler pipe coated with antimicrobial formulas. Allied Tube & Conduit Corporation would like to address this compatibility issue as it pertains to our ABF^TM coated sprinkler pipe.

Allied Tube is not aware of any test data that definitively identifies our ABF coated pipe as an agent of environmental stress cracking (“ESC”) in CPVC pipe. Our ABF^TM coated sprinkler pipe has been installed in conjunction with CPVC pipe for over 7 years without a single incident of ESC failure attributable to our pipe. Only within the past few months has one CPVC manufacturer questioned the compatibility of our ABF^TM pipe in an attempt to explain the failure of its CPVC pipe on two installation projects. Another manufacturer of CPVC fittings (who recently acquired the plastic pipe business of that CPVC manufacturer) issued a cautionary bulletin in an attempt to shift the burden of responsibility for determining compatibility to other component manufacturers and contractors who have very limited knowledge of the chemical compatibility of CPVC pipe and fittings with other materials.

Allied Tube has no knowledge of any test conducted with appropriate protocols that conclusively determines that our ABF^TM coated pipe, when used in conjunction with good quality CPVC pipe, is incompatible with CPVC plastic. Our preliminary review of information regarding the two recent ESC failures of CPVC pipe indicates that they are attributable to other factors.

However, to allay the concerns of our customers, Allied Tube, in conjunction with Lubrizol/Blazemaster, recently tested our ABF^TM coated pipe at the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). The NSF is a primary test center for products that may be agents of ESC in CPVC plastic. The NSF test evaluated the impact of rolled and agitated water taken from ABF coated pipe on a standard CPVC test pipe. The test ran for 1000 hours under elevated stress. The NSF concluded that our ABF^TM coated pipe did not have any observed detrimental effects on the CPVC test pipe.

Allied Tube believes that the NSF test, along with our 7 year history of ABF^TM pipe installations without any reported ESC problems, provides compelling evidence that Allied Tube’s ABF^TM coated sprinkler pipe is not the source of recent ESC failures in CPVC pipe. However, due to possible differences in the chemical composition of various CPVC plastic materials, we recommend that you verify the recommendation of the specific CPVC manufacturer prior to using Allied Tube’s ABF coated sprinkler pipe in a CPVC installation.

**ABF is a trademark of Allied Tube & Conduit Corporation (registration pending)