If you’ve ever opened a catalog to order a pipe marker, you may have noticed that some legends have multiple ANSI standard pipe marker colors. Some of these substances include compressed air, heating return, and carbon dioxide – just to name a few. So why are there multiple pipe marker colors for one substance?
Well it has a lot to do with the state of that substance. Some substances are harmless in certain states, but can be considered toxic or dangerous in others. Take compressed air for example. Under low pressures, compressed air is harmless, hence the blue/white pipe marker. But, under high pressures compressed air can be extremely dangerous, so there is also a yellow/black pipe marker so that people working on or around the pipes are aware of the potential hazard.
Another example is hot water supply. In some cases a facility’s hot water supply may not be hot enough to harm someone so you would mark it with a green/white pipe marker. In other instances, the water could be hot enough to severely injure someone. Then, you would need to mark the pipe with a yellow/black marker to indicate the hazard.
When choosing pipe markers, think carefully about the state of the substances the pipe is carrying. If it could be potentially hazardous you need to mark it accordingly to ensure no one is injured or harmed.
Posted by pipe and valve safety
Filed under: Pipe Marking | Tagged: ANSI, colored pipe markers, Emedco, pipe labels, pipe markers, pipe marking standards, proper pipe marking
