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HYDROCARBON

Hydrocarbon solvent, currently a popular alternative to Perchloroethylene drycleaning, has actually been around quite some time. In fact, Hydrocarbon was one of the first solvents to be used in the early days of drycleaning. Hydrocarbon remained popular for a number of decades, but was replaced by perc. in popularity around the 1940's. The problem with Hydrocarbon was not its cleaning qualities but the fact that it is a flammable and explosive solvent. It was not uncommon for early drycleaning facilities to have explosions and burn down.

With strict environmental state and federal restrictions implemented and present within the last few years, Hydrocarbon has once again gained in popularity. It is a clean and environmentally kind solvent. It admits no vapors thus negating the need for a vapor room. However, there is still that problem with combustion.

Modern drycleaning machine manufactures have either embraced or ignored the impending dangers of Hydrocarbon in the wake of renewed popularity. Machines are either both designed and engineered respective of safety issues or pushed out to get the sale that is currently popular by demand.

In order for any fire to occur, there needs to be oxygen present. When you "throw a blanket" over fire or "stamp out smoking embers" it is to deprive it of oxygen.

Depleting the presence of oxygen to counter act the combustible nature of Hydrocarbon liquid is the basis of Columbia/ILSA's fail-safe engineering.

Nitrogen - a nonflammable, natural, odorless, colorless, gaseous element, forms four fifths of the earth's atmosphere.

By replacing the oxygen in the machine with nitrogen, the possibility of combustion is eliminated.

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