New Husky Automatic Shut-off Nozzles Offer Solutions for Those Adapting to New Safety Standards

           Solutions have arrived for the estimated 30 percent of fueling operations – including farm & commercial applications, truck and high-volume situations and a sizeable number of retail locations -- affected by a big change in safety standards that went in place in mid-2015. 

UL 2586 was put in place primarily to deal with the introduction of increased ethanol content in various gasoline blends. But UL 2586 also included a provision banning the use of hold-open latches on certain nozzle valves if those nozzles, when used at retail establishments or by entities that have multiple users with access to refueling equipment, couldn’t automatically shut-off when the dispenser was turned off.  There are safety implications if such nozzles remain latched open when a subsequent customer or user activates the dispenser and inadvertently discharges fuel.

The change had been advocated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for many years. But enforcement was left to the discretion of local officials. Local fire marshals require UL certified equipment at retail sites. When UL 2586 took effect, requiring that all nozzles must either be a pressure activated or be equipped with an interlock device if it is also equipped with a hold-open device, industry experts estimated that as many as 3 in 10 fuel nozzles did not comply with the new standard. 

New Nozzles for Farm & Commercial – Truck & High Volume – Conventional Applications

Husky Corporation responded to the situation by developing a line of fuel nozzles for market segments that needed to adapt to the new safety standards. Engineers modified an established nozzle platform with new components, modified the casting and introduced a pressure-activation feature that permits the use of hold-open clips in compliance with UL 2586. The three new Husky nozzle models now available with these features are:

• 1AS – Pressure activated, automatic shut-off nozzle for full-service and self-service stations 
•  1GSS – Pressure activated, automatic shut-off nozzle for farm, 12V skid tanks, and commercial applications with multiple users 
•  Note: Farm and commercial applications that involve only one user do not require UL-certified nozzles.
• Contact Husky for more information and pricing.

• 1HSS – Pressure activated, automatic shut-off nozzle for truck and high-volume applications

“You cannot open the main poppet valve on these nozzles until there’s pressure supplied from the dispenser. Until then there is no fuel flow. That is a big deal for safety,” said Jerry Mahn, Husky Corporation Mechanical Engineer. “It’s also a big deal because all these applications have an option for using a hold-open device again. So, people can fuel their vehicles and equipment and no longer have to manually hold the lever during refueling.”           

The automatic shut-off features activate when the pump shuts off, when the fuel tank is full, when the nozzle lever is opened before the pump is turned on or when the leak detector has not completed the test cycle. The nozzles are made with a die cast aluminum body and the option of a high impact polymer hand guard or a metal hand guard. 

“There is nothing like the Husky product line on the market for farm and commercial use that is pressure activated with flow rates up to 25 gallons per minute with low back pressure or pressure drop. The 1GSS model features a one-inch inlet, larger than the three-quarter inch inlet that is typically seen on competing farm nozzles,” Mahn said.

            Mahn added that nearly a thousand nozzles were field-tested as part of product development and received positive reviews. Get more information at www.husky.com/husky or by calling 800-325-3558.