Tyco no longer offers the BlazeMaster® CPVC pipes and fittings that you need—now what?
CPVC pipe is a greatchoice for residential and light-hazard fire sprinkler systems. It’s light, relatively flexible, easy to cut, easy to join, and highly corrosion-resistant. And BlazeMaster® is one of the biggest players in the fire-rated CPVC pipe industry. But with Tyco no longer selling this brand, where should you buy these pipes and fittings—especially if you need parts for an existing system?
While FlameGuard®, another CPVC brand, is also an excellent fire-rated CPVC product, there are some functional differences between it and BlazeMaster. Fortunately, you can stay with BlazeMaster pipes, as other manufacturers besides Tyco still make it—and QRFS offers their products!
Read on to learn about:
- What makes BlazeMaster CPVC unique?
- A Tyco BlazeMaster CPVC replacement
- How to buy Viking BlazeMaster pipe and fittings from QRFS
QRFS is your partner for fire-rated CPVC pipe and fittings. Check out our full selection of CPVC pipe and fittings, including FlameGuard CPVC and BlazeMaster CPVC.
What makes BlazeMaster CPVC unique?
BlazeMaster fire-rated pipes and fittings are a product of Lubrizol, “an American provider of specialty chemicals for the transportation, industrial and consumer markets” that is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. Lubrizol’s competitor is Spears, which manufactures FlameGuard-brand pipe and fittings.
Both products are excellent, high-quality, and share the same basic chemical makeup: chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC). The extra chlorine atoms in this thermoplastic provide the essential heat resistance necessary for use in fire protection, a setting in which regular old PVC is not permitted. These companies’ products also share the same listing under UL 1821: Standard for Thermoplastic Sprinkler Pipe and Fittings for Fire Protection Service (updated 2019). Again, both brands make good pipe, which is why QRFS sells them both.
However, BlazeMaster and FlameGuard are not entirely equivalent. We delve deeply into the details of what makes each material unique in our previous blog, but here is a summary.
Many of the distinctions are trivial. For instance, pipefitters probably won’t notice fine differences in impact strength or elasticity measurements. And while BlazeMaster’s 1,579 PSI burst pressure beats out FlameGuard’s 1,413 PSI, systems will have other (bigger) problems if the pressure ever gets anywhere near those numbers. However, there are a couple of significant differences between the brands:
1. BlazeMaster earned a CPVC 4120 code of 06, while FlameGuard earned a (still-respectable) score of 05. The CPVC 4120 code is complicated and derives from the concepts of hydrostatic design basis and hydrostatic design stress—both defined in ASTM D2837: Standard Test Method for Obtaining Hydrostatic Design Basis for Thermoplastic Pipe Materials or Pressure Design Basis for Thermoplastic Pipe Products (updated 2024). But to put it simply, a score of 05 means that the pipe was pressure-tested at 500 PSI with 180°F water for nearly two years. In contrast, the 06 score, held only by BlazeMaster, means the water pressure was 625 PSI instead. Basically, BlazeMaster is a highly durable pipe.
2. BlazeMaster is approved for embedding in concrete, while FlameGuard is not. Additionally, BlazeMaster CPVC has slightly more lenient installation requirements in distinct settings. Specifically, while FlameGuard is also approved for use in unfinished basements, it requires tighter-spaced beams (16″ apart on-center for FlameGuard vs. 24” for BlazeMaster) with shorter and shallower bays between them (32′ long x 12″ deep vs. 40′ x 16″).
So, BlazeMaster CPVC has two advantages in a specific installation scenario and in its long-term durability—though buyers pay a premium for these benefits.
Given the installation rules, approvals, and specific chemical composition of CPVC brands, buyers want to maintain brands, particularly for an existing system. But if you can no longer obtain Tyco BlazeMaster CPVC, what do you do? Fortunately, other manufacturers continue to produce BlazeMaster pipes and fittings.
A Tyco BlazeMaster CPVC replacement
Although Tyco no longer sells BlazeMaster, you can still get essentially the same product through QRFS—only it’s made by Viking, another highly respected fire protection equipment manufacturer.
Lubrizol is a polymer company that produces the plastic CPVC compound, but it doesn’t shape the material into pipes, couplings, tees, or other finished products in-house. Rather, Lubrizol partners with other companies, like Viking and (formerly) Tyco, which purchase BlazeMaster CPVC in the form of pellets and then extrude and mold the thermoplastic into finished piping products.
Because the pellets that Viking buys from Lubrizol are the same ones Tyco purchased, Viking-branded BlazeMaster is essentially chemically identical to Tyco’s discontinued products.
QRFS has Viking BlazeMaster pipe and fittings in stock!
In approved settings, CPVC is an excellent choice for sprinkler pipe, and BlazeMaster is top-of-the-line CPVC. So, if you need to maintain an existing BlazeMaster system with new parts or want this brand for a new system, it’s still available, even though Tyco no longer offers it.
QRFS is your source for fire-rated CPVC pipe and fittings. Check out our full selection of CPVC pipe and fittings, including FlameGuard CPVC and BlazeMaster CPVC.
If you need a part that you don’t see online or require additional help, contact the QRFS customer service team at 888-361-6662 or support@qrfs.com.
This blog was originally posted at blog.qrfs.com. If this article helped you, check us out on X @QuickResponseFS.