May 11, 2011 – Updated Feb 27, 2011 with New Rating
1. In an effort to eliminate confusion over ratings for extinguishers listed with either a UL listing or a ULC (Canadian) listing, both agencies have agreed to harmonize their test standards. Prior to this change, the US and Canadian Standards had different test requirements for the Class A rating.
2. All manufacturers of fire extinguishers had to retest to the new standards, so that UL and ULC were consistent and the one test program would result in a dual listing for the manufacturer. The results of this retesting are that the current Class A ratings on a few fire extinguishers have been adjusted lower. For example, an extinguisher that previously carried a 20A UL rating may be reclassified to a 6A rating under the more rigorous bi-national standard.
3. The JL extinguishers that are affected by this change are listed below. As inventory of the older labeled extinguishers is used up, we will start shipping extinguishers labeled with these new ratings (Note: Rating on 20E Updated 2/29/12 from 6A to 10A):
| Model | Description | Previous UL Listing | New UL Listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmic 20E | 20 # ABC | 20A-120BC | 10A-120BC |
| 495 | 50# ABC Wheeled Unit | 30A-160BC | 20A-160BC |
4. The fire extinguishers have not changed in design or in fire-fighting capabilities, only the ratings. If one of these extinguishers has been specified for an upcoming project, let the architect or specifier know that there are no extinguishers available (for the 2 models listed above) with the old UL rating – from any extinguisher manufacturer.
5. Click Here for a copy of a letter explaining this change.
If you have questions on this change, contact our customer service department from 7:00 am EST to 4:00 pm Pacific at 1-800-554-6077
