Comparing Novec 1230 Fire Suppression to Other Clean Agents

If you’ve been searching for a solution to protecting your staff, family members, and friends from potential fire hazards, fire extinguishers simply aren’t the most practical method anymore when extinguishing a flame. 

Automatic fire suppression systems are the modern-day fire protection method that allows you to evacuate without human intervention. There are many different types of fire suppression fluids that you can choose from when safeguarding your home or business with fire protection systems.

Novec 1230 gas is one of the most popular suppression fluids that can be purchased for companies, but we’re going to put it up against the other clean agents to see if there is a better alternative for you when looking for automatic detection and protection.

How Do Clean Agents Work?

In regards to how clean agents work, they use environmentally friendly inert gases or chemical agents to extinguish fires rapidly while minimising the damage to your equipment and our planet. These agents work by removing one or more elements required for combustion, such as heat, oxygen, or fuel.

To elaborate on this point, depending on the clean agent fire suppression system you invest in, it will quickly spread into the affected area as a gas, soaking up the heat and cooling the fire. Further, they stop the chemical chain reactions (reducing the oxygen level of the fire) that allow a fire to continue, meaning they effectively extinguish the fire without leaving residue.

With a fire needing heat and oxygen to spread, clean agents block both of these instances from happening. You may be thinking, well any type of fire suppression system can do this. However, the factor that makes clean agents stand out is that they are eco-friendly.

Due to their low ozone depletion potential, global warming potential, and short atmospheric lifetime, their quick suppression and little to no cleanup make them a worthwhile choice for fire suppression in situations where protecting sensitive equipment, your staff, and keeping business moving forward are essential.

How Many Types of Clean Agents Are There?

There are three different types of clean agents that you can purchase for your fire suppression system: Novec 1230, FM-200 and inert gases. Although there are other clean agents available, these three in particular have been tried and tested as the most elite clean agents that will do the most efficient job.

These agents are not only effective, safe, and suited for a variety of infrastructures, but they all leave no residue in the aftermath of a fire and work by either lowering oxygen levels or preventing the chemical reaction of fuel fires.

Novec 1230 Fire Suppression: A Complete Comparison to Other Clean Agents

Although clean agents are required for optimal fire safety and protecting our planet, we also know that each type of clean agent will not suit every application or scenario. That is why we’re looking to put 3M Novec 1230 fire suppression up against the other clean agents available to see what could be applicable for your domestic or residential property moving forward.

Novec 1230 Fire Suppression and Inert Gases

Firstly, 3M Novec 1230 fluid suppresses a fire by removing the heat and oxygen from the fire when automatic sensors are triggered by the heat and smoke of the flames. Whereas, inert gases focus solely on reducing the oxygen level of the flames to prevent re-ignition. 

Both leave no residue behind in the aftermath, meaning businesses can return to work quickly while their equipment is safe. However, the main difference between Novec 1230 fluid and inert gases is that a Novec 1230 fire protection system uses a chemical agent, while inert gases use naturally occurring gases.

Therefore, certain applications are suited for both clean agents, meaning one application may need a chemical agent but another may need a naturally occurring gas instead.

Novec 1230 suits applications such as data centres, museums, IT rooms, etc. due to its non-conductive chemical properties. Similarly, inert gases are also suited for electronic applications, but they will be installed in applications where chemical agents aren’t needed.

As for storage and efficiency, you will need around 18 Inergen cylinders to do the same job as three Novec 1230 cylinders, so depending on your storage capacity, Novec 1230 fluid will be more efficient in that regard. Yet both are the top choices when it comes to their individual advantages.

Novec 1230 Fire Suppression and FM-200

As you look closer at Novec 1230 fire protection fluid and FM-200, you will soon see that Novec 1230 clean agent fire suppression systems are more environmentally friendly (1 global warming potential rating) than FM-200 (3500 global warming potential rating), meaning that you’ll become much more energy-efficient in your place of work. 

Regardless, in reference to storage,  both fire suppressant agents are very closely matched, with FM-200 being slightly more storage efficient—yet, they’re both great choices. Furthermore, this is also the case with how much suppression fluid is used during the extinguishing process; FM-200 requires less fluid to dispose of a fire compared to Novec 1230. 

Both extinguishing agents, however, are powerful, fast-acting and remove both heat and oxygen from the oncoming flames, making them two of the most efficient extinguishing systems on the market.

What Clean Agent Fire Suppression System Should You Choose?

With the differences being minor between all three clean fire suppression systems, the little details such as cost, storage efficiency, and environmental impact will ultimately be the deciding factor in what clean agent fire protection system you choose. 

The best way to do this is to contact a specialist to come out, measure what’s best for your building, and see whether your company values align with the option they recommend. For example, if they recommend the FM-200 model but you want the environmental benefits of the Novec 1230 system, they’ll see if there’s a way that can work within your application.

If you want to speak to our team, who have received positive feedback from around the country, allowing us to supply fire suppression systems to those who need them the most, don't hesitate to get in touch with us, and we’ll see if we can help you decide on the correct fire extinguishing system for your property.