ACE DuraFlo Receives Los Angeles Building & Safety Approval For Corrosion Control of Fire Protection Piping Systems.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 31, 2003

ACE DuraFlo(R) Systems, LLC announced today the company is the first and only supplier to be approved by the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety for use of its proprietary process for cleaning and lining the inside of fire sprinkler piping, to correct and prevent sprinkler system damage caused by internal corrosion and from microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC).

ACE DuraFlo received notification of the approval from the department's Mechanical Testing Laboratory in a letter dated June 12, 2003. The letter specified that the company's barrier coating process, which has multiple patents pending, has been approved for cleaning and lining the inside of fire protection piping systems to provide corrosion resistance in metallic pipes. It is approved for use in both wet and dry types of sprinkler systems.

Following two years of extensive testing by the department's laboratory - recognized as one of the leading building and safety labs in the nation - the ACE DuraFlo process is the only barrier coating technology approved for sprinkler applications and was granted under Sections 94.301 and 94.2010 of the Los Angeles Plumbing Code, 2002 Edition. In addition, only ACE DuraFlo-approved contractors are permitted to deploy the process, under which epoxy barrier coating material is applied in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications.

"This is a very important step forward in the maintenance of automatic fire sprinkler systems because building owners frequently rely solely on them for fire protection and these systems are subject to the growing threat of microbiologically influenced corrosion," explained Larry Gillanders, ACE DuraFlo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "All too often sprinkler systems get plugged up with MIC or other forms of corrosion and then don't work when they're needed to extinguish a building fire. Building owners or managers may not know that the pipes, sprinkler heads or other components might not work when called upon in time of need."

Most metallic piping systems are subject to various forms of corrosion and fire sprinkler piping is no exception. However, MIC is a unique form of corrosion that can destroy piping and related equipment quite quickly by corroding pipe walls, creating pinhole leaks and causing corrosion byproducts to become attached to the piping's internal walls. MIC is caused by several different types of microorganisms that live on nutrients in water and react with both other microorganisms and with piping material itself. The microorganisms often are introduced into the fire sprinkler systems through the ordinary water supply. Because MIC "communities" develop under specific conditions, corrosion can be localized and can occur in multiple areas throughout the piping system.

"The only effective way to treat MIC is to flush the pipes with a biocide that kills the microorganisms, but that doesn't prevent reformation of communities and further corrosion," Gillanders said. "Our unique process takes restoration two steps further by cleaning the pipes and then lining them with an inert barrier coating that prevents any future MIC damage."

The City of Los Angeles is recognized nationwide as the premier standards organization because it is one of the very few municipal Departments of Building and Safety that has its own Mechanical Testing Laboratory.

"Our engineers have tested the ACE DuraFlo technology under simulated fire conditions, subjecting the epoxy coating to hydrostatic pressure tests, heat tests and high velocity flow tests and have found the process results in sprinkler system materials and construction that are equivalent to those prescribed by the Los Angeles Municipal Code in quality, strength, effectiveness, durability and safety," said Amir Tabakh, Director of the Mechanical Testing Laboratory's Engineering Bureau.

The ACE DuraFlo process is approved for fire protection applications for the following:

-- Metallic steel and copper piping systems in one-inch to

four-inch nominal pipe diameters

-- In both new and existing sprinkler systems

-- In all types of building construction, both commercial and

residential

-- In both wet and dry type sprinkler systems, except for

freezers and in areas where pipes are subject to temperatures

of 32 degrees Fahrenheit and below

In application, the pipe cleaning and coating process must be conducted in accordance with ANSI/AWWA Standard No. C210-97 as well as the manufacturer's printed instructions. Upon completion, all coated and protected pipes must be identified with a tag or decal to indicate the name "ACE DuraFlo Systems LLC," "ADF 204 Internal Pipe Coating Process" and "NSF-PW" for potable water applications, and shall include a disclaimer not to replace pipes without contacting ACE DuraFlo Systems, LLC.

About ACE DuraFlo

The ACE DuraFlo pipe restoration system is based on "in-place" pipe restoration technology that uses a proprietary barrier coating technology to restore pipes right within the walls of a home or building, without tearing them out. This revolutionary technology, which has multiple patents pending, has been successfully used by the U.S. Air Force, hospitals, universities, major hotels, resort facilities, apartments and industrial facilities. The ACE DuraFlo system restores piping systems in half the time and with substantial cost savings when compared to a complete repiping of homes and buildings. A permanent, safe solution for use in potable water systems, ACE DuraFlo uses only coating materials that are NSF and IAMPO certified safe for such use.

For additional information about the ACE DuraFlo barrier coating technology and its application in plumbing systems and fire sprinkler piping, please visit the company's web site at: http://www.aceduraflo.com.