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FirehydrantWikipedia

Firehydrant
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Afirehydrant,alsocalledfireplug,isaconnectionpointby
whichfirefighterscantapintoawatersupply.Itisacomponent
ofactivefireprotection.

Contents
1 Operation
1.1 Otheruses
2 Construction
3 Appearance
4 Signage
5 Inspectionandmaintenance
6 Nonpressurized(dry)hydrants
7 Othertypes
8 Seealso
9 References
10 Sources
11 Furtherreading
12 Externallinks FirehydrantinCharlottesville,Virginia,
USA

Operation
Theuserattachesahosetothefirehydrant,thenopensavalveonthe
hydranttoprovideapowerfulflowofwater,ontheorderof350kPa(50
lbf/in)(thispressurevariesaccordingtoregionanddependsonvarious
factorsincludingthesizeandlocationoftheattachedwatermain).This
usercanattachthishosetoafireengine,whichcanuseapowerful
pumptoboostthewaterpressureandpossiblysplititintomultiple
streams.Onemayconnectthehosewithathreadedconnection,
instantaneous"quickconnector"oraStorzconnector.Ausershould Clappervalve
takecarenottoopenorcloseafirehydranttooquickly,asthiscan
causeawaterhammer,whichcandamagenearbypipesandequipment.
Thewaterinsideachargedhoselinecausesittobeveryheavyandhigh
waterpressurecausesittobestiffandunabletomakeatightturnwhile
pressurized.Whenafirehydrantisunobstructed,thisisnotaproblem,
asthereisenoughroomtoadequatelypositionthehose.

Mostfirehydrantvalvesarenotdesignedtothrottlethewaterflow
theyaredesignedtobeoperatedfullonorfulloff.Thevalving
arrangementofmostdrybarrelhydrantsisforthedrainvalvetobe
openatanythingotherthanfulloperation.Usageatpartialopeningcan
consequentlyresultinconsiderableflowdirectlyintothesoil ANewYorkCityhydranthookedto
surroundingthehydrant,which,overtime,cancauseseverescouring. anFDNYfireenginewithaturgid
Gateorbutterflyvalvescanbeinstalleddirectlyontothehydrant hoseactivelypumpingwater.
orificestocontrolindividualoutputsandallowforchangingequipment
connectionswithoutturningofftheflowtootherorifices.Thesevalvescanbeupto12inchesindiameterto
accommodatethelargecentral"steamer"orificesonmanyUShydrants.Itisgoodpracticetoinstallvalveson
allorificesbeforeusingahydrantastheprotectivecapsareunreliableandcancausemajorinjuryiftheyfail.
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Whenafirefighterisoperatingahydrant,heorshetypicallywearsappropriatepersonalprotectiveequipment,
suchasglovesandahelmetwithfaceshieldworn.Highpressurewatercoursingthroughapotentiallyaging
andcorrodinghydrantcouldcauseafailure,injuringthefirefighteroperatingthehydrantorbystanders.

Inmostjurisdictionsitisillegaltoparkacarwithinacertaindistanceofafirehydrant.InNorthAmericathe
distancesarecommonly3to5mor10to15ft,oftenindicatedbyyelloworredpaintonthecurb.Therationale
behindtheselawsisthathydrantsneedtobevisibleandaccessibleinanemergency.

Otheruses

Topreventcasualuseormisuse,thehydrantrequiresspecialtoolstobeopened,
usuallyalargewrenchwithapentagonshapedsocket.Vandalssometimes
causemonetarylossbywastingwaterwhentheyopenhydrants.Such
vandalismcanalsoreducemunicipalwaterpressureandimpairfirefighters'
effortstoextinguishfires.Sometimesthosesimplyseekingtoplayinthewater
removethecapsandopenthevalve,providingresidentsaplacetoplayand
cooloffinsummer.However,thisisusuallydiscouragedasresidentshavebeen
struckbypassingautomobileswhileplayinginthestreetinthewaterspray.In
spiteofthis,someUScommunitiesprovidelowflowsprinklerheadstoenable
residentstousethehydrantstocooloffduringhotweather,whilegainingsome
controlonwaterusage.MostfirehydrantsinAustraliaareprotectedbyasilver
colouredcoverwitharedtop,securedtothegroundwithboltstoprotectthe
hydrantfromvandalismandunauthorizeduse.Thecovermustberemoved
beforeuse. Childrenplayinginthespray
ofafirehydrantin
InmostareasoftheUnitedStates,contractorswhoneedtemporarywatermay Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.
purchasepermitstousehydrants.Thepermitwillgenerallyrequireahydrant
meter,agatevalveandsometimesaclappervalve(ifnotdesignedinto
thehydrantalready)topreventbackflowintothehydrant.Additionally,
residentswhowishtousethehydranttofilltheiringroundswimming
poolarecommonlypermittedtodoso,providedtheypayforthewater
andagreetoallowfirefighterstodraftfromtheirpoolinthecaseofan
emergency.

Municipalservices,suchasstreetsweepersandtanktrucks,mayalsobe
allowedtousehydrantstofilltheirwatertanks.Oftensewer
maintenancetrucksneedwatertoflushoutseweragelines,andfilltheir
tanksonsitefromahydrant.Ifnecessary,themunicipalworkerswill Areducedpressurezonedeviceis
recordtheamountofwatertheyused,oruseameter. usedtopreventbackflowwhen
supplyingwatertoaconstructionsite
Sincefirehydrantsareoneofthemostaccessiblepartsofawater
distributionsystem,theyareoftenusedforattachingpressuregaugesor
loggersormonitorsystemwaterpressure.Automaticflushingdevicesareoftenattachedtohydrantsto
maintainchlorinationlevelsinareasoflowusage.Hydrantsarealsousedasaneasyabovegroundaccesspoint
byleakdetectiondevicestolocateleaksfromthesoundtheymake.

Firehydrantsmaybeusedtosupplywatertoriotcontrolvehicles.Thesevehiclesuseahighpressurewater
cannontodiscouragerioting.

Construction
Inareassubjecttofreezingtemperatures,onlyaportionofthehydrantisaboveground.Thevalveislocated
belowthefrostlineandconnectedbyarisertotheabovegroundportion.Avalverodextendsfromthevalve
upthroughasealatthetopofthehydrant,whereitcanbeoperatedwiththeproperwrench.Thisdesignis
knownasa"drybarrel"hydrant,inthatthebarrel,orverticalbodyofthehydrant,isnormallydry.Adrain
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valveundergroundopenswhenthewatervalveiscompletelyclosed
thisallowsallwatertodrainfromthehydrantbodytopreventthe
hydrantfromfreezing.

Inwarmareas,hydrantsareusedwithoneormorevalvesintheabove
groundportion.Unlikewithcoldweatherhydrants,itispossibletoturn
thewatersupplyonandofftoeachport.Thisstyleisknownasa"wet
barrel"hydrant.

Bothwetanddrybarrelhydrantstypicallyhavemultipleoutlets.Wet
barrelhydrantoutletsaretypicallyindividuallycontrolled,whilea HydrantinstallationinOntario,
singlestemoperatesalltheoutletsofadrybarrelhydrant Canada
simultaneously.Thus,wetbarrelhydrantsallowsingleoutletstobe
opened,requiringsomewhatmoreeffort,butsimultaneouslyallowingmoreflexibility.

AtypicalU.S.drybarrelhydranthastwosmalleroutletsandonelargeroutlet.Thesmalleroutletisoftena
StorzconnectionifthelocalfiredepartmenthasstandardizedonhoseusingStorzfittingsforlargediameter
supplyline.Thelargeroutletisknownasa"steamer"connection,becausetheywereonceusedtosupplysteam
poweredwaterpumps,andahydrantwithsuchanoutletmaybecalleda"steamerhydrant",althoughthisusage
isbecomingarchaic.Likewise,anolderhydrantwithoutasteamerconnectionmaybecalleda"village
hydrant."

Appearance
Hydrantcoloringmaybeduetoeitherpurelypracticalcriteriaormoreartistic.IntheUnitedStates,theAWWA
andNFPArecommendhydrantsbecoloredchromeyellow[1]forrapididentificationapartfromthebonnetand
nozzlecapswhichshouldbecodedaccordingtotheiravailableflow.ClassAAhydrants(>1500gpm)should
havetheirnozzlecapsandbonnetcoloredlightblue,ClassAhydrants(10001499gpm),green,ClassB
hydrants(500999gpm),orange,ClassChydrants(0499gpm),redandinoperableorendofsystem(risking
waterhammer)black.Thisaidsarrivingfirefightersindetermininghowmuchwaterisavailableandwhetherto
callforadditionalresources,orfindanotherhydrant.Othercodingscanbeandfrequentlyareused,someof
greatercomplexity,incorporatingpressureinformation,othersmoresimplistic.InOttawa,Ontario,hydrant
colorscommunicatedifferentmessagestofirefightersforexample,iftheinsideofthehydrantiscorrodedso
muchthattheinteriordiameteristoonarrowforgoodpressure,itwillbepaintedinaspecificschemeto
indicatetofirefighterstomoveontothenextone.Inmanylocalities,awhiteorpurpletopindicatesthatthe
hydrantprovidesnonpotablewater.Whereartisticand/oraestheticconsiderationsareparamount,hydrantscan
beextremelyvaried,ormoresubdued.Inbothinstancesthisisusuallyatthecostofreducedpracticality.

InGermany,mosthydrantsarelocatedbelowground(Unterflurhydrant)andarereachedbyaStandrohr(riser),
whichprovidestheconnectionsforthehoses.

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Hydrantin Hydrantinthe German Czechexample. Greekexample.

Demorest, Philippines. underground
Georgiapainted hydrantwith
withanAmerican Storzhose
patriotictheme. connections.

Brazilianexample.

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BirdsillHollyfire BirdsillHollyhydrant BirdsillHollyhydrant BirdsillHollyfire

hydrant1869patent frontviewfromstreet sideviewfromcity hydrantwith4sided
modelinitsoriginal asfiremenwoulduse watersupplypipeline topnutforoperationas
installedplace forwaterhoses rightofwayland needed

BirdsillHollyhydrant
topviewwith
descriptionandpatent
dateinformation

2016modernfire Forwardhydrant Hydrantnozzleside Firehydrant5sided

hydrant nozzle view topnut

Firefighteruses
hydrant

Signage

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IntheUnitedKingdomandIreland,hydrantsarelocatedintheground.[2]Yellow
"H"hydrantsignsindicatethelocationofthehydrants,andaresimilartotheblue
signsinFinland.Mountedonasmallpostornearbywalletc.,thetwonumbers
indicatethediameterofthewatermain(topnumber)andthedistancefromthe
sign(lowernumber).Modernsignsshowthesemeasurementsinmillimetresand
metres,whereasoldersignsuseinchesandfeet.[3]Becausetheordersofmagnitude
aresodifferent(6inchesversus150mm)thereisnoambiguitywhichever
measuringsystemisused.

InareasoftheUnitedStateswithoutwintersnowcover,bluereflectorsembedded
inthestreetareusedtoallowrapididentificationofhydrantsatnight.Inareaswith
snowcover,tallsignsorflagsareusedsothathydrantscanbefoundevenif Britishfirehydrantand
coveredwithsnow.Inruralareastallnarrowpostspaintedwithvisiblecolours sign
suchasredareattachedtothehydrantstoallowthemtobefoundduringheavy
snowfallperiods.Thetopsofthefirehydrantsindicatetheamountofpressureeach
onewillputout.Thisisgoodbecauseitmakesthechoiceofwhathydrantswillbe
usedtosupplywatertothefirescene.[4]

BLUE1500GPMormoreVerygoodflows,GREEN10001499GPMGoodfor
residentialareas,ORANGE500999GPMMarginallyadequate,REDBelow500
GPMInadequate.

ThehydrantbodiesarealsocolourcodedWHITEPublicSystemHydrant
(EBMUD),YELLOWPrivateSystemHydrantConnectedtopublicwatermain,
REDSpecialOperationHydrantNotusedexceptforspecialprocedures,VIOLET Undergroundhydrantin
NonPotableSupplyEffuent,pondorlakesupply. Russiamarkedwitha
plateandaredcone.
ThesemarkingsandcolorsarerequiredbytheNFPA(NationalFireProtection
Agency).[4]

InAustralia,Hydrantsignagevaries,withseveraltypesdisplayedacrossthecountry.MostAustralianhydrants
areunderground,beingofaballcocksystem(springhydranttype),andaseparatestandpipewithacentral
plungerisusedtoopenthevalve.Consequently,hydrantsignageisessential,becauseoftheirconcealednature.

PaintedmarkersUsuallyawhiteoryellow(sometimesreflectivepaint)triangleorarrowpaintedon
theroad,pointingtowardsthesideoftheroadthehydrantwillbefoundon.Thesearemostcommonin
oldareas,oronnewroadswheremoreadvancedsignshavenotbeeninstalled.Thesearealmostalways
coupledwithasecondaryformofsignage.
HydrantMarkerPlatesFoundonpowerpoles,fences,orstreetsigns,theseareacomprehensiveand
effectivesystemofidentification.TheplateconsistsofseveralcodesH(PotablewaterHydrant),RH
(Recycled/NonPotable),P(Pathway,wherethehydrantcovercanbefound),R(Roadway).Theplateis
verticallyoriented,around8cmwide,and15cmhigh.Itusuallyfacesinthedirectionofthehydrant.
Foundonthisplate,fromtoptobottom,arethefollowingfeatures:
Thecodeslistedabove,Potable/Nonpotableatthetop,Path/Roadwayonthebottomoftheplate.
Belowthis,anumbergivingthedistancetothehydrant(inmeters),thenasecondnumberbelow
thatgivingthesize(inmillimeters)ofthewatermain.
Ablacklineacrossthecenteroftheplateindicatesthehydrantisfoundontheoppositesideofthe
roadtowhichtheplateisaffixed.
Platesforrecycledwaterhaveapurplebackground,aswellastheRHcode,normalpotable
hydrantsarewhite,withtheHcode.
RoadmarkersorCat'seyesAlmostexclusivelyblue,theseareplacedononesideortheotherofthe
centrelineoftheroad,toindicateonwhichsideoftheroadthehydrantlies.Theyarevisibleforseveral
hundredmetersatnightinheavyrain,furtherinclearconditions.

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InEastAsianCountries,suchasChina,Japan,andSouthKorea,therearetwotypesoffirehydrants,whichone
isonthepublicground,andtheotherisinsideabuilding.Theonesinsideabuildingareinstalledonawall,
whichtheyarebig,rectangularboxesthatalsoprovidesalarms(sirens),fireextinguisher,andatcertaintimes,
emergencykits.

Inspectionandmaintenance
Inmostareasfirehydrantsrequireannualinspectionsandmaintenance
theynormallyonlyhaveaoneyearwarranty,butsomehave5or
even10yearwarranties,althoughthelongerwarrantydoesnotremove
theneedforperiodicinspectionsormaintenance.Theseinspectionsare
generallyperformedbythelocalmunicipalitiesbuttheyoftendonot
inspecthydrantsthatareidentifiedasprivate.Privatehydrantsare
usuallylocatedonlargerpropertiestoadequatelyprotectlargebuildings
incaseofafireandinordertocomplywiththefirecode.Suchhydrants
havemettherequirementsofinsuranceunderwritersandareoften
referredtoasUL/FMhydrants.Somecompaniesarecontractedoutto
Afirehydrantthatwashitbyasnow inspectprivatefirehydrantsunlessthemunicipalityhasundertakenthat
plowandknockedover.Notethat task.
onlythesacrificialboltswere
damaged Somefirehydrantmanufacturers
recommendlubricatingthehead
mechanismandrestoringthe
headgasketsandOringsannuallyinorderthatthefirehydrantperform
theserviceexpectedofthem,whileothershaveincorporatedproprietary
featurestoprovidelongtermlubricationofthehydrant'soperating
mechanism.Inanycase,periodicinspectionoflubricantsis
recommended.Lubricationisgenerallydonewithafoodgradenon
petroleumlubricanttoavoidcontaminationofthedistributionsystem.
Afirehydrantflushingwaterthrough
Occasionallyastoneorforeignobjectwillmartheseatgasket.Inthis adiffuserinDurham,NorthCarolina
case,mosthydrantshaveaspecialseatwrenchthatallowsremovalof
theseattoreplacethegasketorotherbrokenpartswithoutremovingthe
hydrantfromtheground.Hydrantextensionsarealsoavailablefor
raisingahydrantifthegradearoundthehydrantchanges.Without
extendingtheheight,thewrenchestoremovecapswouldnotclearand
thebreakflangesfortrafficmodelswouldnotbelocatedcorrectlyin
casetheywerehit.Hydrantrepairkitsarealsoavailabletorepair
Afirehydrantwithoutadiffuser
sacrificialpartsdesignedtobreakwhenhitbyavehicle.
flushingdiscoloredwater
Manydepartmentsusethehydrantsforflushingoutwaterline
sediments.Whendoingso,theyoftenuseahydrantdiffuser,adevicethatdiffusesthewatersothatitdoesnot
damagepropertyandislessdangeroustobystandersthanasolidstream.Somediffusersalsodechlorinatethe
watertoavoidgroundcontamination.[5]Hydrantsarealsosometimesusedasentryorexitpointsforpipe
cleaningpigs.

In2011,CodeforAmericadevelopedan"AdoptaHydrant"website,whichenablesvolunteerstosignupto
shoveloutfirehydrantsaftersnowstorms.Asof2014,thesystemhasbeenimplementedinBoston,
Providence,RhodeIsland,Anchorage,Alaska,andChicago.[6]

Nonpressurized(dry)hydrants

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Inruralareaswheremunicipalwatersystemsarenotavailable,dry
hydrantsareusedtosupplywaterforfightingfires.Adryhydrantis
analogoustoastandpipe.Adryhydrantisusuallyanunpressurized,
permanentlyinstalledpipethathasoneendbelowthewaterlevelofa
lakeorpond.Thisendusuallyhasastrainertopreventdebrisfrom
enteringthepipe.Theotherendisabovegroundandhasahardsleeve
connector.Whenneeded,apumperfireenginewillpumpfromthelake
orpondbydraftingwater.Thisisdonebyvacuumingtheairoutofthe
dryhydrant,hardsleeve,andthefireenginepumpwithaprimer.
Becauselowerpressurenowexistsatthepumpintake,atmospheric
pressureonthewaterandtheweightofthewaterforceswaterintopart Adryhydrantwhichallowswaterto
ofthedryhydrantabovewater,intothehardsleeve,andfinallyintothe bepumpedbyafireenginefromthe
pump.Thiswatercanthenbepumpedbytheengine'scentrifugalpump. lake

Othertypes
Waterwellsarealsosometimesclassifiedasfirehydrantsiftheycansupplyenoughwatervolumeand
pressure.
Standpipesareconnectionsforfirehoseswithinabuildingandservethesamepurposeasfirehydrantsin
largerstructures.Standpipesmaybe"dry"or"wet"(permanentlyfilledwithwater).

Seealso
Arson Firesprinkler
WikimediaCommonshas
Activefireprotection Flushinghydrant
mediarelatedto:
BirdsillHolly Hydrantwrench Firehydrant(category)
Fireextinguisher Portablewatertank
Firehose
Fireprotection
Firesprinkler
References
1."NationalFireProtectionAssociationReport(p.18)"(PDF).NationalFireProtectionAssociation(NFPA).August15,
2013."Allbarrelsaretobechromeyellowexceptincaseswhereanothercolorhasalreadybeenadopted."
2.BS750:"Specificationforundergroundfirehydrantsandsurfaceboxframesandcovers"(2012).
3."GoodStewardshipforSchoolsPremisesp.18"(PDF).CambridgeshireCountyCouncil.2009.Archivedfromthe
original(PDF)onMarch4,2012.
4.Lamm,Willis."Hydrantcolorcodesandmarkings".Firehydrant.org.Watersupplyoffice.Retrieved31March
2015.
5."HydrantFlushingFAQ,UnitedStatesofAmerica"(PDF).
6.Raja,Tasneem(2014)."IsCodingtheNewLiteracy?".MotherJones.Retrieved20140621.

Sources
Hinds,ConradeC.(9October2012).TheGreatColumbusExperimentof1908:Waterworksthat
ChangedtheWorld.ArcadiaPublishing.ISBN9781614236856.

Furtherreading
U.S.Patent909(https://www.google.com/patents/US909)IssuedtoJohnJordenonSeptember8,
1838for"...anewandusefulimprovementinFirePlugsandHydrants...".Thisisanearlywooden

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bodiedhydrant,theearliesthydrantpatentextantthepatentofficeitselfburnedtothegroundin1836,
takingwithitallpriorhydrantpatents.
U.S.Patent37,466(https://www.google.com/patents/US37466)IssuedtoRichardStilemanon
January20,1863.Anearlyironhydrant,believedthefirstpatentedhydrantwiththelargersizesteamer
porttosupplysteamfireengines.ManufacturedandmarketedastheStilemanhydrant.Seealso
StilemanpageatFireHydrant.org(http://www.firehydrant.org/pictures/stileman.html).
U.S.Patent80,143(https://www.google.com/patents/US80143)IssuedtoZebulonErastusCoffinon
July21,1868.Thisisacastironhydrantverysimilartomodernfirehydrants,itwasproducedbyBoston
MachineCo.SeealsoBostonMachinepageatFireHydrant.org(http://www.firehydrant.org/pictures/bost
onmachine.html).
U.S.Patent94,749(https://www.google.com/patents/US94749)IssuedtoBirdsillHollyonSeptember
14,1869.SeealsoHollypageatFireHydrant.org(http://www.firehydrant.org/pictures/holly.html).
Wohleber,Curt."TheFireHydrant"(https://web.archive.org/web/20100428162059/http://www.american
heritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2002/3/2002_3_10.shtml).InTheAmericanHeritageofInvention&
Technology(http://www.inventionandtechnology.com/).Winter2002.Providesahistorywithdatesoffire
hydrantdevelopment.(Archivedfromtheoriginal(https://web.archive.org/web/20100428162059/http://
www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2002/3/2002_3_10.shtml)onApril28,2010)

Externallinks

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