FM 4930 Approval means the cooling tower design has been tested and certified to meet tough design and performance standards. It will both contain fire and withstand certain wind or seismic events, while continuing to provide cooling. This adds a marked measure of security for your facility, especially when operations are essential for business continuity and life safety, such as process and hospital applications.
According to FM Global*, the most common cause of tower failure is fire due to maintenance mishaps. Building owners may believe that cooling towers with water flowing through them are safe from fire, but most towers contain materials that can burn under certain conditions, such as when maintenance is being performed and the towers are not operating.
Damage from wind events (high winds or hurricanes with flying debris) is more common than fire from means other than maintenance, and another cause is the possibility of damage from earthquakes. FM 4930 Approval encompasses all of these potential causes of failure. Because there are risks from wind and seismic events, in addition to fire, simply adding a sprinkler system to a tower will not provide protections similar to FM 4930 Approval - but will increase first and long-term cost.
CCS is the industry expert, with more FM Approved cooling towers in operation than all other manufacturers combined.
Our standard Phoenix tower meets FM 4930 Approval with our FRP basin. No modifications, no steel or concrete basin like other manufacturers must provide, and no sprinkler system required. Where other manufacturers need to substitute materials, fastening methods and other components to gain approval (driving production costs and lead times up), CCS can deliver the safety and reliability you want with our standard product.
*FM Global provides insurance solutions and property loss and risk prevention engineering services, including equipment certification, worldwide.
