Essential Pipe Marking Requirements: ASME A13.1 - Part 2
Essential Pipe Marking Requirements: ASME A13.1 - Part 2
Effective pipe marking is a critical safety measure and a regulatory necessity. This webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of the essential requirements outlined in ASME A13.1, the industry standard for pipe marking.
We'll cover the fundamental principles, proper labeling techniques, and the critical information that must be conveyed on piping systems to ensure operational efficiency, enhance safety, and maintain compliance. Whether you're involved in design, installation, maintenance, or safety management, this session will equip you with the knowledge to implement or improve your pipe marking protocols effectively.
What You Will Learn:
- Identify the key components and requirements of ASME A13.1 for pipe marking.
- Determine the correct color codes, legends, and sizing for various pipe contents and applications.
- Understand the importance of proper pipe marking for emergency response, maintenance, and overall facility safety.
- Apply best practices for placement and legibility to ensure maximum effectiveness and compliance.
- Language
- English
- Length
- 40:20
Video Transcript
[00:00:00] - My name is Matt Liewen.
[00:00:02] - I also have here Kaene Connington, and we will be doing a webinar today on the best practices of ASME A13.1.
[00:00:13] - One quick note before we do start: if you do have any questions, please submit them.
[00:00:18] - We will be answering questions at the end of the presentation, but if a question comes up, just feel free to put it in the chat and we will come to it at the end of the presentation.
[00:00:30] - So let's get started.
[00:00:33] - In this webinar, what are we going to be covering?
[00:00:36] - We're going to understand why pipe markers matter, the standards for pipe marking, actually ASME A13.1—what is in that standard—some of the pipe marking options, and then Kaene will also be talking about our on-demand pipe marking solutions.
[00:00:57] - Before we even get into the standard, what is pipe marking?
[00:01:01] - Essentially, it's substance identification, so it allows people to identify what is inside of the pipes.
[00:01:09] - There are a couple of different systems that you can use: you can use labels, paint tags, and even signs to mark those pipes.
[00:01:21] - But why is it even needed?
[00:01:23] - You use pipe marking to clearly identify the substance of the pipes.
[00:01:27] - This will help simplify maintenance, so maintenance doesn't have to go chasing the pipe to find out what is actually in it.
[00:01:34] - It accelerates your upgrades when you're making equipment upgrades, so again, you don't have to go find what is inside that pipe.
[00:01:42] - But that also helps prevent accidents and injuries, so if there is a leak, the leak can be cleaned up appropriately with the appropriate material.
[00:01:51] - If that's a corrosive material or hazardous material that needs to be cleaned up in a specific way, you'll already know just by looking at the pipe marker itself.
[00:02:05] - Labeling in new construction: the timing of the installation in construction is very important.
[00:02:14] - You're going to want to make sure that you install those pipe markers before the rest of the building is fully finished.
[00:02:19] - Before those pipes are covered up with walls and ceilings, you're going to want to get those labels onto those pipes so it's nice and easy for you to do it.
[00:02:29] - If you wait too long, it's going to take those workers a lot longer to install those pipe markers.
[00:02:35] - Again, it's very important that you have those pipe markers installed before the finishes of the building are installed.
[00:02:48] - Part of the construction process is doing takeoffs.
[00:02:51] - A takeoff is a diagram here on the right that will indicate where all of the pipe markers go.
[00:02:59] - We actually have a service that will do this for you.
[00:03:02] - If you submit the proper information to us, our Brady experts will go through and indicate every single spot that a pipe marker needs to go, and we'll even tell you what pipe marker needs to go there as well.
[00:03:20] - Then with existing buildings, these typically happen around renovation projects.
[00:03:26] - If you're changing the layout of the floor or your manufacturing process, or just simply upgrading your building, a lot of times those pipes are changing materials or you're adding pipe as well.
[00:03:40] - You need to make sure that during this process you are marking those pipes so that there's no confusion later on once those renovations are complete regarding misidentified contents inside of those pipes.
[00:03:58] - Let's get a little more into ASME A13.1 and exactly what it is.
[00:04:02] - This is the standard for the identification of pipes, fittings, and insulation jackets.
[00:04:09] - Again, the purpose is to mark those contents for safety and prevent misidentifications.
[00:04:17] - Some of the key elements of the standard include: legend (the actual text that goes on it), color coding, size of the marker, placement, and indicating the flow direction for that pipe.
[00:04:31] - We'll go a little deeper into each one of these to have a full understanding.
[00:04:40] - Before I even get into that, though, I do want to specifically call out OSHA.
[00:04:45] - OSHA specifically does not have a detailed specification for pipe markers.
[00:04:52] - What OSHA actually does is point to the ASME A13.1 solution.
[00:04:58] - When OSHA is doing their audits, they aren't going to specifically enforce your color coding and your placements; they are going to enforce it through the General Duty Clause.
[00:05:11] - The General Duty Clause says that you have to have a safe workplace and the identification of hazardous environments and situations.
[00:05:27] - The bottom line is, if you want to be compliant with OSHA, you have to be compliant with ASME A13.1.
[00:05:36] - What actually goes onto the marker itself?
[00:05:39] - Again, you have to have the substance name, so exactly what is inside of that pipe needs to be clearly marked on that pipe marker.
[00:05:47] - There's actually a specification on the size of those letterings, which will be in the coming slides.
[00:05:54] - But then again, you need to indicate the flow direction.
[00:05:57] - You have three different types of arrows that you can use to indicate what direction the flow is going.
[00:06:04] - And then the marker color: again, it has to be a specific color depending on what material or liquid is inside of those pipes.
[00:06:13] - We'll identify those here very shortly.
[00:06:19] - For the color coding here, this is straight from ASME; they have specific colors for specific liquids.
[00:06:26] - For example, red is for firefighting.
[00:06:29] - We have pipe markers that say "sprinklers"; they will be red with white text on them.
[00:06:36] - Orange is for toxic/corrosive, yellow is flammable, and gray is for steam, which is actually the newest addition to the ASME standard.
[00:06:47] - They wanted to break out steam from the other ones because it's a very specific material.
[00:06:53] - Green is for potable, cooling, and other cold or tepid water, and blue is for compressed air.
[00:07:02] - You will notice that purple, white, brown, and black say "to be defined by users."
[00:07:08] - If you do have contents of pipe that do not fit into the above colors, you can specifically call that out in your safety plan to make sure that all your employees know that purple indicates specific contents inside that pipe.
[00:07:23] - One thing to note, however, is if you do have an abandoned pipe, those do need to be labeled.
[00:07:29] - You use the white pipe marker with black text on it to indicate an abandoned pipe that is not currently used.
[00:07:37] - It is important that you do mark those so, again, they're not misidentified as a pipe that is in use.
[00:07:50] - Again, I mentioned that pipe markers need to be specific sizes and font sizes depending on the size of the pipe, and it's all measured by the outside diameter of the pipe.
[00:08:05] - For example, if you have a 1.4-inch to 2.4-inch diameter pipe, that pipe marker is going to have to be at least 8 inches long, and then the letter height will be 0.7 inches.
[00:08:18] - We do make that easy: any pipe marker that you buy from us is already going to adhere to these standards.
[00:08:26] - It's mostly a matter of you knowing the diameter of your pipe and selecting that, and you won't have to worry about this specification as we will handle it all for you already.
[00:08:42] - As I mentioned before, ASME does call out specifically the placement of the markers themselves.
[00:08:49] - From a very high level, they have to be visible.
[00:08:53] - If you have a pipe that's up in the ceiling above workers, you cannot place that marker on top of the pipe—nobody's going to see that, and that's not going to help anybody in an emergency or a leak.
[00:09:05] - That has to be placed underneath where most people are operating and can identify that pipe.
[00:09:13] - It does need to identify the direction of flow, as well as the size of the label and lettering as previously talked about, but then also the spacing intervals.
[00:09:25] - ASME does say that every 25 to 50 feet you need to have a marker.
[00:09:30] - If you have a run of a 100-foot pipe, you need to have a marker at least every 25 to 50 feet on that run.
[00:09:39] - However, the caveat to that is if there is an interruption in that pipe.
[00:09:44] - Looking at the diagram on the right, if there's a valve, you need to have a marker on every side of that valve indicating the contents and the direction of flow as well.
[00:09:56] - The same thing goes for if that pipe goes through a wall: you need to have a marker on both sides of that wall so that no matter what side of the wall you are on, you can still identify the contents of that pipe.
[00:10:09] - The same thing applies if there's an elbow in that pipe: you need to have a marker on every single corner of that elbow.
[00:10:20] - If there are any other sort of different interruptions that are not straight pipe, you do need to indicate the direction and the contents of it on each side of it.
[00:10:35] - All right, so we're going to get a little more into the specific types of pipe markers and the materials that are used.
[00:10:41] - One thing to note before this, though, is that ASME A13.1 does not specify marker types and materials.
[00:10:55] - The standard is only for how to mark that pipe, but does not call out the specific type of pipe marker.
[00:11:02] - It is up to the user to know what is the best pipe marker for their application.
[00:11:08] - The marker types or styles, you could say, are self-adhesive, wraparound, snap-around, strap-around, and also carrier-based.
[00:11:19] - We'll go into a little more detail on what those are.
[00:11:22] - Then we have multiple different materials depending on your application: vinyls, polyester, fiberglass, and we have some metals and plastics as well.
[00:11:34] - The first one is self-adhesive markers.
[00:11:36] - These ones are pretty self-explanatory—everybody's used a sticker before.
[00:11:40] - Essentially, they're the most cost-effective and super easy to install; they're just peel-and-stick.
[00:11:47] - Like I said, everybody's used a sticker before, so there's very minimal training involved.
[00:11:53] - The challenges with it, though, are that you do need to clean that pipe.
[00:11:57] - If you don't clean the pipe, the marker will not stick to it and it will fall off eventually.
[00:12:02] - With that, there are hidden labor costs because that worker does need to go in and clean the pipe, which will take some time.
[00:12:09] - Self-adhesive markers do not come with arrows on them; you need to get a roll of arrow tape.
[00:12:17] - We do have that as well: they just come on a roll of tape and you peel and stick them on there.
[00:12:25] - We have various different colors and sizes as well—this is not the only option or color.
[00:12:33] - And they're just going to be a little less durable than our other options here.
[00:12:42] - The next one is wraparound markers.
[00:12:44] - These ones are typically made from polyester.
[00:12:48] - There is no surface preparation needed.
[00:12:50] - As you see on here, these actually come with an adhesive end on them, and you can wrap them around the pipe and they will adhere to themselves.
[00:13:01] - That will eliminate the need to clean that pipe, ultimately saving on installation costs because you don't have to do that cleaning.
[00:13:11] - It also allows a 360-degree view of that marker, so anywhere in that facility you are, you should be able to see that marker.
[00:13:20] - These ones do come with arrows, so there's no need for the roll of arrows on there.
[00:13:28] - But the challenges with that are a higher cost; they're bulkier and a little less flexible than the vinyl-based markers.
[00:13:40] - Let's say you have a slightly tougher environment—a wet, greasy, or oily environment where those pipes are just always dirty and you don't want to have to pay somebody to clean them, or it would just be hard to maintain.
[00:13:54] - We have these snap-around markers.
[00:13:57] - These are rigid markers: you just extend them and then they snap back onto the pipe like that, and that's all installation is.
[00:14:04] - They're super easy to install, a lot more durable, have higher temperature ranges than the other ones, and there's no adhesive involved.
[00:14:14] - They are completely removable and reusable, so if you do have a pipe content change or renovation, you don't have to get all new pipe markers—you can just remove them and place them in a new spot.
[00:14:28] - The challenges with these, though, are that for larger pipes, these are not an option; we only have certain sizes that these will work for.
[00:14:36] - Again, they're more durable and more robust, so they're going to cost more.
[00:14:42] - These are probably the most bulky pipe markers that are out in the market.
[00:14:48] - You cannot fold these, so they come in boxes, making them very bulky in nature.
[00:14:58] - If you do have a very large pipe where the snap-on or wraparound isn't going to fit, we do have a solution for you: strap-on markers.
[00:15:08] - This is just a regular rigid pipe marker, but we put straps around it so you can strap it around the pipe, making it ideal for those larger pipes.
[00:15:19] - They're super secure and not going to move.
[00:15:23] - You can also remove them and reuse them, just like the snap-on ones.
[00:15:27] - However, the downfall of these is the longer installation, as they require fasteners and tools.
[00:15:35] - The worker does need to get that strap completely around the pipe, so that is the only downfall, but the durability of them is next to none—very, very durable.
[00:15:50] - We also have a carrier-based pipe marker system.
[00:15:53] - This one is a PVC carrier, and what you can do is place your self-adhesive markers onto it.
[00:16:05] - Then you strap these standoffs onto the pipe, and you can just snap your carrier onto it so it sits on your pipe like that.
[00:16:18] - As you can probably imagine, they're the most rigid and going to be the most durable.
[00:16:24] - They do have a higher operating temperature—these actually are good up to 248 degrees.
[00:16:29] - If you have a hot pipe that a self-adhesive or wraparound would just melt off of, these give you an option to help mark those hotter (and even colder) pipes, as they go down to minus 40 degrees as well.
[00:16:45] - But again, they're going to have a higher initial cost because it's more material.
[00:16:49] - They're super bulky and require fasteners, so the installation process is a little higher than self-adhesives or wraparounds.
[00:17:00] - If you have an irregularly shaped pipe, these may not conform to it very well, as they only have certain backs to sit on that pipe.
[00:17:17] - We also have stencils and paints as options for people.
[00:17:22] - However, stencils are labor-intensive and really easy to mess up if you don't do it correctly.
[00:17:31] - If you spray paint over the stencil and make a mistake, there's going to be a mark on there.
[00:17:35] - It's twofold: they're permanent, which is a plus, but it's also a negative because if you have a change in pipe, you have to paint over it to try to remove it, making content changes a lot more difficult.
[00:17:50] - We also have rollform tape.
[00:17:53] - It's just like a roll, but these are actually the pipe markers themselves.
[00:17:58] - Those are cheaper, but again, they're going to be less durable than your snap-ons and standoffs, so those are only appropriate for specific situations.
[00:18:16] - We also have self-adhesive duct markers for your ductwork, as you have to have those marked as well.
[00:18:24] - We have two options: basic vinyl duct markers, which are cost-effective, super easy to apply, require minimal training, and are peel-and-stick.
[00:18:33] - They will be moisture- and chemical-resistant, but they're going to have temperature limitations.
[00:18:41] - If you place these outside, they're not going to stand up to the sun very well and will be vulnerable to damage; they're not very durable since they're just vinyl.
[00:18:50] - For those harsher environments and higher temperatures, we have a soft aluminum foil marker.
[00:18:57] - As you see in the picture on the right, they're going to be a lot tougher and can adhere to rough surfaces—it does not have to be a smooth surface.
[00:19:08] - However, you do need to make sure that surface is clean, just like all the other adhesive markers.
[00:19:13] - The cons are going to be higher cost, but you're going to get a lot better performance out of it.
[00:19:19] - It's going to have limited colors and a shininess to it, so there are limitations on what colors you can actually use for these.
[00:19:36] - All right, I'm going to hand it over to Kaene to talk about on-demand pipe marking.
[00:19:44] - Thanks, Matt.
[00:19:46] - My name is Kaene Connington, and as Matt mentioned, I am a product manager here at Brady for our visual workplace safety benchtop printers.
[00:19:54] - I really wanted to talk today about the ordering options for end-user customers who are actually applying those pipe markers.
[00:20:06] - It really comes down to three options for those customers.
[00:20:09] - Number one is to buy stocked product, either through Brady or their preferred distributor, which is great and convenient if you're doing high volumes of a lot of the same label types.
[00:20:20] - Some of the downsides with stocked product orders are that there are usually minimum order quantities associated with them—distributors usually sell them in minimums of 5 or 10.
[00:20:32] - There's labor associated with placing POs to purchase those stocked products from distributors or Brady.
[00:20:41] - There are lead times associated as well: obviously, you place an order and you have to wait for the product to actually arrive, which can be mission-critical in some punch-out solutions in new construction builds.
[00:20:53] - Then there's also having to hold that extra inventory.
[00:20:57] - If you don't go through all of the pipe markers, or if you have extra label rolls of arrows left over, you have to go and store that, taking up time and space.
[00:21:09] - The next option that Brady offers is custom-made products.
[00:21:13] - This is great if you have a very specialized use case where you need a custom color or anything super specialized.
[00:21:20] - The problem with this is even longer lead times that you have to deal with, plus more labor involved in the ordering process having to go back and forth with proofing.
[00:21:31] - Those lead times can take up to a month, alongside higher minimum order quantities.
[00:21:38] - The third way—where I'm going to spend most of my time talking—is print-on-demand.
[00:21:44] - What does that mean?
[00:21:46] - Essentially, with our Brady printers, we use thermal heat transfer technology so that our customers are able to print and create their own pipe markers at their fingertips.
[00:21:57] - They can essentially create custom pipe markers directly at their facility rather than having to order stocked product.
[00:22:12] - What's some of the value with printing it at your facility?
[00:22:16] - Number one: reducing cost.
[00:22:18] - As I talked about before, there are a lot of hidden costs associated with your buyers spending the time to go source and place POs.
[00:22:28] - There are lower MOQ restraints, so you're not having to place those larger orders in terms of what the distributor offers.
[00:22:37] - If you're under a time crunch and you need a punch-out list, you're going to need to pay for expedited shipping, which can also increase cost.
[00:22:47] - These print-on-demand solutions with our printers also save time because you're able to print exactly what you need right when you need it, eliminating all the waiting times from ordering to delivery with stocked products.
[00:23:02] - Last but not least: driving productivity.
[00:23:05] - Like I said, you can create custom labels at your fingertips wherever you need in your facility, and I'll get into more of that on the next slide.
[00:23:16] - With Brady's printer offering—this is a very small snapshot, but it gives you the gist—you are able to create your pipe marker labels however and wherever you need them.
[00:23:28] - We have portable solutions where, as you can see with the M710, there is an onboard keyboard, but you can also create labels with our Express Labels mobile app from your phone or our Brady Workstation software on your computer.
[00:23:42] - The portable options give you up to two inches wide in terms of print width.
[00:23:47] - You can't label 10-inch pipes or some of those bigger jobs, but it gives you full portability.
[00:23:53] - If you're only dealing with smaller pipes, it could be a great solution for you: all you'd have to do is buy the material, and if you needed to change colors, you just swap out that material and easily print compliant labels from there.
[00:24:09] - The next thing I want to talk about is the i4311.
[00:24:14] - This is a newly launched product by Brady that gives you full transportability with a benchtop printer.
[00:24:20] - What does that mean?
[00:24:22] - Faster print speeds and up to 4-inch-wide labels, so you can go from half-inch small labels for pipe markers up to large 4-inch-wide markers for 10-inch-diameter pipes.
[00:24:34] - It's fully transportable and comes with a battery included, so you're able to carry it and mark pipes throughout your facility.
[00:24:41] - It's really easy to create pipes directly from your phone in our free Express Labels mobile app.
[00:24:47] - The really nice thing about this printer is that you can actually pre-save a bunch of the label files on your printer and print them directly from the screen without having to pull out your phone.
[00:24:57] - You can change quantities from the screen and just print and label as you go throughout your facility.
[00:25:05] - I've talked to a lot of customers who like the idea of being able to go up in their scissor lift, bring the 4311 with them, and print right where they need them at the point of application with those pipes.
[00:25:18] - Lastly are our traditional benchtop printers.
[00:25:21] - I have imaged the S3700; it's a stationary workhorse.
[00:25:27] - You get full 4-inch-wide performance, and you can create onboard the printer with the touchscreen and keyboard, via our PC software Brady Workstation, or via our mobile software Express Labels Mobile.
[00:25:46] - I really wanted to display here that Brady offers the complete solution for your pipe marker needs in terms of on-demand printing.
[00:25:54] - We have all the printers available, whether you want to print on demand, at a benchtop, or out in the field.
[00:26:07] - We have a very wide variety of materials.
[00:26:10] - As Matt mentioned, vinyl is our most popular, but we also have low-halide polyester for those harsher environments.
[00:26:19] - We have both of these materials and more in a wide variety of colors and material widths.
[00:26:25] - The nice thing about these print-on-demand solutions again is that you can print arrows right on the actual labels themselves, rather than having to keep stock of different arrow tape.
[00:26:37] - Our software gives you the ability to print how you want it, whether that be on the printer itself with the keyboard and touchscreen, a mobile device, or a PC connection.
[00:26:53] - Here I just wanted to show how our software integrates and creates these compliant pipe markers for you without you even having to do any thinking.
[00:27:03] - On the left, we have our Brady Workstation, in the middle we have our Express Labels Mobile, and on the right, we have our onboard editor.
[00:27:12] - As you can see highlighted in red, those are all different pipe marker applications that we have in the software.
[00:27:17] - All you have to do as a customer is click into those pipe marker applications, select the pipe's diameter and whatever is flowing through the pipe, and Brady will automatically output the size of the label you need and the color.
[00:27:32] - You can then configure it with directional arrows based on your labeling desires.
[00:27:39] - Our software makes it super easy to print on demand wherever and however you want to print.
[00:27:51] - Awesome. Thank you, Kaene; that was a great summary of all of our options.
[00:27:57] - We have the pre-print options and the on-demand options for whatever suits your application best.
[00:28:04] - A couple more things I want to cover before we end today are valve tags for pipe marking.
[00:28:10] - You might ask why we would use valve tags instead of pipe marking tags.
[00:28:15] - We actually recommend using valve tags for pipes that are less than 3/4 inch in diameter.
[00:28:20] - On a very small pipe, it would be hard to fit a standard pipe marker, so we suggest putting a tag on it to identify its contents.
[00:28:31] - We have different types available: engraved, stamped, and blank tags.
[00:28:38] - If you want to do your own stamping or engraving on-site, you can do that too.
[00:28:47] - We have four different materials.
[00:28:49] - Brass is a heavy-duty option that won't bend or break; by far, brass is the most popular.
[00:28:56] - But we also have aluminum, which is ideal for cold temperatures like food storage.
[00:29:01] - Stainless steel offers the ultimate corrosion and rust resistance, so if you have a really harsh environment, you're going to want to go for stainless steel.
[00:29:10] - We also make plastic tags, which are the most economical choice.
[00:29:14] - Another benefit of plastic is that we have a very wide range of colors available, so if you want to get creative with color coding, we can help supply that and it's super easy to order.
[00:29:31] - To talk about valve identification, you can use these to print QR codes on them.
[00:29:40] - When you scan that QR code, it will pull up a pipe diagram or more information about that pipe, however you want to use it—we have lots of customers that use QR codes on them.
[00:29:54] - They will identify critical information: pipe contents, valve function, operating instructions, or tech specs—whatever you want to call out on those.
[00:30:10] - These are also very important for safety and accident prevention, specifically for your LOTO (lockout/tagout) programs.
[00:30:18] - You want to have those isolation points marked with valve tags so there isn't an accidental lockout of a valve that shouldn't be locked out, or a valve that never got locked out because it was misidentified.
[00:30:33] - These will help you with compliance, auditing, asset management, and efficiency.
[00:30:41] - When you have maintenance or troubleshooting, you're going to know exactly the contents of the pipes and which valves need to be turned on and off.
[00:30:50] - We also sometimes see these being used for inventory tracking as well.
[00:30:57] - There are a couple of other standards for pipe marking.
[00:31:00] - We're not going to go into detail, but I just want to make note of them so that if they apply to you, you know there are specific standards out there.
[00:31:09] - The first one is IIAR Bulletin No. 114, which revolves around ammonia refrigeration.
[00:31:20] - As you can see, this pipe marker has a little more going on: it has two different words and two different colors on it, as there are different specifications for ammonia-based refrigeration systems.
[00:31:36] - There's NFPA 99, which is specific to healthcare facilities, so if you have a healthcare facility, you're going to want to make sure you pay attention to NFPA 99.
[00:31:47] - Then there's NFPA 59A, which is specific to LNG (liquefied natural gas) facilities.
[00:31:54] - If you're in liquid natural gas, make sure to take a look at this standard to ensure compliance.
[00:32:02] - Lastly, GHS actually requires pictograms on labels.
[00:32:09] - We can print pictograms on our printers—for instance, the S3700 can do multicolor printing in a single pass.
[00:32:28] - We can print it for you, or if you want on-demand printing, we have options for you on that end as well.
[00:32:38] - There are also services around pipe marking that we offer alongside standard industry services.
[00:32:45] - We do installation services, so if you don't have the capacity to install the pipe markers, we can come in, do the audits, and install the pipe markers for you.
[00:32:57] - I already talked about takeoff services for construction, but we also do project packaging.
[00:33:04] - If you're renovating a facility and want all your pipe markers for floor number one in two specific boxes, you tell us what pipe markers go on that floor and we'll package them specifically like that.
[00:33:20] - All you have to do is take that box to the area where the pipes are, and you'll have the specific ones you need.
[00:33:26] - We can do that for different floors or different areas however you want; just tell us how you want them packaged and we'll package them specifically, helping with your efficiency so you're not digging through boxes trying to find the right ones.
[00:33:43] - To sum it up, key takeaways: you're always going to want to make sure you are complying with ASME A13.1 for new and existing builds.
[00:33:55] - Doesn't matter what type of facility you have, you're going to want to make sure you're in compliance.
[00:33:59] - Make sure you're using the right color codings and materials for hazards.
[00:34:05] - Make sure you are indicating flow direction—it's very important that you identify that.
[00:34:11] - Obviously, make sure that you have the correct legend and text on every single marker.
[00:34:20] - Know your facility's piping system: somebody in your facility should have knowledge of how the piping system works so when something comes up, they can easily identify it and take action.
[00:34:36] - Make sure those markers are suited for your environment; if you have a harsh environment, you're not going to want to use vinyl self-adhesive markers.
[00:34:44] - Prioritize clear placement: don't go through all the effort of marking those pipes just to have them not visible to people working around or below them.
[00:34:55] - Empower your team with on-site printing for the ultimate flexibility and efficiency with those printers, as Kaene discussed.
[00:35:05] - Before we get to questions, we want to talk real quick about our future webinars, which are always on Wednesdays at 2:00 PM Central Time.
[00:35:14] - On August 12th, we have "Surviving the Elements: GHS Compliance."
[00:35:20] - On September 23rd, "The Blueprint for Lean Success: Mastering 5S Visual Controls."
[00:35:28] - On October 21st is the "Visual Workplace and Color" webinar.
[00:35:35] - All right, we are going to open this up for questions.
[00:35:40] - Somebody asked: "How often does the standard suggest a facility should formally audit their pipe markings for legibility and compliance?"
[00:35:56] - The ASME standard actually does not specify an exact timeline; they just very vaguely say that you should audit them periodically.
[00:36:06] - The best practice that we tell our customers asking this is a yearly audit.
[00:36:12] - Around the time you're doing your LOTO audits, it's a good time to do pipe marking as well to make sure all of them are labeled correctly—especially with outside pipes, which get faded or sustain hail damage and need to be replaced.
[00:36:31] - Here's a really good one: "We have an older facility with legacy color codes (assuming 2007 standards). Does A13.1 require us to update everything immediately, or is there a compliant way to phase the new labels in?"
[00:36:50] - The standard does not say that you have to adhere to the new color standards immediately.
[00:36:56] - However, it's very important that you do phase in the new colors the correct way.
[00:37:07] - If you only replace certain pipes with the new colors, you could have mixed colors in your facility where green could mean two different things depending on where you are, which can cause confusion.
[00:37:23] - It's best practice to do whole zones, floors, or areas in your facility at the same time.
[00:37:32] - Make sure that your employees are aware that on a different floor, colors might mean something else.
[00:37:40] - It is best practice to do it all at once, but if you are going to do a phased approach, make sure you're doing it with intent and that your employees are aware of the color changes.
[00:37:55] - Regarding overlabeling: "Can we place new compliant markers directly over the old ones?"
[00:38:07] - That is not advised at all because that will affect the performance of the new markers.
[00:38:15] - Depending on your environment, pipe markers only last for so long.
[00:38:20] - If you have a harsher environment and place a new label over the top of your existing pipe marker, it might fall off.
[00:38:29] - It is best practice to actually remove those old pipe markers and then replace them, either in a different spot or the exact same spot, but it is not advised to place them over the top.
[00:38:49] - Here's a good one: "If a pipe carries a substance that changes temperature or state along its route (such as changing from hot water to cold water, or water to steam), how should that be labeled?"
[00:39:10] - That's a really good question.
[00:39:12] - Much like if there is an interruption in your pipe (such as a valve or an elbow), you do need to mark the exact spot where that chemical or content changes.
[00:39:26] - If it's along a valve or entering a boiler/cooler and comes out as steam, at that exact point where it exits that equipment, you have to have a marker indicating the new state of those contents and the direction of flow.
[00:39:44] - That looks like all the questions we have.
[00:39:49] - If you still have questions, put them in the chat and we will follow up with you via email.
[00:39:58] - I think that's all we have.
[00:40:00] - Kaene, do you have any last words before we go?
[00:40:03] - No, I appreciate everyone jumping on and really appreciate your time.
[00:40:08] - Like Matt said, please feel free to submit more questions and we'll get back to you on those.
[00:40:12] - Awesome.
[00:40:13] - Thank you for your time, everybody.
[00:00:02] - I also have here Kaene Connington, and we will be doing a webinar today on the best practices of ASME A13.1.
[00:00:13] - One quick note before we do start: if you do have any questions, please submit them.
[00:00:18] - We will be answering questions at the end of the presentation, but if a question comes up, just feel free to put it in the chat and we will come to it at the end of the presentation.
[00:00:30] - So let's get started.
[00:00:33] - In this webinar, what are we going to be covering?
[00:00:36] - We're going to understand why pipe markers matter, the standards for pipe marking, actually ASME A13.1—what is in that standard—some of the pipe marking options, and then Kaene will also be talking about our on-demand pipe marking solutions.
[00:00:57] - Before we even get into the standard, what is pipe marking?
[00:01:01] - Essentially, it's substance identification, so it allows people to identify what is inside of the pipes.
[00:01:09] - There are a couple of different systems that you can use: you can use labels, paint tags, and even signs to mark those pipes.
[00:01:21] - But why is it even needed?
[00:01:23] - You use pipe marking to clearly identify the substance of the pipes.
[00:01:27] - This will help simplify maintenance, so maintenance doesn't have to go chasing the pipe to find out what is actually in it.
[00:01:34] - It accelerates your upgrades when you're making equipment upgrades, so again, you don't have to go find what is inside that pipe.
[00:01:42] - But that also helps prevent accidents and injuries, so if there is a leak, the leak can be cleaned up appropriately with the appropriate material.
[00:01:51] - If that's a corrosive material or hazardous material that needs to be cleaned up in a specific way, you'll already know just by looking at the pipe marker itself.
[00:02:05] - Labeling in new construction: the timing of the installation in construction is very important.
[00:02:14] - You're going to want to make sure that you install those pipe markers before the rest of the building is fully finished.
[00:02:19] - Before those pipes are covered up with walls and ceilings, you're going to want to get those labels onto those pipes so it's nice and easy for you to do it.
[00:02:29] - If you wait too long, it's going to take those workers a lot longer to install those pipe markers.
[00:02:35] - Again, it's very important that you have those pipe markers installed before the finishes of the building are installed.
[00:02:48] - Part of the construction process is doing takeoffs.
[00:02:51] - A takeoff is a diagram here on the right that will indicate where all of the pipe markers go.
[00:02:59] - We actually have a service that will do this for you.
[00:03:02] - If you submit the proper information to us, our Brady experts will go through and indicate every single spot that a pipe marker needs to go, and we'll even tell you what pipe marker needs to go there as well.
[00:03:20] - Then with existing buildings, these typically happen around renovation projects.
[00:03:26] - If you're changing the layout of the floor or your manufacturing process, or just simply upgrading your building, a lot of times those pipes are changing materials or you're adding pipe as well.
[00:03:40] - You need to make sure that during this process you are marking those pipes so that there's no confusion later on once those renovations are complete regarding misidentified contents inside of those pipes.
[00:03:58] - Let's get a little more into ASME A13.1 and exactly what it is.
[00:04:02] - This is the standard for the identification of pipes, fittings, and insulation jackets.
[00:04:09] - Again, the purpose is to mark those contents for safety and prevent misidentifications.
[00:04:17] - Some of the key elements of the standard include: legend (the actual text that goes on it), color coding, size of the marker, placement, and indicating the flow direction for that pipe.
[00:04:31] - We'll go a little deeper into each one of these to have a full understanding.
[00:04:40] - Before I even get into that, though, I do want to specifically call out OSHA.
[00:04:45] - OSHA specifically does not have a detailed specification for pipe markers.
[00:04:52] - What OSHA actually does is point to the ASME A13.1 solution.
[00:04:58] - When OSHA is doing their audits, they aren't going to specifically enforce your color coding and your placements; they are going to enforce it through the General Duty Clause.
[00:05:11] - The General Duty Clause says that you have to have a safe workplace and the identification of hazardous environments and situations.
[00:05:27] - The bottom line is, if you want to be compliant with OSHA, you have to be compliant with ASME A13.1.
[00:05:36] - What actually goes onto the marker itself?
[00:05:39] - Again, you have to have the substance name, so exactly what is inside of that pipe needs to be clearly marked on that pipe marker.
[00:05:47] - There's actually a specification on the size of those letterings, which will be in the coming slides.
[00:05:54] - But then again, you need to indicate the flow direction.
[00:05:57] - You have three different types of arrows that you can use to indicate what direction the flow is going.
[00:06:04] - And then the marker color: again, it has to be a specific color depending on what material or liquid is inside of those pipes.
[00:06:13] - We'll identify those here very shortly.
[00:06:19] - For the color coding here, this is straight from ASME; they have specific colors for specific liquids.
[00:06:26] - For example, red is for firefighting.
[00:06:29] - We have pipe markers that say "sprinklers"; they will be red with white text on them.
[00:06:36] - Orange is for toxic/corrosive, yellow is flammable, and gray is for steam, which is actually the newest addition to the ASME standard.
[00:06:47] - They wanted to break out steam from the other ones because it's a very specific material.
[00:06:53] - Green is for potable, cooling, and other cold or tepid water, and blue is for compressed air.
[00:07:02] - You will notice that purple, white, brown, and black say "to be defined by users."
[00:07:08] - If you do have contents of pipe that do not fit into the above colors, you can specifically call that out in your safety plan to make sure that all your employees know that purple indicates specific contents inside that pipe.
[00:07:23] - One thing to note, however, is if you do have an abandoned pipe, those do need to be labeled.
[00:07:29] - You use the white pipe marker with black text on it to indicate an abandoned pipe that is not currently used.
[00:07:37] - It is important that you do mark those so, again, they're not misidentified as a pipe that is in use.
[00:07:50] - Again, I mentioned that pipe markers need to be specific sizes and font sizes depending on the size of the pipe, and it's all measured by the outside diameter of the pipe.
[00:08:05] - For example, if you have a 1.4-inch to 2.4-inch diameter pipe, that pipe marker is going to have to be at least 8 inches long, and then the letter height will be 0.7 inches.
[00:08:18] - We do make that easy: any pipe marker that you buy from us is already going to adhere to these standards.
[00:08:26] - It's mostly a matter of you knowing the diameter of your pipe and selecting that, and you won't have to worry about this specification as we will handle it all for you already.
[00:08:42] - As I mentioned before, ASME does call out specifically the placement of the markers themselves.
[00:08:49] - From a very high level, they have to be visible.
[00:08:53] - If you have a pipe that's up in the ceiling above workers, you cannot place that marker on top of the pipe—nobody's going to see that, and that's not going to help anybody in an emergency or a leak.
[00:09:05] - That has to be placed underneath where most people are operating and can identify that pipe.
[00:09:13] - It does need to identify the direction of flow, as well as the size of the label and lettering as previously talked about, but then also the spacing intervals.
[00:09:25] - ASME does say that every 25 to 50 feet you need to have a marker.
[00:09:30] - If you have a run of a 100-foot pipe, you need to have a marker at least every 25 to 50 feet on that run.
[00:09:39] - However, the caveat to that is if there is an interruption in that pipe.
[00:09:44] - Looking at the diagram on the right, if there's a valve, you need to have a marker on every side of that valve indicating the contents and the direction of flow as well.
[00:09:56] - The same thing goes for if that pipe goes through a wall: you need to have a marker on both sides of that wall so that no matter what side of the wall you are on, you can still identify the contents of that pipe.
[00:10:09] - The same thing applies if there's an elbow in that pipe: you need to have a marker on every single corner of that elbow.
[00:10:20] - If there are any other sort of different interruptions that are not straight pipe, you do need to indicate the direction and the contents of it on each side of it.
[00:10:35] - All right, so we're going to get a little more into the specific types of pipe markers and the materials that are used.
[00:10:41] - One thing to note before this, though, is that ASME A13.1 does not specify marker types and materials.
[00:10:55] - The standard is only for how to mark that pipe, but does not call out the specific type of pipe marker.
[00:11:02] - It is up to the user to know what is the best pipe marker for their application.
[00:11:08] - The marker types or styles, you could say, are self-adhesive, wraparound, snap-around, strap-around, and also carrier-based.
[00:11:19] - We'll go into a little more detail on what those are.
[00:11:22] - Then we have multiple different materials depending on your application: vinyls, polyester, fiberglass, and we have some metals and plastics as well.
[00:11:34] - The first one is self-adhesive markers.
[00:11:36] - These ones are pretty self-explanatory—everybody's used a sticker before.
[00:11:40] - Essentially, they're the most cost-effective and super easy to install; they're just peel-and-stick.
[00:11:47] - Like I said, everybody's used a sticker before, so there's very minimal training involved.
[00:11:53] - The challenges with it, though, are that you do need to clean that pipe.
[00:11:57] - If you don't clean the pipe, the marker will not stick to it and it will fall off eventually.
[00:12:02] - With that, there are hidden labor costs because that worker does need to go in and clean the pipe, which will take some time.
[00:12:09] - Self-adhesive markers do not come with arrows on them; you need to get a roll of arrow tape.
[00:12:17] - We do have that as well: they just come on a roll of tape and you peel and stick them on there.
[00:12:25] - We have various different colors and sizes as well—this is not the only option or color.
[00:12:33] - And they're just going to be a little less durable than our other options here.
[00:12:42] - The next one is wraparound markers.
[00:12:44] - These ones are typically made from polyester.
[00:12:48] - There is no surface preparation needed.
[00:12:50] - As you see on here, these actually come with an adhesive end on them, and you can wrap them around the pipe and they will adhere to themselves.
[00:13:01] - That will eliminate the need to clean that pipe, ultimately saving on installation costs because you don't have to do that cleaning.
[00:13:11] - It also allows a 360-degree view of that marker, so anywhere in that facility you are, you should be able to see that marker.
[00:13:20] - These ones do come with arrows, so there's no need for the roll of arrows on there.
[00:13:28] - But the challenges with that are a higher cost; they're bulkier and a little less flexible than the vinyl-based markers.
[00:13:40] - Let's say you have a slightly tougher environment—a wet, greasy, or oily environment where those pipes are just always dirty and you don't want to have to pay somebody to clean them, or it would just be hard to maintain.
[00:13:54] - We have these snap-around markers.
[00:13:57] - These are rigid markers: you just extend them and then they snap back onto the pipe like that, and that's all installation is.
[00:14:04] - They're super easy to install, a lot more durable, have higher temperature ranges than the other ones, and there's no adhesive involved.
[00:14:14] - They are completely removable and reusable, so if you do have a pipe content change or renovation, you don't have to get all new pipe markers—you can just remove them and place them in a new spot.
[00:14:28] - The challenges with these, though, are that for larger pipes, these are not an option; we only have certain sizes that these will work for.
[00:14:36] - Again, they're more durable and more robust, so they're going to cost more.
[00:14:42] - These are probably the most bulky pipe markers that are out in the market.
[00:14:48] - You cannot fold these, so they come in boxes, making them very bulky in nature.
[00:14:58] - If you do have a very large pipe where the snap-on or wraparound isn't going to fit, we do have a solution for you: strap-on markers.
[00:15:08] - This is just a regular rigid pipe marker, but we put straps around it so you can strap it around the pipe, making it ideal for those larger pipes.
[00:15:19] - They're super secure and not going to move.
[00:15:23] - You can also remove them and reuse them, just like the snap-on ones.
[00:15:27] - However, the downfall of these is the longer installation, as they require fasteners and tools.
[00:15:35] - The worker does need to get that strap completely around the pipe, so that is the only downfall, but the durability of them is next to none—very, very durable.
[00:15:50] - We also have a carrier-based pipe marker system.
[00:15:53] - This one is a PVC carrier, and what you can do is place your self-adhesive markers onto it.
[00:16:05] - Then you strap these standoffs onto the pipe, and you can just snap your carrier onto it so it sits on your pipe like that.
[00:16:18] - As you can probably imagine, they're the most rigid and going to be the most durable.
[00:16:24] - They do have a higher operating temperature—these actually are good up to 248 degrees.
[00:16:29] - If you have a hot pipe that a self-adhesive or wraparound would just melt off of, these give you an option to help mark those hotter (and even colder) pipes, as they go down to minus 40 degrees as well.
[00:16:45] - But again, they're going to have a higher initial cost because it's more material.
[00:16:49] - They're super bulky and require fasteners, so the installation process is a little higher than self-adhesives or wraparounds.
[00:17:00] - If you have an irregularly shaped pipe, these may not conform to it very well, as they only have certain backs to sit on that pipe.
[00:17:17] - We also have stencils and paints as options for people.
[00:17:22] - However, stencils are labor-intensive and really easy to mess up if you don't do it correctly.
[00:17:31] - If you spray paint over the stencil and make a mistake, there's going to be a mark on there.
[00:17:35] - It's twofold: they're permanent, which is a plus, but it's also a negative because if you have a change in pipe, you have to paint over it to try to remove it, making content changes a lot more difficult.
[00:17:50] - We also have rollform tape.
[00:17:53] - It's just like a roll, but these are actually the pipe markers themselves.
[00:17:58] - Those are cheaper, but again, they're going to be less durable than your snap-ons and standoffs, so those are only appropriate for specific situations.
[00:18:16] - We also have self-adhesive duct markers for your ductwork, as you have to have those marked as well.
[00:18:24] - We have two options: basic vinyl duct markers, which are cost-effective, super easy to apply, require minimal training, and are peel-and-stick.
[00:18:33] - They will be moisture- and chemical-resistant, but they're going to have temperature limitations.
[00:18:41] - If you place these outside, they're not going to stand up to the sun very well and will be vulnerable to damage; they're not very durable since they're just vinyl.
[00:18:50] - For those harsher environments and higher temperatures, we have a soft aluminum foil marker.
[00:18:57] - As you see in the picture on the right, they're going to be a lot tougher and can adhere to rough surfaces—it does not have to be a smooth surface.
[00:19:08] - However, you do need to make sure that surface is clean, just like all the other adhesive markers.
[00:19:13] - The cons are going to be higher cost, but you're going to get a lot better performance out of it.
[00:19:19] - It's going to have limited colors and a shininess to it, so there are limitations on what colors you can actually use for these.
[00:19:36] - All right, I'm going to hand it over to Kaene to talk about on-demand pipe marking.
[00:19:44] - Thanks, Matt.
[00:19:46] - My name is Kaene Connington, and as Matt mentioned, I am a product manager here at Brady for our visual workplace safety benchtop printers.
[00:19:54] - I really wanted to talk today about the ordering options for end-user customers who are actually applying those pipe markers.
[00:20:06] - It really comes down to three options for those customers.
[00:20:09] - Number one is to buy stocked product, either through Brady or their preferred distributor, which is great and convenient if you're doing high volumes of a lot of the same label types.
[00:20:20] - Some of the downsides with stocked product orders are that there are usually minimum order quantities associated with them—distributors usually sell them in minimums of 5 or 10.
[00:20:32] - There's labor associated with placing POs to purchase those stocked products from distributors or Brady.
[00:20:41] - There are lead times associated as well: obviously, you place an order and you have to wait for the product to actually arrive, which can be mission-critical in some punch-out solutions in new construction builds.
[00:20:53] - Then there's also having to hold that extra inventory.
[00:20:57] - If you don't go through all of the pipe markers, or if you have extra label rolls of arrows left over, you have to go and store that, taking up time and space.
[00:21:09] - The next option that Brady offers is custom-made products.
[00:21:13] - This is great if you have a very specialized use case where you need a custom color or anything super specialized.
[00:21:20] - The problem with this is even longer lead times that you have to deal with, plus more labor involved in the ordering process having to go back and forth with proofing.
[00:21:31] - Those lead times can take up to a month, alongside higher minimum order quantities.
[00:21:38] - The third way—where I'm going to spend most of my time talking—is print-on-demand.
[00:21:44] - What does that mean?
[00:21:46] - Essentially, with our Brady printers, we use thermal heat transfer technology so that our customers are able to print and create their own pipe markers at their fingertips.
[00:21:57] - They can essentially create custom pipe markers directly at their facility rather than having to order stocked product.
[00:22:12] - What's some of the value with printing it at your facility?
[00:22:16] - Number one: reducing cost.
[00:22:18] - As I talked about before, there are a lot of hidden costs associated with your buyers spending the time to go source and place POs.
[00:22:28] - There are lower MOQ restraints, so you're not having to place those larger orders in terms of what the distributor offers.
[00:22:37] - If you're under a time crunch and you need a punch-out list, you're going to need to pay for expedited shipping, which can also increase cost.
[00:22:47] - These print-on-demand solutions with our printers also save time because you're able to print exactly what you need right when you need it, eliminating all the waiting times from ordering to delivery with stocked products.
[00:23:02] - Last but not least: driving productivity.
[00:23:05] - Like I said, you can create custom labels at your fingertips wherever you need in your facility, and I'll get into more of that on the next slide.
[00:23:16] - With Brady's printer offering—this is a very small snapshot, but it gives you the gist—you are able to create your pipe marker labels however and wherever you need them.
[00:23:28] - We have portable solutions where, as you can see with the M710, there is an onboard keyboard, but you can also create labels with our Express Labels mobile app from your phone or our Brady Workstation software on your computer.
[00:23:42] - The portable options give you up to two inches wide in terms of print width.
[00:23:47] - You can't label 10-inch pipes or some of those bigger jobs, but it gives you full portability.
[00:23:53] - If you're only dealing with smaller pipes, it could be a great solution for you: all you'd have to do is buy the material, and if you needed to change colors, you just swap out that material and easily print compliant labels from there.
[00:24:09] - The next thing I want to talk about is the i4311.
[00:24:14] - This is a newly launched product by Brady that gives you full transportability with a benchtop printer.
[00:24:20] - What does that mean?
[00:24:22] - Faster print speeds and up to 4-inch-wide labels, so you can go from half-inch small labels for pipe markers up to large 4-inch-wide markers for 10-inch-diameter pipes.
[00:24:34] - It's fully transportable and comes with a battery included, so you're able to carry it and mark pipes throughout your facility.
[00:24:41] - It's really easy to create pipes directly from your phone in our free Express Labels mobile app.
[00:24:47] - The really nice thing about this printer is that you can actually pre-save a bunch of the label files on your printer and print them directly from the screen without having to pull out your phone.
[00:24:57] - You can change quantities from the screen and just print and label as you go throughout your facility.
[00:25:05] - I've talked to a lot of customers who like the idea of being able to go up in their scissor lift, bring the 4311 with them, and print right where they need them at the point of application with those pipes.
[00:25:18] - Lastly are our traditional benchtop printers.
[00:25:21] - I have imaged the S3700; it's a stationary workhorse.
[00:25:27] - You get full 4-inch-wide performance, and you can create onboard the printer with the touchscreen and keyboard, via our PC software Brady Workstation, or via our mobile software Express Labels Mobile.
[00:25:46] - I really wanted to display here that Brady offers the complete solution for your pipe marker needs in terms of on-demand printing.
[00:25:54] - We have all the printers available, whether you want to print on demand, at a benchtop, or out in the field.
[00:26:07] - We have a very wide variety of materials.
[00:26:10] - As Matt mentioned, vinyl is our most popular, but we also have low-halide polyester for those harsher environments.
[00:26:19] - We have both of these materials and more in a wide variety of colors and material widths.
[00:26:25] - The nice thing about these print-on-demand solutions again is that you can print arrows right on the actual labels themselves, rather than having to keep stock of different arrow tape.
[00:26:37] - Our software gives you the ability to print how you want it, whether that be on the printer itself with the keyboard and touchscreen, a mobile device, or a PC connection.
[00:26:53] - Here I just wanted to show how our software integrates and creates these compliant pipe markers for you without you even having to do any thinking.
[00:27:03] - On the left, we have our Brady Workstation, in the middle we have our Express Labels Mobile, and on the right, we have our onboard editor.
[00:27:12] - As you can see highlighted in red, those are all different pipe marker applications that we have in the software.
[00:27:17] - All you have to do as a customer is click into those pipe marker applications, select the pipe's diameter and whatever is flowing through the pipe, and Brady will automatically output the size of the label you need and the color.
[00:27:32] - You can then configure it with directional arrows based on your labeling desires.
[00:27:39] - Our software makes it super easy to print on demand wherever and however you want to print.
[00:27:51] - Awesome. Thank you, Kaene; that was a great summary of all of our options.
[00:27:57] - We have the pre-print options and the on-demand options for whatever suits your application best.
[00:28:04] - A couple more things I want to cover before we end today are valve tags for pipe marking.
[00:28:10] - You might ask why we would use valve tags instead of pipe marking tags.
[00:28:15] - We actually recommend using valve tags for pipes that are less than 3/4 inch in diameter.
[00:28:20] - On a very small pipe, it would be hard to fit a standard pipe marker, so we suggest putting a tag on it to identify its contents.
[00:28:31] - We have different types available: engraved, stamped, and blank tags.
[00:28:38] - If you want to do your own stamping or engraving on-site, you can do that too.
[00:28:47] - We have four different materials.
[00:28:49] - Brass is a heavy-duty option that won't bend or break; by far, brass is the most popular.
[00:28:56] - But we also have aluminum, which is ideal for cold temperatures like food storage.
[00:29:01] - Stainless steel offers the ultimate corrosion and rust resistance, so if you have a really harsh environment, you're going to want to go for stainless steel.
[00:29:10] - We also make plastic tags, which are the most economical choice.
[00:29:14] - Another benefit of plastic is that we have a very wide range of colors available, so if you want to get creative with color coding, we can help supply that and it's super easy to order.
[00:29:31] - To talk about valve identification, you can use these to print QR codes on them.
[00:29:40] - When you scan that QR code, it will pull up a pipe diagram or more information about that pipe, however you want to use it—we have lots of customers that use QR codes on them.
[00:29:54] - They will identify critical information: pipe contents, valve function, operating instructions, or tech specs—whatever you want to call out on those.
[00:30:10] - These are also very important for safety and accident prevention, specifically for your LOTO (lockout/tagout) programs.
[00:30:18] - You want to have those isolation points marked with valve tags so there isn't an accidental lockout of a valve that shouldn't be locked out, or a valve that never got locked out because it was misidentified.
[00:30:33] - These will help you with compliance, auditing, asset management, and efficiency.
[00:30:41] - When you have maintenance or troubleshooting, you're going to know exactly the contents of the pipes and which valves need to be turned on and off.
[00:30:50] - We also sometimes see these being used for inventory tracking as well.
[00:30:57] - There are a couple of other standards for pipe marking.
[00:31:00] - We're not going to go into detail, but I just want to make note of them so that if they apply to you, you know there are specific standards out there.
[00:31:09] - The first one is IIAR Bulletin No. 114, which revolves around ammonia refrigeration.
[00:31:20] - As you can see, this pipe marker has a little more going on: it has two different words and two different colors on it, as there are different specifications for ammonia-based refrigeration systems.
[00:31:36] - There's NFPA 99, which is specific to healthcare facilities, so if you have a healthcare facility, you're going to want to make sure you pay attention to NFPA 99.
[00:31:47] - Then there's NFPA 59A, which is specific to LNG (liquefied natural gas) facilities.
[00:31:54] - If you're in liquid natural gas, make sure to take a look at this standard to ensure compliance.
[00:32:02] - Lastly, GHS actually requires pictograms on labels.
[00:32:09] - We can print pictograms on our printers—for instance, the S3700 can do multicolor printing in a single pass.
[00:32:28] - We can print it for you, or if you want on-demand printing, we have options for you on that end as well.
[00:32:38] - There are also services around pipe marking that we offer alongside standard industry services.
[00:32:45] - We do installation services, so if you don't have the capacity to install the pipe markers, we can come in, do the audits, and install the pipe markers for you.
[00:32:57] - I already talked about takeoff services for construction, but we also do project packaging.
[00:33:04] - If you're renovating a facility and want all your pipe markers for floor number one in two specific boxes, you tell us what pipe markers go on that floor and we'll package them specifically like that.
[00:33:20] - All you have to do is take that box to the area where the pipes are, and you'll have the specific ones you need.
[00:33:26] - We can do that for different floors or different areas however you want; just tell us how you want them packaged and we'll package them specifically, helping with your efficiency so you're not digging through boxes trying to find the right ones.
[00:33:43] - To sum it up, key takeaways: you're always going to want to make sure you are complying with ASME A13.1 for new and existing builds.
[00:33:55] - Doesn't matter what type of facility you have, you're going to want to make sure you're in compliance.
[00:33:59] - Make sure you're using the right color codings and materials for hazards.
[00:34:05] - Make sure you are indicating flow direction—it's very important that you identify that.
[00:34:11] - Obviously, make sure that you have the correct legend and text on every single marker.
[00:34:20] - Know your facility's piping system: somebody in your facility should have knowledge of how the piping system works so when something comes up, they can easily identify it and take action.
[00:34:36] - Make sure those markers are suited for your environment; if you have a harsh environment, you're not going to want to use vinyl self-adhesive markers.
[00:34:44] - Prioritize clear placement: don't go through all the effort of marking those pipes just to have them not visible to people working around or below them.
[00:34:55] - Empower your team with on-site printing for the ultimate flexibility and efficiency with those printers, as Kaene discussed.
[00:35:05] - Before we get to questions, we want to talk real quick about our future webinars, which are always on Wednesdays at 2:00 PM Central Time.
[00:35:14] - On August 12th, we have "Surviving the Elements: GHS Compliance."
[00:35:20] - On September 23rd, "The Blueprint for Lean Success: Mastering 5S Visual Controls."
[00:35:28] - On October 21st is the "Visual Workplace and Color" webinar.
[00:35:35] - All right, we are going to open this up for questions.
[00:35:40] - Somebody asked: "How often does the standard suggest a facility should formally audit their pipe markings for legibility and compliance?"
[00:35:56] - The ASME standard actually does not specify an exact timeline; they just very vaguely say that you should audit them periodically.
[00:36:06] - The best practice that we tell our customers asking this is a yearly audit.
[00:36:12] - Around the time you're doing your LOTO audits, it's a good time to do pipe marking as well to make sure all of them are labeled correctly—especially with outside pipes, which get faded or sustain hail damage and need to be replaced.
[00:36:31] - Here's a really good one: "We have an older facility with legacy color codes (assuming 2007 standards). Does A13.1 require us to update everything immediately, or is there a compliant way to phase the new labels in?"
[00:36:50] - The standard does not say that you have to adhere to the new color standards immediately.
[00:36:56] - However, it's very important that you do phase in the new colors the correct way.
[00:37:07] - If you only replace certain pipes with the new colors, you could have mixed colors in your facility where green could mean two different things depending on where you are, which can cause confusion.
[00:37:23] - It's best practice to do whole zones, floors, or areas in your facility at the same time.
[00:37:32] - Make sure that your employees are aware that on a different floor, colors might mean something else.
[00:37:40] - It is best practice to do it all at once, but if you are going to do a phased approach, make sure you're doing it with intent and that your employees are aware of the color changes.
[00:37:55] - Regarding overlabeling: "Can we place new compliant markers directly over the old ones?"
[00:38:07] - That is not advised at all because that will affect the performance of the new markers.
[00:38:15] - Depending on your environment, pipe markers only last for so long.
[00:38:20] - If you have a harsher environment and place a new label over the top of your existing pipe marker, it might fall off.
[00:38:29] - It is best practice to actually remove those old pipe markers and then replace them, either in a different spot or the exact same spot, but it is not advised to place them over the top.
[00:38:49] - Here's a good one: "If a pipe carries a substance that changes temperature or state along its route (such as changing from hot water to cold water, or water to steam), how should that be labeled?"
[00:39:10] - That's a really good question.
[00:39:12] - Much like if there is an interruption in your pipe (such as a valve or an elbow), you do need to mark the exact spot where that chemical or content changes.
[00:39:26] - If it's along a valve or entering a boiler/cooler and comes out as steam, at that exact point where it exits that equipment, you have to have a marker indicating the new state of those contents and the direction of flow.
[00:39:44] - That looks like all the questions we have.
[00:39:49] - If you still have questions, put them in the chat and we will follow up with you via email.
[00:39:58] - I think that's all we have.
[00:40:00] - Kaene, do you have any last words before we go?
[00:40:03] - No, I appreciate everyone jumping on and really appreciate your time.
[00:40:08] - Like Matt said, please feel free to submit more questions and we'll get back to you on those.
[00:40:12] - Awesome.
[00:40:13] - Thank you for your time, everybody.