12/19/2017
The Coast Guard issued Safety Alert 13-17 regarding Fixed CO2 Fire Extinguishing Systems. The publication is specifically targeted at hose connections from the large CO2 cylinders to the manifolds.
Loosely stored bottles can rotate over time placing undue stress on the hoses. Additionally, inspectors also noted “significant cracking of the CO2 discharge hoses” caused by a condition known as ozone cracking which occurs when very small amounts of ozone in the atmosphere interact with the polymers that compose rubber products and certain other elastomers when those products are under tension.