Navigating New Oil Storage Rules: A Look at ANSI/IIAR 6-2025

The world of industrial refrigeration is constantly evolving, with new standards and updates emerging to improve safety and efficiency. One recent publication, ANSI/IIAR 6-2025, has introduced a change regarding the storage of oil within machinery rooms. This update impacts how facilities manage their compressor oil and highlights a temporary but important contradiction with an existing standard.

The New Allowance in ANSI/IIAR 6-2025

Under the new ANSI/IIAR 6-2025 standard, the storage of compressor oil in machinery rooms is now permitted under specific conditions. Section §5.6.3.5 states:

“Compressor oil is permitted to be stored in machinery rooms outside of fire rated cabinets so long as the containers or barrels do not obstruct the pathways to eyewash & safety showers and do not obstruct emergency egress routes.”

This change provides a new level of flexibility for facility operators, allowing them to keep necessary compressor oil supplies readily accessible without the requirement of a fire-rated cabinet, provided the oil does not impede critical safety paths.

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Addressing the Current Contradiction

While the direction from IIAR (International Institute of All-Natural Refrigeration) is to allow this practice, facility owners and operators must be aware of a current contradiction. The older standard, ANSI/IIAR 9-2020 Addendum A, has not yet been updated to reflect this change. Section §7.3.4 of that standard explicitly states:

“Combustible materials shall not be stored in machinery rooms outside of approved fire-rated storage containers.”

This creates a temporary inconsistency between the two standards, as the new provision in ANSI/IIAR 6-2025 directly contrasts with the long-standing rule in ANSI/IIAR 9-2020 Addendum A.

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What to Expect Next

IIAR is moving towards a unified approach on this matter. It is expected that IIAR Standard 9 will be updated to align with Standard 6 at its next revision. This forthcoming change will remove the current contradiction and provide clarity for all facilities, allowing them to fully implement the new, more flexible oil storage requirements.