By Gregory Havel
It is now common for motor vehicle service and repair facilities, especially those servicing heavy trucks and construction machinery, to store their lubricants and other vehicle fluids in bulk tanks inside the building, with pipes leading from the storage tanks to each service location in the building.
Photo 1 shows part of the lubricant storage room in a modern truck repair facility. This room has walls of one-hour-rated masonry and a ceiling of one-hour-rated prestressed concrete separating it from the rest of the building.
(1) Photos by author.
The doors to the interior and exterior of the building are rated at 45 minutes. The entire building is protected by an automatic fire sprinkler system. All of the lubricants and other vehicle fluids stored in this room are Class IIIB, according to NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, 2015 edition. The storage tanks and dispensing systems are installed according to NFPA 30A Motor Fuel Dispensing Facilities and Repair Garages, 2015 edition.
The bulk tanks for storing lubricants and anti-freeze each have a capacity of 275 gallons (1,041 liters). Note that each of these tanks has an atmospheric vent and pressure relief device similar to those used on fuel tanks (photo 2).
(2)
However, since lubricants and greases have high flash points (230°F-450°F or 110°C-232°C), their bulk storage tanks are permitted to be vented into the room rather than outside the building as they would if they were low flash point motor fuels (photo 3).
(3)
This lubricant storage room also contains a waste oil storage tank (photo 4). Oil is carried by a vacuum system and pipes from each service location and discharged into the waste oil tank through the vertical pipe at the far right. This is a double-wall tank, featuring a leak indicator at the top of the vertical pipe at the far left that is connected to the annular space between the inner and outer tanks.
(4)
From NFPA 30A Table B.1 as well as from lubricant manufacture safety data sheets [SDS (formerly MSDS)], flash points for vehicle lubricants and fluids depend on the type and manufacturer and are within the following ranges:
- Ethylene Glycol antifreeze: 230°F-247°F (110°C-119°C).
- Automatic transmission fluid: 350°F -403°F (177°C-206°C).
- Hydraulic fluid: 350°F -390°F (177°C-199°C).
- Lubricating (motor) oils: 300°F-453°F (149°C-229°C).
- Chassis grease: 400°F -531°F (204°C-277°C).
- Gear lubricant: 395°F -421°F (202°C -216°C).
- Waste oil: flash point depends on the flash points of the waste oils in the mixture; it may be lowered by dissolved gasoline or diesel fuel contained in it.
If there were to be a fire of Class A materials in this lubricant storage room with the automatic sprinklers inoperative, the temperatures in this enclosed space could soon reach or exceed 1,000°F (538°C). This is several times the flash point of the lubricants; and under these conditions, flames would be produced at the atmospheric vents and pressure relief devices.
For the safety of employees and visitors to these facilities as well as for the safety of firefighters responding to emergencies, it is imperative that the automatic fire sprinklers be installed according to NFPA 13, Installation of Sprinkler Systems, and maintained according to NFPA 25, Inspection, testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, so that the ventilation system is operating when the building is occupied and the storage of any materials other than Class IIIB lubricants and vehicle fluids is prohibited in these rooms.
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Gregory Havel is a member of the Town of Burlington (WI) Fire Department; retired deputy chief and training officer; and a 35-year veteran of the fire service. He is a Wisconsin-certified fire instructor II, fire officer II, and fire inspector; an adjunct instructor in fire service programs at Gateway Technical College; and safety director for Scherrer Construction Co., Inc. Havel has a bachelor’s degree from St. Norbert College; has more than 35 years of experience in facilities management and building construction; and has presented classes at FDIC.
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