Which flange protector should you choose?

When choosing flange protectors for your project, there are several things to consider. Often, the specification will state which type you must use to gain approval from the client, and in those cases, it is often safest to do exactly that – even if it isn't always the best option. Does the flange protector need to provide optimal protection against impact, mechanical damage, and dust; is it a temporary protector that must be as cheap as possible; or do you need to protect the flange during sandblasting and painting?

We stock the most common types and have our own production for our custom-designed Rapid Soft Cover, plywood protectors, and custom-dimension self-adhesive flange protectors.

Different materials

Plastic:
Plastic flange protectors have several advantages; they are, among other things, lightweight and inexpensive to purchase. Very often, flange protectors are disposable, and in such cases, it can pay off to choose plastic to save money. However, they are not optimal, as they do not withstand as much as, for example, plywood and Rapid Soft Cover, and they do not always cover the entire flange face.

EP304 is one of the most popular; it is pressure-class specified, covers the sealing surface, and is mounted in the bolt holes of ANSI flanges. It is available in sizes from 1/2" to 12" in both #150 and #300. The smaller sizes will also fit #600 flanges.

EP305 is another one you have probably seen before. The yellow plate. EP305 is a protector that is not pressure-class specified, meaning only the flange size matters – not the pressure class. It is mounted in the center hole, and the ribs on the protector will keep it in place. It protects the entire flange face and is made of LD-PE plastic, so it does not provide optimal impact protection. However, this is the cheapest alternative when it comes to flange protectors, and it comes in sizes from DN10 (3/8") to DN400 (16").

EP310 is another full-coverage flange protector. It features a gripping edge to secure it to the flange and provides protection for the entire flange, including the sides. EP310 is pressure-class specified and comes in sizes that fit both ANSI and CF (SPO Compact) flanges, from DN10 to DN300.

Wood:

Waterproof plywood is required by many companies to be used on their projects. We have our own production of our plywood protectors and manufacture them to order. Since we

make them ourselves, we can produce them for all existing flange sizes, and we also attach a 2mm rubber gasket for optimal impact and dust protection.

All protectors are engraved with the size and pressure class so it is easy to see where they fit and what they protect. The advantage of waterproof plywood flange protectors is that they provide extremely good protection against both impact and dust. The disadvantage is that the larger sizes become heavy to work with; furthermore, they require bolting.

Composite:

Rapid Soft Cover is something we at Reál Marine AS invented and comes for both ANSI and SPO-compact flanges. Several have copied the design, but we have the original! The flange protector that gives you the best of both worlds: optimal protection against impact and dust, while also being very lightweight. Rapid Soft Cover consists of a sandwich solution with 4mm PE plastic on the outside and 5mm cellular rubber against the flange. All flange protectors are delivered with 4 or 8 plugs, depending on the size. The plugs are inserted into the bolt holes, and the name comes from the fact that a protector is mounted in seconds. Since we have our own production of these, we make them in all sizes, for special flanges such as square flanges.

We also see that more and more are writing Rapid Soft Cover into their requirement specifications when it comes to flange protection, and that is because they are easier to work with than plywood.

Rubber:

I have heard many hesitate to use self-adhesive rubber because it doesn't stick well enough, or it sticks too well and adhesive is left on the flange. There is one type that sticks well and doesn't leave any adhesive residue; that is the rubber from Distixx.

Surface treaters swear by it when masking, and we see that more and

more people are using it as "regular" flange protectors, as it is easy to mount, provides good protection, and is very space-saving in the warehouse. We stock all standard sizes, and on our cutting table, we can cut out all dimensions, rings, and special shapes.