For Release 9 a.m. EDT, August 26,
1999
FIRE RETARDANT HOMES
by
Kim Schumacher
With all the wildfires this
year it’s no wonder homeowners have become very nervous.
When the air is dry and hot, a wildfire can start with
the smallest spark and quickly grow into an out of control
inferno. When the
wind kicks up it can create an even more dangerous situation,
driving the fire in many different directions, making it
nearly impossible for firefighters to control and extinguish.
Homes are especially in
danger from wildfires because most homes have flammable paint
applied to the outside, which can act as fuel to the fire.
Roofs also catch fire very quickly and the fire can
spread from rooftop to rooftop in amazing speed.
It’s surprising how
very few homeowners consider using fire retardant coatings.
It’s even more surprising how few painting
contractors recommend these products to their customers.
When building a new home or repainting an existing
home, homeowners should educate themselves on the kind of
paint or coating they are applying to their home. It may not be wise to base a decision on the lowest price or
the most popular brand-name.
After putting so much money into building a home,
it’s only sensible to protect that investment as much as
possible.
One product that has
proven success is ENERCHRON®.
ENERCHRON® is a Class “A” fire retardant coating.
In lieu of regular paint, ENERCHRON® can be applied to
the inside or outside of a home with a sprayer or with rollers
and paintbrushes (the application process is the same as house
paint).
In one laboratory test, a
2500 °F torch was put to a slab of ENERCHRON®.
The ENERCHRON® turned red hot, smoked a little and
when the torch was removed it simply self- extinguished.
Amazingly, the ENERCHRON® did not burn, melt or smoke
profusely as would regular paint.
Richard and Terri of
Zephyr Cove are living proof of ENERCHRON’S fire retardant
qualities. Recently,
they applied ENERCHRON® to the engine compartment of their motor home,
with the intention of cooling down the inside cab.
ENERCHRON® acted as a barrier, keeping the engine’s
heat away from the floorboard, thereby cooling down the inside
of the motor home.
However, little did
Richard and Terri know that while traveling through the
mountains they would have the misfortune of an engine fire,
which could have cost them their motor home if it weren’t
for ENERCHRON®. Richard
Reports, “I noticed smoke pouring into our motor home and
had to act quickly. Because
the inside compartment is made of wood and fiberglass I was
worried it would catch fire quickly and spread to the rest of
the motor home. So,
I sprayed the fire extinguisher into the engine compartment. When the smoke cleared I was so relieved to see that the wood
had not burned and the fire was contained because the
ENERCHRON® had protected it.”
Terri adds, “I was
afraid for our two sons’ safety.
I got the kids out and away from the motor home.
Pretty soon the fire engines arrived.
The fire fighters looked inside the engine compartment
to inspect the situation and were dumbfounded that the fire
hadn’t spread or re-ignited.
They asked us what the white coating was and Richard
told them it was ENERCHRON®.
They were pretty amazed.”
When applied to
rooftops, ENERCHRON® is equally impressive.
Not only does it deter fire; it is also water repellent
and even performs like an insulation - keeping a house warmer
in winter and cooler in summer.
ENERCHRON® has unique “energy repelling qualities”
unlike any other paint or coating, which keep surface
temperatures (of rooftops or walls) more stable.
This keeps the inside temperature consistent, creating
a more comfortable living environment.
Carl, an Arizona customer,
recounts his experience; “ENERCHRON® was put on my home
(interior and exterior) five years ago and still looks as good
as new. I have also
noticed that my utility bills are quite a bit lower, as well.
For example, on our apartment without ENERCHRON® (a 700
square foot, 2 bedroom), the utility bill in the hot Arizona
summer months has typically been about $250 per month.
But, on our home (2,300 square feet) which has the
ENERCHRON®, we pay only $190 for those same months!
I also don’t need any interior lighting during the day
at all, with the exception of the master bedroom closet.
I’ve been able to use reduced wattage bulbs or
fluorescent bulbs to further accentuate my electrical
savings.”
ENERCHRON® has been on
the market for over 11 years and for many years before was in
development being researched, tested and “perfected.”
Millions of dollars in government testing were spent and
the results were very encouraging.
Rick Klimovich, CEO of Helios Energy Products, Inc. (and
ENERCHRON®), had the intention of creating the “ultimate”
coating. He wanted
to provide a coating which would help protect homes from fire,
last much longer than other paints and coatings, be safe for the
environment, possess extreme durability and longevity and be
affordable to the average home-owner.
Apparently, he succeeded.
Not only is ENERCHRON® fire retardant, but it was rated
60 g/l by the California South Coast Air Quality Management
District. In layman
terms, this means that ENERCHRON® emits no harmful vapors into
the air and is 4.2 times less toxic than latex house paint.
Anyone who has ever painted the inside of their house and
had to breathe the harsh fumes can really appreciate the mild,
almost “non-scent” of ENERCHRON®.
ENERCHRON® is
surprisingly durable. In
a demonstration of its graffiti resistance, Klimovich took a
black indelible marker and colored a dark spot onto a metal
surface coated with white ENERCHRON®. He let it dry for a few minutes, then took a nylon scrub pad
and water and briskly scrubbed the black pen mark off leaving no
trace of the spot. It
was astounding to see that not only had the permanent ink spot
been removed completely, but the top layer of ENERCHRON® did
not tear apart, peel or show any signs of degradation whatsoever
after being tormented by an abrasive scrub pad.
Incredibly, it was the surface of the nylon scrub pad
that fell apart. Klimovich
says this kind of abrasion resistance is the reason ENERCHRON®
holds up so well under harsh weather and sandstorms year after
year.
With all of these
attributes, it is surprising to find that ENERCHRON® actually
costs less per square foot (at 1 mil dry film thickness) than
many popular name-brand paints.
When asked how he does this, Klimovich replied, “My
main objective was to provide the highest quality product at a
reasonable rate to my customers.
Most paints on the market today have a very high water
content with an evaporation rate of 60-80%, so, in essence,
you’re buying very expensive water.
When the paint dries and the water evaporates away it
leaves a very thin coat of actual paint left on the walls.
This means the walls are not very protected from the
elements and the home may need to be repainted sooner than
anticipated. It was
important to make ENERCHRON® affordable to the average
homeowner. And,
I’m happy to say that in the 11 years ENERCHRON® has been on
the market, our customer satisfaction rate is excellent!”
If you’re wondering what
“1 mil dry film thickness” is, it is 1/1000 of an inch of
dry paint or coating. Think
of it as about the thickness of a black trash bag.
Because ENERCHRON® has more “substance” and less
water than regular paint, when it dries there is more
“substance” left on the surface of the wall.
This means there is more protection on the walls.
Imagine comparing cherry Kool-Aid® to pancake batter.
If you painted your wall with cherry Kool-Aid® and let
it dry, there wouldn’t be much more than red coloring left.
If you then painted your wall with pancake batter and let
it dry, you would have a nice thick coating left on your wall.
Although this is an entertaining idea, it’s not
recommended that you try this at home!
(Incidentally, ENERCHRON® has a beautiful, unique finish
once it’s applied, not at all like pancake batter.)
In areas notorious for dust
and sand storms, bitter cold winters and wildfires, homeowners need to be prepared.
If a typical paint is used, it may look nice for the
first year or two, however, under these harsh conditions it
won’t adequately protect a home for very long and the
homeowner may end up repainting much sooner than expected.
The
best advice to homeowners who need to paint is to do your
homework. If your painting contractor suggests a particular brand of
paint, ask him why he’s recommending it.
If he thinks it’s the best, ask why.
Is it simply because it’s the most popular brand or the
least expensive? Ask
him how many mils (dry film thickness) of material he intends to
paint on your walls. Ask
if the paint is fire retardant, safe for the environment and
your family, highly durable, energy efficient and any other
questions you consider important.
Then, ask for factual literature like test results,
product comparisons & maybe even a demonstration to back up
the claims. If he
can’t, or is unwilling to provide proof, be cautious.
After all, it’s your house and your investment.
Ultimately, you will either reap the rewards or suffer
the consequences... not your painter.
