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fire marshall review


Sailor

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Hello

I am in the process of getting a space approved for a DSP. I will be using a small, 120 gallon, electrically fired pot still with distillation column and condenser. The fire marshall is taking issue with my processing procedure, because I want to redistill, gns for making gin, and some of my own stuff. Based on allowing me to start with an F1 rating, he is saying that I can have a maximum of 30 gallons in an open container and can store up to 120 gallons in closed containers (or 240gallons in approved storage cabinet)This does not include barreled and bottled product. If I want to put. lets say, 100 gallons in the distill after diluting to 40%, for distllation thru a gin basket for example, or redistill after a stripping run, I would have to devise a system where the 50 gallon closed storage containers are not opened to the atmosphere but "pumped" into the still.

Any advise on this subject would be appreciated. Thank You

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Hello

I am in the process of getting a space approved for a DSP. I will be using a small, 120 gallon, electrically fired pot still with distillation column and condenser. The fire marshall is taking issue with my processing procedure, because I want to redistill, gns for making gin, and some of my own stuff. Based on allowing me to start with an F1 rating, he is saying that I can have a maximum of 30 gallons in an open container and can store up to 120 gallons in closed containers (or 240gallons in approved storage cabinet)This does not include barreled and bottled product. If I want to put. lets say, 100 gallons in the distill after diluting to 40%, for distllation thru a gin basket for example, or redistill after a stripping run, I would have to devise a system where the 50 gallon closed storage containers are not opened to the atmosphere but "pumped" into the still.

Any advise on this subject would be appreciated. Thank You

Do you have sprinklers? Only 30 gallons open is extremely ridiculous, I'm a very small distillery and usually have more than 30 gallons open and 120 gallons closed on any given day.

I'd ask him why he's going above and beyond what is an already universally agreed standard set by engineers with much more experience than he has. (Suggestion: say it a bit more eloquently than what I said).

I'd start looking for a new location ASAP.

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Your fire martial is correct. The 30 gal open, 120 gal is the maximum allowed quantity in a single control area without a flam cabinet or sprinklers. You can increase your amount by adding sprinklers. That doubles quantities. The other option is change the occupancy to S types. That also requires sprinklers.

If you are in a non sprinkler building there is not much you can do. Also did you get hit up for having a type 1 division 2 heating element? Or did you add ventilation to get around the electrical classification?

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So far with our facility, sprinklers allowed us up to 240 in a control area (with sprinkler mods vs how we found facility), then to get another 240 is more mods to sprinklers plus addition of fire rated walls to create a new "control" area. Beyond that we're looking at H3 classifcation, which requires a another building altogether - with fundamentally non-flammable construction.

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Thank you for your replies. I do have a fireproof cabjnet(18 g steel) large enough to hold 2 x 55 gallon drums) . I do have an explosion proof fan hooked up to a ethanol vapor sensor. 4 of the walls in the processing area are 12 in thick masonry. The 4th wall is covered with 2 lawyers of 5/8 in sheet Rock. His issue is not storage as much as needing some justification in the processing stage to allow me to open a 55 gallon drum of distilled spirits and dump it into my still for the final run. He thinks that that action , opening a container larger than 30 gallons, negates my f1 rating.

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If you don't have sprinklers it does. Your open container limit is 30 gallons per control area. Dumping 55 gallons would exceed that. If you pump it, it's a closed system and that would be ok. If you add sprinklers you could do it and be less than the maq. Once you exceed the maq you will have to go to a hazardous occupancy.

You really need sprinklers to be able to deal with large volumes of alcohol based on the fire code.

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Hi all,

We ran into a very similar problem when getting licensed and hired a code consultant who fixed EVERYTHING for less than $250! Contact info is below. :)

Steve Dalbey

Distillery Code Consulting
srdalbey@gmail.com

563-299-2888

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The gallon limits are based on type of flammable liquid. We deal with class 1-B and class 1-C. Also wort/wash is class 2. Class 1-B is for 100 proof and up if I remember correctly and 1-C is for 40-100 proof. I might be a little off on the cut off but it should be close.

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