Omega Flex Receives Seismic Certification

Omega Flex Inc, a leading innovator in the corrugated tubing industry, announced the first-ever seismic certification for a piping system by the International Code Council Evaluation Service (ICC-ES). ICC-ES has published a listing for the Omega Flex TracPipe-CounterStrike, MediTrac and DoubleTrac corrugated tubing products based on the Acceptance Criteria AC-156 for nonstructural building components.

TracPipe CounterStrike (fuel gases), MediTrac (medical gases), and DoubleTrac (liquid fuels) have already proven to be break-through technologies in their respective application areas allowing engineers, designers, and professional installers to innovate beyond the textbook approaches to designing and installing piping systems. For buildings in any seismic zone, the ICC-ES certification will simplify the requirements for pipe supports and seismic bracing of these piping systems. All three Omega Flex products can eliminate all intermediate piping system joints (that historically have been the leading cause of leakage after earthquakes), reduce installation time, reduce the seismic bracing demand, and lower the final system cost compared to all other traditional rigid metallic piping products. Installation of Omega Flex flexible piping can also contribute to the functional recovery and resiliency of buildings by reducing downtime after an earthquake.

The ICC-ES ESR-4565 Report represents the seismic certification by shake-table testing for these flexible piping systems as an alternative to code-prescribed requirements. Omega Flex tubing systems proved indestructible under severe earthquake simulations that surpassed all the intensities and seismic forces ever recorded as well as the design forces specified in the current building codes. The seismic certifications for the three Omega Flex products are consistent with the technical requirements of the major US seismic codes and standards including: International Building Code, the ASCE-7 Standard, FEMA 461 as well as the City of Los Angeles Department of Building Safety, and the State of California Division of State Architect and OSHPD.