Auto Body Shop – Integrity Auto Specialists uses GoatThroat for Safety with Acetone

In just over a decade, Integrity Auto Specialists has grown into a dynamic leader in the auto reconditioning business with over 25
fleet operations from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. When a car dealership receives truck load of cars which have
traveled hundreds – or thousands of miles on the flat bed, many times there are small chips in the paint and chrome from rocks and debris. Integrity Auto Specialists craftsmen fix these so the customer gets a perfect car.

At the Chesapeake, Virginia Headquarters, technicians fill 1 gallon container of proprietary mixed thinners for distribution to the
craftsmen at the centers throughout the US. Using a pull action pump with leather seal, the technicians had problems with the fluid when the pump seals failed.. In 2002, in an effort to create a more responsible corporate environmental strategy, and to improve worker safety, Integrity Auto switched to GoatThroat Pumps for this filling station. Early in 2003, after several months of use without any problems or failures, management bought a GoatThroat pump for each of its service centers throughout the
US for dispensing acetone.

Kept in a safety cabinet because it is a regulated flammable, acetone is used regularly throughout the day. The 55 gallon drum must
have bonding and grounding wires attached prior to dispensing the acetone. John George, manager of the Western Region, points out that his people are still using the GoatThroat after 10 years. “The previous pump which we used lasted only a few months
before it began to fail. We had to throw it away because it was too much trouble to replace the leather seal. We have been using our
GoatThroat as a hand pump for over 3 years. We have had to replace the tap o-ring a couple of times, but the whole replacement takes less that 5 minutes, and then we are ready to go again.

Recently, we added the BillyGoat Shop Air adapter which eliminates pumping the container by hand, and are very pleased with it. The shop air adapter is set at 2psi which is a very low pressure, and our fluids are always ready for use when ever we need them . We simply open up the tap and dispense a quart or a gallon depending on our need. These pumps have eliminated VOCs from the acetone drum except when we are dispensing it. This tool has improved the safety of our workers and helped us to be more compliant with local regulations. And we don’t spend time cleaning up spills any more.”

Because the purity of Diesel Exhaust Fluid is critical, it is essential to use DEF handling systems which maintain purity while delivering exceptional performance at an affordable price. GoatThroat DEF systems comply with the ISO Standards for proper handling of DEF and uses the same breakthrough technology which has made GoatThroat the most trusted name in point of use transfer pumps. The self-contained sealed systems prevent contaminants from entering the barrel, and provide top of the line purity for DEF.

GoatThroat polypropylene pumps work by pressurizing the container. A few strokes of this idea mobile chemical pump allow for smooth, safe dispensing at rates up to 4GPM. The system includes a pump, 12-inch standoff to allow the top of  the barrel to be used as a shelf, a buttress adapter for easy  barrel interface, a 5-foot delivery hose, a 40 inch siphon tube.  automatic internal pressure relief at 8 psig and a hand operated pressure release.

An air regulator adapter can be added for pneumatic operation which is especially useful with long hose lengths. The air filter is recommended to guarantee purity. An optional remote discharge tap allows finger tip control at the end of the hose, and a meter can be added to the remote tap.

A worldwide leader in environmentally preferable liquid transfer solutions, GoatThroat Pumps are designed to fit containers and barrels from 5 to 55 gallons,  are available in four models for chemical compatibility, and have a cost effective life span of 10-15 years. They provide spill proof, safe transfer of over 1800 liquids and solvents.

REDUCING VOCs

An important lynchpin to customer service and customer retention is a smooth operating auto fleet service center. Most fleet operations use a broad range of chemicals including degreasers, windshield fluids among others, and they are always searching for the best, most efficient ways to handle them. Inventory management is a critical component of the manager’s day to day operation. Questions that always arise are whether it is better to purchase smaller, more manageable quantities of the fluid at higher prices which can be poured directly out of a 1 gallon or a 5 gallon container or to purchase larger quantities and then have to deal with transferring the fluids out of the container safely. To top it off, OSHA and EPA have increased environmental health and safety (EHS) regulations so decision making in this area is critical.

A service manager in Connecticut recently faced this dilemma. To save money for his company, he began purchasing 30 gallon containers of a very evaporative degreaser together with the recommended dispensing pump. However, he found that the recommended pump did not seal off the bung hole and all of the expected saving were evaporating into the air. Further, VOC’s such as hexane and methanol in the air are not healthy for workers, so the concern for the health and safety of the workers became very important. He looked for a pump which would eliminate the evaporation and give him the control in dispensing. Finally he purchased a GoatThroat Pump. According to the manager, “We don’t have problems with evaporation any more. My workers are no longer exposed to the hexane and methanol in the air. We can pump 1 or 2 strokes with the piston and then the drip proof faucet lets us dispense exactly how much degreasing fluid we need to fill our canisters. This is a great cost saver for my company because the volume buying is working and now we are delivering the fluids safely for the guys in the shop.”

POLLUTION PREVENTION

A company which manufactures thermostats and other devises for the automobile industry in Waltham Massachusetts needed GoatThroat Pumps. Recently, the Ford Motor company required this company to fulfill the requirements for ISO14001 and become registered before January 2004. Developing and implementing the plan took over two years, and they achieved their registration by the deadline. One of the problem areas which they had with regard to chemical storage and dispensing was in their boiler room for the biocides and phosphates for their cooling tower and boiler room chemicals . For pollution prevention, they had established the standard which required that stringent spill containment devises and barriers needed to be put in place to contain any large spills, should they occur. As we all know, depending on the exact chemical and volume spilled, if required, the paperwork for the reporting to EPA is very time consuming, and the cost of lost chemical inventory and clean up time is not an inexpensive proposition either.

While establishing the ISO 14001 standard,

the engineers at this company discovered that if they left the drums on the side and used a gravity fed system, such as you see here , the barrier system which they would have to create to contain a spill would be required to accommodate 100% of each container in the room, and would cost thousands of dollars to build. Further research by the engineering department showed that they could substantially reduce the financial outlay by keeping the drums upright, placing them on spill sumps such as you see here, and dispensing from an upright position. Spill containment for containers placed in an upright position on a sump is 110% of the largest container – and not 100% of all containers – because there is little chance of a spill. Further, a containment sump which can hold 4 55 gallon containers can be purchased for about $125 delivered. The environmentally sound GoatThroat, which this company selected, dispenses fluids in a controlled manner using a spring-actioned tap which will deliver chemicals amounts from as little as 5 CCs to up to 4.5 gallons per minute.