New Anti-icing Vent Skirt is Inexpensive, Easy to Install and Increases
Safety
Midwest Gas Association Innovations, February 1997, Volume 1, Issue 4
A solution to ice-blocked relief vents on pressure regulators has been
developed that is effective, economical, durable and installs in minutes.
Cold, wind, snow, ice and freezing rain across the Midwest have made this a
winter to remember -- and one most people would rather forget.
Harsh conditions like these can make life inconvenient for homeowners. But it
can also pose potential threats. One of those threats is the possibility of over
pressure or loss of natural gas service into a house caused by an ice- blocked
relief vent on the pressure regulator.
Bennett Regulator Guards, Inc. has developed an effective, economical and
durable solution that installs in minutes, without interrupting gas service to
customers.
The “Universal” Vent Guard is a patented anti-icing vent skirt that reduces
the probability of ice forming on the relief vent of pressure regulators in two
ways. First, its shape prevents freezing rain from accumulating as an icicle on
the relief vent itself. Second, a baffle prevents splashes from reaching and
forming as ice on the relief vent.
The easy-to-maintain vent skirt looks like part of the meter. It attaches to
a wide variety of models of service regulators by means of a close nipple
threaded into the relief vent. The nipple is followed by a vent guard which is
locked down with a lock nut. A screen and screen holder follow. The assembly is
finished with a baffle, which snaps into place.
According to Greg Bennett, president, and master fitter, the installed vent
skirt actually increases the effective opening of the relief vent from one
square-inch to 25 square-inches. And unlike snorkel-type solutions, which extend
the vent, the vent skirt will not chatter -- it won’t compromise the back
pressure of the regulator.
The product is made from durable high-density polyethylene (HDPE)--one of the
best-suited plastics for all-temperature outdoor use.
HDPE is stronger in terms of impact than most other plastics. It behaves well
at higher temperatures, such as in direct sun light, but maintains great impact
strength at very low temperatures -- unlike many other plastics which can
shatter at low temperatures. HDPE also provides good UV resistance.
Cost of the vent skirt is less than $5 per unit and it only takes a minute to
install.
According to Bennett, a manufactured snorkel-type fitting costs about $14.
Creating one costs about $8 in pipe fittings. Snorkel-type solutions can take
about 15 to 30-minutes to install. “The vent skirt can save labor costs,”
Bennett says. “It’s so easy to install that some utilities hire college and high
school students for the job. I can do it in about 30 seconds.”
In addition, use of the vent skirt can eliminate costly time to de-ice an
unprotected meter and restore gas service to a home. Even more important is the
assurance of customer safety by avoiding an over pressure situation which can
damage appliances or even cause an explosion.
For more information on the Universal Vent. Guard, contact Greg Bennett at
717.993.6677.
