Something in the world of floating have you stumped?
Show Highlights
A UL Field evaluation is something that can be requested from your Health Department or regulator, often prior to opening. It’s designed to ensure a certain standard for electrical equipment in commercial businesses. Graham and Ashkahn break down the process of getting a UL Field evaluation, how much it’s likely to cost, and even some tips when discussing this with your health department.
Show Resources
Listen to Just the Audio
Transcription of this episode… (in case you prefer reading)
Graham: Today’s question is, “I am about to open a float center and my health department says that I need to have a UL field inspection on my electrical equipment. Is this bad news, is it going to stop me from opening?”
Ashkahn: Yeah, that does happen.
Graham: It’s kinda bad news in the sense that you’ll have to pay a little more money.
Ashkahn: It costs money.
Graham: It costs money.
Ashkahn: So this, yeah. Lets … Before we fully answer your question dear listener, let’s establish a few pieces of information. Like who … What is the UL?
Graham: What is the UL?
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: Yeah.
Ashkahn: So.
Graham: So.
Ashkahn: UL is the Underwriters’ Laboratory, and it’s not a government organization. It’s a … I think it’s a non-profit, I think it’s specifically a not for profit. I think they lost their non-profit status at some point in the 50s or 60s or something like that. And, so anyway, it’s an organization that’s not a government body, that specifically certifies products for electrical safety. That’s their stick. So they take different products in all sorts of different categories, batteries, electrical components for lighting, for pool and spa equipment, for cars. It’s a bunch of, bunch of stuff. You’ve probably seen it. The little UL logo on varies different things around.
And they’re pretty big and they’re pretty widely known and have been around for a long time and decently respected. As people who can certify things to electrical safety. So, there’s a lot of different certifications for things out there. And they’ve even recently been working on the path towards actually having a float tank certification. There’s a float tank out there that has been UL certified, maybe more than one. And they have kind of a certain certification they think would be best suited for float tanks, they might adjust a little bit as you bring a float tank through that process. And this is not exactly that. What you’re being asked to do is not to get your entire float tank UL certified.
What you’re being asked is to have probably the actual electrical components in the brain on control system of the float tank, have some UL check that specific are of it and give you a little stamp that says it’s good to go.
Graham: Yeah, and that can be required for a couple of reasons, right. So there’s either the float tank you got was not actually UL certified by the manufacturer. So they didn’t have someone come in and at the manufacturing level say that everything that is produced, that has this configuration is UL certified. And if you do then you wouldn’t be asked for this. You’ve gotta give them your UL certificate from the manufacturer and the health department would be happy, right.
And then so a field evaluation, which is where like Ashkan said, they come out and actually just check your float tank in the field or maybe prior to actually being set up in your center.
Ashkahn: And it might not even be the UL coming themselves coming out. I think other organizations or even electricians can test things to certain protocol and that will like be a UL test.
Graham: Yep, so that and the field evaluation again, is required when either it wasn’t certified or it went through changes. So, even if you at one point or if you got a float tank that at one point was UL certified, but now they’ve changed out a bunch of the electrical components and they’re using new machinery, you might still be required to have a field evaluation.
Ashkahn: And that’s gonna cost money, but probably not an insane amount of money. This will probably cost you a few thousand dollars …
Graham: Yeah.
Ashkahn: To have someone come out and go through this process with you.
Graham: My guess would be somewhere between two and five, is kind of the range that I’ve heard.
Ashkahn: And I’ve heard float centers going through this and most of the time they don’t really need to make adjustments. They can just … you know, the float tanks are already kind of built to a spec that passes those requirements. So really mostly it’s just the cost of having someone come in and validate all of that. Rather that having to change a bunch of stuff.
Graham: And it’s often per unit, which is kind of unfortunate, even for identical units. That several thousand dollars is likely going to be per float tank that you actually have on site. So it can add up for a larger center.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: Which is a little unfortunate. But the good news is they’re requiring this for a reason, right. Which is, they just wanna make sure … Like you have ton of saltwater sitting there, and they wanna make sure that people are safe in it. Around a bunch of electrical equipment, right. It’s almost a very understandable concern and logic behind requiring this field evaluation.
Ashkahn: Yeah, it’s just generally a wet environment. The shower and the filtration system, all that stuff can leak saltwater. It’s not a bad idea to have an eye towards electrical safety.
Graham: Yep, and this could happen on the state level or the county level, that your health department could be requiring this. So if you know for instance just that other float tanks in your state have not had to be field evaluated, you’ll still wanna check with your county. Just like everything for health department regulations.
Ashkahn: And, I guess maybe the other thing to say is, sometimes there may be flexibility in here. You might be able to talk to your health department and say, “Hey, would it be okay if I had an electrician come and just write off on this and do an inspection, and give it their stamp of approval?” And that might be something that they like, you know. They’re like, “Okay, yeah, if you get like an actual licensed electrician to come and evaluate the system and approve it, that will satisfy what we’re looking for.”
So there might be some flexibility if you talk to your health department.
Graham: Yep, or there might be no flexibility and they just put their foot down. But you never know until you ask.
Ashkahn: Yeah.
Graham: And I mean that is one of the fortunate parts about being in an industry that is a little more wild westy, is that you can sometimes negotiate like this. You know oftentimes there’s not actually a law in place that says, “Flat tanks have to be treated in this exact way.” So, talking to and finding out or talking to your health department officials, and finding out what makes them comfortable is sometimes an easier way than just going straight to spending thousands of dollars.
Ashkahn: And, I think that’s about it.
Graham: Yeah.
Ashkahn: Short episode today.
Graham: Yeah.
Ashkahn: And I guess as a little side story, you know, this can even change from time to time within the same area. So, when we were just getting started up, we bought some used float tanks from down in Southern Oregon. Our two used Ocean Float Rooms that we started with, of which we still have one in our center that actually has a UL field evaluation metal sticker, metal plaque … What’s the word for that stamp or …?
Graham: Stamp.
Ashkahn: Yeah. Something, whatever. Anyway, you get the idea, it’s like a metal thing. It’s on the side there that say, “I’ve been field evaluated.” And now, if you’re opening up in Oregon, you would not have to have that done. But in order for the float center that we got those tanks from, to be open for business, they required them to be field evaluated and as a result one of the tanks in our center has a field evaluation stamp.
Graham: Cool, all right. If you guys have other questions, you can hop over to floattanksolutions.com/podcast and send them our way.
Recent Podcast Episodes
Should I Wire my Float Tanks into the Wall? – DSP 265
Ashkahn is currently recovering from his talk and the after-party last night, but Jake and Graham have gracefully taken the time to answer a construction question again today.
On the docket today is a question about wiring a float tank directly into the wall. Graham and Jake provide an overview of why some people may prefer this (it’s much easier to keep waterproof, e.g.), and why at Float On they use the twist lock for their outlets and how to properly utilize them.
Can I Keep My Old Ceiling With My Buildout? – DSP 264
Hopefully everyone had a lovely time at the Friday Activities and the after-party.
Ashkahn is still busy running the conference, but Graham and Jake have stepped in to talk about construction!
Today the guys talk about keeping a drop ceiling or T-bar ceiling in an existing space that you’re converting to a float center. The short answer is don’t keep it, as it can cause problems, but the guys do have some workarounds if your landlord is opposed to changing the ceiling.
What to Expect When Expanding from 1 to 3 Tanks? – DSP 263
Ashkahn is busy preparing for everything that happens tonight and tomorrow for the Conference, but that doesn’t mean Daily Solutions will stop being daily.
Graham and Jake talk construction and what to expect when you’re expecting… a giant expansion for your float center. What’s it look like when you go from one tank to three? How do the demands change? What needs to be put in place to make sure that you’re not hitting snags?
Fortunately, these guys know the score and are happy to share.
All About Floor Drains – DSP 262
As Ashkahn gets everything ready for the Start a Center Workshop (happening today) and the Float Conference this weekend, Graham and Jake tackle answering construction questions on the podcast.
Today they’re talking about floor drains. What to consider for drains and how they might pair with different types of flooring. Given the hefty price tag for these more advanced drains, having as much research before making a decision on these is essential. Luckily, the guys have done the hard part already and identified a lot of things to consider.
How to Deal with Float Room Humidity – DSP 261
Graham and Jake are at the helm again while Ashkahn puts the finishing touches on the Float Conference.
Today, the guys are talking all about humidity and how to deal with it when constructing your float rooms. They talk about all the little nuances that you (or your contractor) might not think about when it comes to humidity and how soundproofing and regular airflow may not always go hand in hand.
Latest Blog Posts
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #24
Alberta is often called the Texas of Canada. Part large oil industry, part cattle country.
Don’t Mess With Alberta!
At the base of the Rocky Mountains, replete with an Olympic Stadium, Calgary is a world-class destination for winter sports. The float community developed here similarly to Edmonton – there wasn’t anything nearby except for one or two residential float tanks, and then, in a short period of time, several centers opened all at once. Instead of competing, they’ve decided to work together and have developed one of the tightest knit float communities we’ve seen. They even have monthly Float Dinners, much like we do with the float centers in Portland. They don’t keep meeting minutes, so it’s hard to determine what they talk about at these dinners; my guess would be salt, the effects of salt on various substances, and how salty salt damage can make someone salty.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #23
After Montana, we blazed our way back into Canada. The drive was long, but the scenery was beautiful. We followed the Rockies north, driving up to Edmonton. It’s a bit of a detour but, there are so many float centers in Edmonton, it seemed crazy not to stop by.
The city itself is primarily made up of workers from the oil fields – high risk, high income jobs that fuel the economy. At least until recently. Our visit was right in the middle of the Fort McMurray wildfire which has displaced a lot of the workforce, forcing 100,000 people to leave their homes. Many came to Edmonton, being the nearest metropolitan area to Fort McMurray. Some already split their time between the two cities, living in Edmonton and traveling to Fort McMurray for weeks or months at a time for work.
It’s understood that, in economic hardship, luxury commodities are typically the first thing people cut back on. Surprisingly, this doesn’t seem to be the case for floating. In fact, more people seem to be trying it to help alleviate the stress, many centers even offering free or discounted services to those displaced in an effort to help in a small way.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #22
We’ve got two more stops in Colorado Springs before heading west. It’s a town known for its military base and long history of weapons testing. With such a large military presence, it comes as no surprise that the float center owners here are veterans, themselves.
After that, we shoot across to Salt Lake City. Utah is filled with gorgeous sights, from breathtaking lakes to stunning painted hills. With an international landmark famous for its effects on buoyancy, Salt Lake City should be pretty familiar with the concept of floating. With five different float centers, and the manufacturer of the Zen Tent out there, there could be some cause and effect.
After that, we head up into Idaho and Montana to close out the Central United States portion of our Tour. We’ll follow the Rocky Mountains north, taking in the scenery along the way.
The Float Tour Blog – Issue #21
Denver has been home to a vibrant float community for a long time. Some of the earliest commercial centers that started up in the ‘70s and ‘80s were out here. 30 years is a long time, and most of the old centers aren’t around anymore, but there’s a conscious community that has been floating since the old days and they love how much the industry has evolved and grown.
