# 40 cal arc suit



## denny3992 (Jul 12, 2010)

This is what we will be getting...
Super light for protection it gives, and local to pa!!

http://americansafetyclothingmfg.com/?wpsc-product=40-cal-norfab-32-jacket-and-bib-overall-kit


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

denny3992 said:


> We dont have arc gear (yet) , its ordered and well have in 3 weeks along with an arc study(in progress) and labeling


That's not all you're getting is it? That's a 40 cal/cm^2 suit, surely you will also want some PPE with a lower ATPV for areas which are not as hazardous.


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## uconduit (Jun 6, 2012)

It doesn't say what it's made of. It says "tri-blend" or something and I would 'speculate' that its some sort of nomex/kevlar blend but it also might be some sort of inferior fabric like cotton that loses its fire-******edness after being washed. That said there are fabrics superior to kevlar/nomex that are used for firefighter suits. Some facilities do not accept cotton as a fire-resistant material no matter what a manufacturer says.


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

Spend the extra money and get the fans in the hood.


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## denny3992 (Jul 12, 2010)

uconduit said:


> It doesn't say what it's made of. It says "tri-blend" or something and I would 'speculate' that its some sort of nomex/kevlar blend but it also might be some sort of inferior fabric like cotton that loses its fire-******edness after being washed. That said there are fabrics superior to kevlar/nomex that are used for firefighter suits. Some facilities do not accept cotton as a fire-resistant material no matter what a manufacturer says.


Not treated fabric...


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## denny3992 (Jul 12, 2010)

sparky970 said:


> Spend the extra money and get the fans in the hood.


For $120 absolutely


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## denny3992 (Jul 12, 2010)

Michigan Master said:


> That's not all you're getting is it? That's a 40 cal/cm^2 suit, surely you will also want some PPE with a lower ATPV for areas which are not as hazardous.


This 40 cal is so light i wont mind with a 12 cal shield.... Its lighter than the cotton fr i wore at my last place!


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

sparky970 said:


> Spend the extra money and get the fans in the hood.


 Absolutely. If you're getting any face-protection at all, get the fans. They aren't a luxury item: If you can't see through your glasses or shield you can't safely do the work.

I think fans or an honest-to-goodness "no fog" design should be mandatory.


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## uconduit (Jun 6, 2012)

denny3992 said:


> Not treated fabric...


What kind of fabric then? I looked at the website and it's "3-blend" or "teca-soft" or something like. I'm just curious. The only really good fire-resistant clothing materials that I know of are leather, asbestos, pbi, nomex, and kevlar. Asbestos is no longer acceptable for obvious reasons (though there is an effort to discredit any link to asbestos and disease and return it to common usage) but asbestos is actually fire-PROOF. PBI is some sort of new technology fiber that's better than kevlar and I believe kevlar is better than nomex.


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

Big John said:


> Absolutely. If you're getting any face-protection at all, get the fans. They aren't a luxury item: If you can't see through your glasses or shield you can't safely do the work.
> 
> I think fans or an honest-to-goodness "no fog" design should be mandatory.


We do maintenance and cleaning on MV transformers where our testing and grounding crew wear these all day long. The fans really make a difference. I wouldn't buy another hood that didn't have a fan.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

You die here without cooling. :laughing:


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## denny3992 (Jul 12, 2010)

I tried one and and moved around its not to bad... They also have a polar hoodie thats 12+14 cal ( they cant rate it 36 cuz its 2 layers) and totally water proof( but not plasticy)... Ill post pics when they come in


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

When you really need the 40 cal suit, it will just make identifying you easier after.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

Goes all the way to 5XL?  

I had to wear cotton overalls with non-conductive zipper, helmet and safety glasses as a minimum to be in the same structure as the lineman who were doing a shutdown at the transformer for us. They had some pretty unusual coats, I assumed they were for arc flash or something but when I asked he laughed and said they are FR but they're just big heavy coats since 3/4 of the time we are standing around waiting, they were big orange quilted greatcoats with hoods, looked like horse blankets.

Here is a photo from that shutdown taken at 2am, I'm the weirdo at the back covered in soot from the main distribution board we were changing.


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## denny3992 (Jul 12, 2010)

backstay said:


> When you really need the 40 cal suit, it will just make identifying you easier after.


Huh?


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## Michigan Master (Feb 25, 2013)

Arc flash PPE only provides protection from thermal hazards; it does not protect against flying shrapnel or blast pressure. Some people incorrectly think incident energy is directly correlated to blast pressure and that all work above 40 cal./cm^2 is a death sentence should an arc flash event occur.

Below is a link to a good article by Jim Phillips, P.E. that was published in Electrical Contractor Magazine.
http://brainfiller.com/library-articles/arc-blast-and-40-calories-centimeter-squared.31/

Some also believe the NFPA puts a limit on live work above a certain IE. This misconception likely comes from article 130.7(A) Informational Note No. 3 which simply says that greater emphasis is necessary with respect to de-energization before working within the Limited Approach Boundary of these exposed electrical conductors or circuit parts.


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

denny3992 said:


> Huh?


Read what Michigan wrote. Then you'll understand.


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## pudge565 (Dec 8, 2007)

denny3992 said:


> This 40 cal is so light i wont mind with a 12 cal shield.... Its lighter than the cotton fr i wore at my last place!


Yea those uniforms are a bear, I really wish they had normal ones and like 2 rated ones so we don't have to elwear the rated stuff every day.


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## denny3992 (Jul 12, 2010)

backstay said:


> Read what Michigan wrote. Then you'll understand.


Ahh i see least ur corpse will be identifiable.


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