Product Questions & Answers

The IFH System costs too much money - An IFH Oil System is an investment that eliminates wasted space, time, labor, and oil. It also helps you maintain proper inventory, gets rid of drum deposits and damage, and provides a much safer working environment for employees. Many companies like yours have discovered that an IFH Oil System pays for itself in the first two years and keeps paying you every year that you use it. What really costs too much money is
wasted time, space, oil, poor inventory control, and unsafe working conditions. An IFH Oil System reduces or eliminates these problems.

The oil left in the hose from pumping the first product will contaminate the second oil. I can't take the chance of mixing oil and anti-freeze - Cross contamination of oils is not a problem with the IFH System because the pump is a positive displacement pump. That means that almost no oil is left in the hoses after the pumping process. To assure no contamination you can flush the lines with a mild solvent or you can purge the line with the next product. Most of our current users just buy a second discharge hose and drain the extra hose while using the first.

65 gal containers would work fine for some companies...but I need larger containers - That's no problem. One of the real benefits of the IFH System is its flexibility. We can wed 2 containers together for 130 gal of storage or 3 containers for 195 gal of storage. We can wed together as many containers as needed and containers can also be separated from a wedded group in the future and used for a single product. If wedded containers are not a good solution for your needs The IFH Group can also supply larger custom containers. That kind of flexibility makes the IFH System effective weather you are storing 30 gal or 500 gal.

I don't have time to pump 55 gallons of oil into the system - It takes just 5-18 minutes (depending on the temperature and the viscosity of the oil) to transfer an entire 55 gallon drum. The beauty of the IFH System is that it comes with a timer that you can set to turn off after the drum has been completely transferred into the system. That allows you go on with your work and not lose any precious time.

Isn't it a pain to prime the pump for every drum? Not with an IFH System. The pump is positive displacement and self priming.

I know from experience that anti-freeze will ruin a PVC hose. How do I get around that? We simply add on a special products package. It includes a brass and glass sight tube and flex steel hose to the faucets.

What kind of special components? Brass and glass sight tubes, flex-steel hoses, bronze faucets, stainless or poly containers, stainless pumps, air operated pumps, Teflon seals in the faucets and pumps, filters and meters. The IFH Group has been customizing the systems for decades. They have probably already modified a system to store your products.

What do we do with the oil that goes into the drip pan? The self closing faucet attached to the bottom of the drip pan makes it easy to We already have our own racking. Can I buy the system without the racking? It isn't possible because of our liability. If your racking fails we have legal problems. Even a hold harmless letter from you is meaningless because your employee can still sue. For the small amount of savings you might receive, the risk is just too great for
everyone involved.

I already have a pump. I want to buy the system minus the pump - The pump on the IFH System is specially designed with an internal relief so no hoses can be broken causing a mess. Also, the pump does an excellent job at moving various viscosities of oils which cannot be said
for many "off the shelf" pumps that are available. The pump, motor, and timer are a completely integrated unit that comes pre-assembled on a special mounting plate and pre-wired for 110 volts. The small amount of savings that you might receive doesn't justify the chance of getting a pump system that will not be adequate.

An IFH Oil System is not for us. We have a large fleet of trucks and we store motor oil and hydraulic oil in 1000 gallon tanks - An IFH Oil System certainly will not meet your needs when you are storing 1000's of gallons at a time. The IFH System fits into your organization by storing products that are used in smaller quantities. For instance, anti-freeze, automatic transmission fluid, 90-140 heavy gear oil, airline oil, and other specialty fluids. When used with these products, an IFH System is a good compliment to your existing tank storage system.

We already have our drums sitting on racks - By using drum racks you have already reduced one problem associated with storing oil in drums; wasted space. Installing an IFH System will also help you eliminate other problems: Poor inventory control, housekeeping labor, drum deposits, wasted product and time. Your employees will no longer need to lift or hoist 500 pound barrels of oil onto the rack. That will result in fewer work related injuries, and far less labor time.

The IFH Oil System is good, but it is gravity fed down to the faucets, and in order for us to be efficient in our truck maintenance shop, we need hose reels and pumps - not gravity feed down to oil cans - If the standard gravity feed process doesn't work in your situation, The IFH Group will custom design a system with hose reels, pumps, filters, and meters mounted directly on the system or the pumps, and hose reels can be designed as a separate station. The IFH Group has had decades of experience in designing such applications.

We have low ceilings in our oil storage area. The system is just too tall - IFH Oil Systems come in many different standard configurations. If one of these standard configurations won't fit, we can modify it to fit an 8 foot ceiling height.

Our plant is very dusty. The oil system has a vent in every container and dust is going to contaminate the oil. - The standard vent in the IFH Oil System have 100 mesh screens. If the dust particles in your plant are smaller than that, air filters can be added to each container to assure that the oil stored is not contaminated. I need smaller containers - Small, custom built containers are available, but remember, smaller containers do not always mean smaller price tag.

How many gallons do the containers hold?
65 Gallons Each

Are IFH Systems available with larger containers?
Larger containers are available on special order. The most inexpensive method of increasing capacity of frequently used products is to "Wed" two or three containers together, and plumb to one spigot at the filling console. (consult customer service for this option)

How is a system shipped to the customer?
The customer (end user) will receive the system in three parts. The racking is bundled. The containers are palletized and shrink wrapped. The filling console, which includes the assembled drip pan, motor and pump, and the assembled valving arrangement is shipped in a box.

How long does it take to assemble the system?
For an 8 container system, it will take 2 people about 2-2 1/2 hours of uninterrupted time.

What is the flow of the oil at the filling console?
If the system is placed in a building with an ambient temperature of 70°F (21°C), the flow of light oil will be about 3 gallons per minute.

What is the capacity of the racking?
The upright frames are rated at 20,000 lbs each. The crossbeams on a 2 container wide system are rated at 7800 lbs per pair. The crossbeams on a 3 container wide system are rated at 3200 lbs per pair. The crossbeams on a 4 container wide system are rated at 2400 lbs per pair. THE HEAVIEST RACK LOAD OF ANY IFH SYSTEM IS LESS THAN 85% OF THE RATED CAPACITY OF THE RACK.

What is the capacity of the drip pan?
2 - wide system = 9.5 gallons
3 - wide system = 14.5 gallons
4 - wide system = 19 gallons

What are the electrical requirements to operate the IFH System?
110-volt single phase is standard, but the system can be customized to 220- or 480-volt single phase or three phase. The standard single phase motor is rated at 14.5 amps.

Does the system need to be fastened to the wall or ceiling?
No...all systems are freestanding, but the base plates of the upright frames should be fastened to the floor. Wall brackets are provided if requested.

Will the system store products other than oils?
Yes...in some cases, with modifications. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are required for any fluid or oil other than a petroleum based oil. This is the reason we require a completed worksheet for every quotation requested.

Are there products that cannot be stored in an IFH System?
Yes...products with a flashpoint below 150°F (65°C), or products with a PH below 3. Storing unapproved products can result in operator injury, destruction of the system, contamination of products, and void of warranty.

Can "Food Grade" lubricants be stored in the system?
IFH Systems are currently being used at many food manufacturing facilities in the US and Canada. The normal modification is composed of dedicated transfer systems for each "Food Grade" lubricant and a stainless steel container. Customer service will answer all questions
regarding the specific modifications required.

Can you modify a system to accommodate flammable materials?
Customized systems can be designed by our engineers to accommodate materials with a flashpoint below 150°F (65°C). Such a system must be approved by the end user's fire inspector and insurance carrier, and must be located in an explosion proof room.

Does the system include spill containment?
The standard system includes a drip pan mounted below the filling console. Optional spill containment is available for all IFH Systems.

What keeps the containers from falling off the racking?
Standard on all systems are special retainer clips that hold the containers in place.

Can Filters be added to the system?
Yes...filters, meters, and retractable hose reels can be added to increase the efficiency of the system.

Can an air pump be used in place of the electric motor and pump?
Yes...for a slightly higher price an air pump can be added. This modification must be made at our factory.

How do you fill lube carts from the system?
IFH Lube Stations facilitate the filling process of any lube cart. The optional equipment "Lube Stations" are available with 2, 4, 6, or 8 hoses and are side mounted onto your system. The lube station looks similar to the setup of a gas station dispensing system.

What are the containers made of?
The standard system containers are made of cold rolled steel. Optional containers are available made of either stainless steel or polyethylene.