Significance of ETL

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The Significance of Predicting Service Life in The Specification of PVC-Coated Galvanized Rigid Conduit

This high-impact 3D animation clearly demonstrates the benefits of product service life as verified by internationally accepted ETL testing. Any specifier concerned with the high costs of product failure should see this animation for a full appreciation of the fact that ETL-verified PVC-coated galvanized rigid conduit performs 10 times longer than non-ETL brands! It’s a proven fact.

All major brands of PVC-coated galvanized rigid conduit are authorized to carry an identical UL listing label.

FACT: All brands of PVC-coated galvanized rigid conduit meet exactly the same standards established in UL 6.

ASTM B117 is referenced as part of UL 6, as a test accepted to determine how ferrous and nonferrous metals, plated metals, and hot-dipped galvanized steel, perform in a marine environment and/or an environment with road salts.

Therefore, ASTM B117 is not a test for PVC-coating of galvanized rigid conduit.

Significance To Users And Specifiers:

Manufacturers of all current brands of PVC-coated galvanized rigid conduit meet precisely the same UL standards. It is the right and obligation of any end-user or specifier to contact UL if they feel a manufacturer is not compliant. The fact remains, however, that all manufacturers privileged to be authorized to apply the UL label, have met the same standards of compliance.

ETL-Verification differs from UL certification because it predicts product service life.

Graphic representation of ETL test results of Perma-Cote compared to competitor.

Graphic representation of ETL test results of Perma-Cote compared to competitor.

FACT: ETL PVC-001 validates the coating performance of PVC-coated galvanized rigid conduit based on ASTM D870 and ASTM D2247, the two accepted ASTM tests for predicting product service life. These tests are not intended to replicate a specific environment. Rather, they are designed to predict the service life of a coating under the two most common conditions that affect adhesive bonds: heat and humidity.

Significance To Users And Specifiers:

A critical consideration in design is product reliability and service life. The risk of premature product failure can have an enormous impact on costs including downtime, safety, legal and environmental.

Conclusions

Specific to independent product evaluations of current brands of PVC-coated galvanized rigid conduit by internationally recognized, unbiased sources:

  1. All brands comply with standards as established by UL 6.
  2. There exists only one definitive difference between brands of PVC-coated galvanized rigid conduit:
    ETL-Verification of product performance and predictability of service life.
  3. Therefore, if predictability of product service life is important to engineering design, avoidance of costly or
    catastrophic product or system failure, it should be assumed in the specification process, that only PVC-coated
    galvanized conduit carrying the ETL-verification label,will meet the standards established by all relevant ASTM
    tests, including those predicting product service life.

Additional information