ABOUT THE MINESAFE RADIATOR CAP
The MineSafe radiator caps have been designed to eliminate scalding injuries resulting from people removing caps from hot radiators. Although there are a few alternatives on the market, none of them can prevent these injuries reliably like the MineSafe Cap.
Although the original MineSafe Radiator Cap was designed specifically for the mining industry, we have now extended the range of radiator caps available to include models for just about any vehicle.
The MineSafe Radiator Cap Concept
Remember that radiators are pressure vessels containing extremely hot fluid. You need to make sure that you have adequate protection against the heat and pressure energy sources!
The MineSafe Radiator Cap has been designed from the ground up to be:
- Safe - the caps cannot physically be removed until the pressure has been released using the integrated pressure release lever
- Robust - no aluminium or plastic components
- Mine Ready
- Suitable for a very large range of automotive and industrial applications
What is Wrong With The Other Solutions Available?
There are several alternatives on the market, but none of them provide the safety features of the MineSafe Cap. Let’s have a look at these alternatives, and show why they will not provide the protection you need for your employees or your family.
Standard Radiator Caps
These have a pressure release mechanism built into them, and will only work in conjunction with the filler neck. However, this type of action is a very hit-and-miss approach to the safe release of pressure.
To release the pressure on a standard radiator cap, the procedure is to turn the cap in an anti-clockwise direction until the cap-holding tabs have reached the pressure-release presswork in the filler neck. This is a shallow spiralling motion and the last place for the cap to stop is just prior to the cap-removal cutout section of the neck. The amount of distance travelled by the cap only allows the relief of the pre-load on the pressure spring, and one slip at this point can be catastrophic.
With the cap at this point on the filler neck, it is necessary to depress the cap and turn the last small distance which allows the cap to come out of the filler neck and be removed. That moment when the cap has been depressed and turned is the time to be extra careful. Keeping in mind the fact that some pressure is still in the radiator as a result of the sealing o-ring not lifting away from the neck seat, the pressure is actually increased momentarily because the depression of the cap pushes the o-ring down on the neck seat and blocks completely whatever pressure release is taking place at the time.
In the circumstances of the filler neck overflow tube going to a coolant recovery tank, it is often not possible to tell if all the pressure has been released, because the tubing immersed in the coolant in the tank does not always make sufficient noise for the operator to hear what is going on before removing the cap.
This method for determining whether it is safe to remove the cap has been around from the very first radiator cap, and is as outdated as it is dangerous.
Other 70mm Industrial Caps With Pressure Release Levers
The industrial caps that are available to suit the 70mm filler neck with a steel lever are safety caps in the sense that they have a lever to allow you to release the pressure and this makes this cap much better than the standard caps previously mentioned. The lifting of the lever moves the cap seal well away from the filler neck seat, therefore providing adequate room for the release of any pressure.
The venting in this type of cap allows more control over the release of pressure, but the problem we found with these caps was that you could still remove this cap without lifting the lever, thus putting the operator in a situation where an injury may still occur.
Other 55mm Automotive Caps With Pressure Release Levers
There is a range of automotive caps available worldwide that uses a plastic lever for pressure release, but there are problems with safety on two counts with this range.
- These caps have an aluminium locking plate riveted to the top of the cap, to locate the lever in one position and direction, for the locking pin to go through the cap top and into the filler neck. As aluminium cannot be used in underground applications, these plates are removed, severely compromising the locking ability of the cap.
- The majority of these caps are fitted with a plastic pressure release lever which, in normal engine bay temperatures, becomes malleable and does not function as it should. The small locking pin on the end of the lever is very short and relies on full support from the locking plate to enable a safe and secure lock, but as the locking plate has been removed, the plastic lever is easily reseated in the wrong position, with no safety or security whatsoever.
Don’t Trust Your Safety to Inferior Solutions!
The idea of caps such as those outlined above, being used in any application is of great concern to anyone who has responsibility for safety above or below ground.
Let’s keep in mind that the radiator is a pressure vessel and should be treated as such. In fact, it should be treated with the same respect as a gas bottle, able to inflict the same potentially serious burns and injuries in the hands of an inexperienced or ignorant operator, or a person with reading or vision difficulties.
MineSafe Radiator Caps are specifically designed for safe use in mines, having no aluminium or plastic components, and the cap cannot be removed until the pressure release lever has been lifted out of the locking plate, thereby releasing the dangerous levels of water pressure and allowing safer removal of the cap.
If you would like a free sample 70mm Industrial Cap, submit your request now:
Free 70mm Industrial Radiator Cap Sample Request Form
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