Petzl I\'D
I reciently purchased the petzl I'D L for my 1/2" ropes and ended up asking Tom Dunlap some questions concerning the strength rating of 14kn on the product. He refered me to the Petzl rep which provided me with some answers. I am posting our corespondance to help inform everyone about this product, by request of Tom.
My Questions:
I received your e-mail address from Tom Dunlap and I am writing in regards to the Petzl I'D that I recently purchased from xxxxx Tree Equipment Company. The serial number for my unit is 053xxxxxx and says to have a Max Breaking Strength of 14kn. Now my questions revolve around this 14kn rating.
On the Petzl website the I'D is said to have two separate ratings. L being rated for general use at 22kn and S being rated at light use at 14kn. Now, if I am understanding this correctly, the L is the I'D with the gray face plate and is rated for 11.5 - 13mm. This is the one that I purchased. This one in my possession says that it is rated at 14kn. I am confused by this and require further explanation.
Also I am correct, ANSI standards as well as OSHA standards require that the breaking strength be above 5000lbs. Are there two separate lines in the I'D, one for the professional and the other for the casual user? Should xxxxx be providing the General grade versus the Light grade if there is a difference?
Petzl Rep response:
Thanks for dropping me this note with our question about the I'D.
The I'D you have is the original I'D L, designed to fit 11.5-13mm ropes. Although this original version of the I'D came very close to getting an NFPA G rating (for general use/multi person) it did not certify to this standard. (By the way its CE EN 341 Class A rating allows this use.) Because the Fire Rescue Industry in America looks for an NFPA rating, Petzl redesigned the I'D L. The new version I'D L (NFPA G rated, available May '06) is a bit different than the one you have and is certified to the NFPA G standard.
Although the NFPA L rating certifies to 14kN both the original I'D S and I'D L are considerably stronger than that. In fact both I'D's came very close (over 20 kN) to certifying to the NFPA G standard. As the Fire Service market in the U.S. looks for a G rating on DCD's to be used for multi-person loads, Petzl decided to redesign the I'D L to meet this standard.
Interestingly enough, NPFA standards are only recommendations. No one in the fire service is compelled to use equipment with these ratings. In fact, the most common DCD used by these guys is the rappel rack. They even sometimes use large figure 8's. Neither of these DCD's have any rating at all and in fact are far inferior to the I'D in strength and function.
Your industry looks for ANSI ratings but as I understand it OSHA recommends this but does not compel you either. In any case the I'D S (10/11.5mm rope) is certified NFPA L for single person loads and can be used by any arborist for a single person load. The I'D L which you have is also perfectly suitable for this use and in fact is strong enough for a two person load (CE EN 341 Class A) it just is not certified to the NFPA G standard.
In what application are you using your I'D L? Do you use 12.5mm ropes for climbing? If so, this device is an ideal choice for your application. It is safe, easy to use and is suitable for emergency rescue.
If you have any other questions or would like to talk more about the I'D or any other Petzl product feel free to give me a call.
This was as of 24 March 2006.
I hope this is helpful to everyone.
I reciently purchased the petzl I'D L for my 1/2" ropes and ended up asking Tom Dunlap some questions concerning the strength rating of 14kn on the product. He refered me to the Petzl rep which provided me with some answers. I am posting our corespondance to help inform everyone about this product, by request of Tom.
My Questions:
I received your e-mail address from Tom Dunlap and I am writing in regards to the Petzl I'D that I recently purchased from xxxxx Tree Equipment Company. The serial number for my unit is 053xxxxxx and says to have a Max Breaking Strength of 14kn. Now my questions revolve around this 14kn rating.
On the Petzl website the I'D is said to have two separate ratings. L being rated for general use at 22kn and S being rated at light use at 14kn. Now, if I am understanding this correctly, the L is the I'D with the gray face plate and is rated for 11.5 - 13mm. This is the one that I purchased. This one in my possession says that it is rated at 14kn. I am confused by this and require further explanation.
Also I am correct, ANSI standards as well as OSHA standards require that the breaking strength be above 5000lbs. Are there two separate lines in the I'D, one for the professional and the other for the casual user? Should xxxxx be providing the General grade versus the Light grade if there is a difference?
Petzl Rep response:
Thanks for dropping me this note with our question about the I'D.
The I'D you have is the original I'D L, designed to fit 11.5-13mm ropes. Although this original version of the I'D came very close to getting an NFPA G rating (for general use/multi person) it did not certify to this standard. (By the way its CE EN 341 Class A rating allows this use.) Because the Fire Rescue Industry in America looks for an NFPA rating, Petzl redesigned the I'D L. The new version I'D L (NFPA G rated, available May '06) is a bit different than the one you have and is certified to the NFPA G standard.
Although the NFPA L rating certifies to 14kN both the original I'D S and I'D L are considerably stronger than that. In fact both I'D's came very close (over 20 kN) to certifying to the NFPA G standard. As the Fire Service market in the U.S. looks for a G rating on DCD's to be used for multi-person loads, Petzl decided to redesign the I'D L to meet this standard.
Interestingly enough, NPFA standards are only recommendations. No one in the fire service is compelled to use equipment with these ratings. In fact, the most common DCD used by these guys is the rappel rack. They even sometimes use large figure 8's. Neither of these DCD's have any rating at all and in fact are far inferior to the I'D in strength and function.
Your industry looks for ANSI ratings but as I understand it OSHA recommends this but does not compel you either. In any case the I'D S (10/11.5mm rope) is certified NFPA L for single person loads and can be used by any arborist for a single person load. The I'D L which you have is also perfectly suitable for this use and in fact is strong enough for a two person load (CE EN 341 Class A) it just is not certified to the NFPA G standard.
In what application are you using your I'D L? Do you use 12.5mm ropes for climbing? If so, this device is an ideal choice for your application. It is safe, easy to use and is suitable for emergency rescue.
If you have any other questions or would like to talk more about the I'D or any other Petzl product feel free to give me a call.
This was as of 24 March 2006.
I hope this is helpful to everyone.
