Acid Storage Cabinet Venting

The university of wisconsin sets forth the following.

Acid storage cabinet venting.

Air should be removed from the bottom vent opening of the cabinet. Therefore it is recommended that storage cabinets including acid storage and flammables storage cabinets not be ventilated see nfpa. While cabinet manufacturers may provide the bungs for ventilation purposes venting flammable liquid storage cabinets is not required or even recommended by any federal regulatory agency. Bungs shall be used to seal vent openings.

3 optional chemical storage cabinets. Cabinet manufacturers include venting bungs for users who may be required to vent by state or local codes individual company policies insurance carrier policies or any other authority having jurisdiction ahj. The need for venting corrosive acid storage cabinets is also defined by some institutions. Cabinets located under fume hoods shall be vented into the plenum of the hood using manufacturer supplied vent kits.

If the integrity of the chemical storage cabinet is compromised because of the ventilation system these hazardous fumes will escape from the cabinet and a very dangerous and devastating situation may occur. Free standing cabinets in biomedical labs shall not be vented. Venting a chemical storage cabinet is not necessary for fire protection. For those fume hoods provided with vented under counter chemical storage cabinets to reduce odor each cabinet shall be connected to a 1 5 inch diameter vent tube which penetrates and is sealed to the fume hood countertop.

If the integrity of the chemical storage cabinet is compromised because of the ventilation system these hazardous fumes will escape from the cabinet and a very dangerous and devastating situation may occur. In fact a vented cabinet could compromise the ability of the cabinet to protect its contents from a fire.