What is a hydrant

In the fight against the destructive element - fire - various extinguishing means can be used. These methods of eliminating fires in our time, presuppose the presence of special means - hydrants.

A fire hydrant is a water intake device designed to extinguish fires and localize fires. And since it is an integral part of the fire extinguishing system, the fire hydrant requires careful maintenance.

Device

Fire hydrants, by their design, in our country are divided into two types: Leningrad and Moscow. The second is more popular due to the affordability of prices, reliability and ease of installation. But, in essence, there isn't much difference between the two.

An image of a fire hydrant device.

This device (of any type) consists of:

• hulls;
• valve body;
• valve;
• branch pipe;
• barbells;
• threaded nipples (for mounting a KPA fire column);
• cover.

These devices are made of cast iron (steel), due to which the service life reaches 18 years... In height, hydrants can be 500-3500 mm (from 0.5 m to 3.5 m), depending on the type of equipment.

The KPA fire column is a device that opens and closes an underground hydrant. Also, the KPA column is necessary for fastening fire hoses.

Types of devices

There are 2 types of fire hydrants: aboveground and underground. External (above-ground) hydrants are mounted above the earth's surface together with the KPA, and underground - in wells with hatches, a fire hydrant is installed on them immediately before water injection.

The underground type of units is most in demand on the territory of Russia, since access to water supply networks, laid, in most cases, underground, is possible only if there is a hydrant and a KPA column.

The device must be frost-resistant and have a maximum starting speed.

Before installation, you must make sure that the installation of the water intake equipment is not affected by factors such as:

• elevated groundwater level;
• excess water that can drain from the surface of the earth;
• violation of the level of the valve installation;
• non-compliance with operating standards;
• malfunction of the device, in which it is possible for the water in the riser to freeze.

Installation Requirements

The installation of a fire hydrant must be carried out according to certain rules relating to both operational moments and maintenance. Violation of these rules can lead to irreparable tragic consequences, which must be taken into account when installing and further using fire extinguishing means.

When installing this device, the following is taken into account: the number of floors (height) of the structure or building, the total water consumption required to extinguish the fire, the throughput of this water intake equipment.

Rules to follow when installing a hydrant in a well:

1. the distance between the axis of the hydrant and the wall of the manhole of the well is at least 175 mm;
2. the distance between the end of the riser and the manhole cover is 150-400 mm.

Only a hydrant equipped with a reverse-acting valve may be installed in a flooded well to prevent groundwater from entering the device.

When installing the water intake device, it is necessary to use special stands to prevent water leakage from the system and its separation.

Usage

A list of rules to ensure the correct operation of a fire hydrant:

Before using the fire hydrant, you must first flip the cover, then screw the KPA onto the threaded nipple, so that the gaskets fit snugly to the surface. Then it is necessary to turn the KAP handle counterclockwise, thereby bringing the bar with the coupling and the spindle of the hydrant adjacent to them to rotation. As a result of the rotation of the spindle, the valve opens, and water enters the body of the device through the passage, which then ends up in the fire column.

After completion of use, the hydrant must be closed by performing all the above steps in reverse order. Residual water in the structure should be drained through a special channel located in the hydrant pipe (in the flange). The drain channel must be closed with a special rubber seal when the valve is open.

The list of measures for checking and maintaining this equipment includes:

• filling out the audit log and the presence of this device in the organization;
• monitoring and marking changes in the fire-fighting water supply system;
• timely provision of information to the management of enterprises and organizations to which the territory with GHG belongs;
• timely check of the integrity of fire hydrants, their repair and replacement of devices that have failed;
• checking the presence and serviceability of trunks, fire hoses and connection elements.

System test

For the proper operation of this device, preventive measures are required to check the quick start of water by supplying the hydrant with water. Also, pressure tests are checked with a special stand and a pressure gauge with VPI - 16 kgf / cm 2 and an accuracy class of 1.5. The inspection of this water intake equipment is carried out strictly in accordance with GOST 15150 at least once every 6 months, in the summer.