Fire hydrant snorkel

[Rusty]

Could the Lakes Region use this fire hydrant snorkel in some areas?

[Lakeboater]

Good thought but probably a much better idea to keep hydrants in your neighborhood clear of snow throughout the winter.....like we do our driveways and walkways.

[TiltonBB]

Well, if I am looking at that correctly, and I understand it's purpose, it is so the hydrants do not need to be shoveled out. I would have many concerns.

If there is a lot of packed snow around the hydrant there may be a freezing problem when the hydrant is needed.

If the hydrant is buried, only the large discharge is available and the other outlets are not. The large discharge is typically used when a pumper attaches to the hydrant with a short piece (15 feet) of soft suction hose to pump increased pressure/volume to other pumpers located closer to the fire.

The two side outlets are usually used when a pumper drops a line (hose) on the way in to a fire scene and that pumper might drop 300 to 500 or more feet of line before they get to the fire scene. That supply is crucial because most pumpers carry 500 to 1000 gallons of water and that can run out pretty quickly. Then you are relying on a secondary supply, such as the hydrant.

So, in my experience it looks good but in real life it may have a very limited use.

[Kamper]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

... If there is a lot of packed snow around the hydrant there may be a freezing problem when the hydrant is needed. ...

I have a smidgen of knowledge of fire-hydrants (long boring story no other relevant details). A hydrant like the one you see here is actually a chamber assembly. When the supply valve is turn on, the water fills the chamber and flows out the spigot and into the hose. When you close the valve and remove the hose, the lack of pressure opens the drain valve at the bottom. You can put your hand over the opening and feel it pull like a vacuum cleaner.

Hydrants can and do freeze in extreme conditions but snow and ice actually insulate them at/near the freezing point. Ground heat is usually sufficient to keep the water from freezing as long as it is sufficiently below the surface to be under the frost line. Assuming the hydrant is properly constructed and installed.

It's been a long time since I was given this information so I might be off somewhere. Hopefully any relevant corrections will be provided by a professional.

[TiltonBB]

I understand that the actual water shutoff is located below ground level.

However, all it takes is a really slow leak to fill up the hydrant and as long as the caps are tight no one knows until it is needed. The additional height and distance from the ground will only make freezing more likely in the event of a slow leak or a very, very cold spell.

The water departments typically flush the hydrants once a year. The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) recommends that every hydrant be inspected at least once a year, and flow tested every 5 years.


Frozen hydrant? Been there, done that, and encountered a frozen hydrant when we really needed it. Generally the hydrants are located 500 feet apart so when that happens it is off to the next hydrant. When the fire is out there is a lot more hose to pick up and repack the truck.

[ishoot308]

Those things would last about 10 minutes in Laconia! The crackheads would have them down and cut up for scrap in no time. Heck, their ripping out the copper pipes in people's houses when they are gone to work!

Unfortunate but true...

Dan

[Lt.Dan]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

I understand that the actual water shutoff is located below ground level.

However, all it takes is a really slow leak to fill up the hydrant and as long as the caps are tight no one knows until it is needed. The additional height and distance from the ground will only make freezing more likely in the event of a slow leak or a very, very cold spell.

The water departments typically flush the hydrants once a year. The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) recommends that every hydrant be inspected at least once a year, and flow tested every 5 years.


Frozen hydrant? Been there, done that, and encountered a frozen hydrant when we really needed it. Generally the hydrants are located 500 feet apart so when that happens it is off to the next hydrant. When the fire is out there is a lot more hose to pick up and repack the truck.

Back in the day, due to Silver thaw..Ice/frozen hydrant, if you wrap hydrant in a gunny sack, pour slash fuel on it and light sack with flair, magic!

[Kamper]

I saw this joke and thought about this old thread...
--------------


A nursery school teacher was delivering a minivan full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children fell to discussing the dog's duties.

"They use him to keep crowds back," said one youngster.

"No," said another, "he's just for good luck."

A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrant."

[camp guy]

Good one, kamper, we can all use a bit humor in these times. Thanks!!

[Descant]

Originally Posted by Lt.Dan

Back in the day, due to Silver thaw..Ice/frozen hydrant, if you wrap hydrant in a gunny sack, pour slash fuel on it and light sack with flair, magic!

We're losing our manners here. WELCOME to the Forum Lt.Dan. That's some great info.
"Back in the day" we had a "Thank you" button here, and I'm sure you would have received many thank yous. BTW, where do you get gunny sacks these days?

[Lt.Dan]

Originally Posted by Lakeboater

Good thought but probably a much better idea to keep hydrants in your neighborhood clear of snow throughout the winter.....like we do our driveways and walkways.

To try and answer some of the concerns. 15 years experience and the Snorkels are used every winter. Hydrants in cold climates are Dry barrel. Useful if snow average is 47 inches or above. Snow plows generally bury hydrants when clearing roads, due hydrant proximity to road. Hydrant pressures vary, but at 130 PSI will deliver to Engine 600 plus G.p.m.as seen on H.S. test 2014. The two in two out, initial Attack, keeping the fire small with safety can be performed. Along 2.5 discharge ports a 4 inch elbow can be attached, or take two ports. Variable Fire nozzles can be adjusted from 100 G.P.M. and up. Snorkels can be locked. 6061 alu. is 0.54 a pound for scrap, so crack head theft adds up to around $ 15 bucks. "Some of the Drawbacks" are initial cost. 100 years of tradition. Loss of income to Snow removal industry. Number of Hydrants to cover a community. Insurance typically hike rates after buildings burn down loss of revenue for them." Conclusion" 70% of communities that get a demonstration want them, some purchase on Grants. My general thought is, if nothing else conversation brings an awareness to keeping Fire hydrants operational and digging them out is preferred over having them Buried. Be prepared, Have a great winter stay safe! My degree is Fire Science/with over 30yrs. in the service, love the state of New Hampshire

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Lt.Dan

To try and answer some of the concerns. 15 years experience and the Snorkels are used every winter. Hydrants in cold climates are Dry barrel. Useful if snow average is 47 inches or above. Snow plows generally bury hydrants when clearing roads, due hydrant proximity to road. Hydrant pressures vary, but at 130 PSI will deliver to Engine 600 plus G.p.m.as seen on H.S. test 2014. The two in two out, initial Attack, keeping the fire small with safety can be performed. Along 2.5 discharge ports a 4 inch elbow can be attached, or take two ports. Variable Fire nozzles can be adjusted from 100 G.P.M. and up. Snorkels can be locked. 6061 alu. is 0.54 a pound for scrap, so crack head theft adds up to around $ 15 bucks. "Some of the Drawbacks" are initial cost. 100 years of tradition. Loss of income to Snow removal industry. Number of Hydrants to cover a community. Insurance typically hike rates after buildings burn down loss of revenue for them." Conclusion" 70% of communities that get a demonstration want them, some purchase on Grants. My general thought is, if nothing else conversation brings an awareness to keeping Fire hydrants operational and digging them out is preferred over having them Buried. Be prepared, Have a great winter stay safe! My degree is Fire Science/with over 30yrs. in the service, love the state of New Hampshire

That's good information.

[upthesaukee]

Growing up in Massachusetts, lo those many years ago, it was the property owner responsibility to keep the hydrants clear. If the property was rented, the owner could be cited for failure to clear them. As kids in our neighborhood, we were always looking to make a few bucks shoveling. Our parents always told us that as we worked our way around, make sure we shoveled out each hydrant we came up on. And our town was highly rated and had hydrants every 500 ft. We were told to shovel them 3 ft around to give the firefighters room to work. Seemed like a good idea then, and still seems like a good idea. I am to far away from town water to have a hydrant nearby.

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