Fire hose hook up

D

Doug Dahlke

New member
I found a place locally that has the brass fittings I need to hook up a hose to a fire hydrant. What plastic fittings do I need to go through the tank and hook up to the brass? Can I get that at Lowe's? What size hose should I use going between the tank and hydrant?
 
Fire Hydrant

Hello Doug

I'm on the southside of Atlanta. As far as the size you need it should be a 2 1/2" X 3/4"coupling. You can find one from Delco. But beware if you are caught drawing water from a hydrant without a meter in the state of Georgia you can be fined. Also keep in mind it would not be pretty if you are getting water at the time when the fire department needs it. I know that is a easy way to get water but its not safe. If you are getting water from a hydrant be sure you turn the hydrant on first before filling your tank to flush it out there is a bunch of trash inside a lot of hydrants. You should be able to find what you need on this website http://www.dcs1.com/catalog/blaster.pdf on pages 8-9. If you need anymore info on this give me a call 404-309-1336 Bryant
 
Thanks Bryant,

I have checked out getting permits in two counties. Each one has different requirements. One has meters available that hook up to the hydrant and have a garden hose connection on the other side. That might work well there for some work. What I really want is a way to fill the tank fast if there is no nearby water supply where I am working. Anyone have other ideas on getting water. I have been looking at some shopping centers and some of them have one hose bib on a 600' stretch of building. Longer water and pressure hose could solve that problem on the building but if you are doing curbs on the parking islands that could be a problem.
 
Hello Doug,

You might check with water companies in the area where you are working, some have bulk filling stations.

Here is a picture of my crew filling at a local station. Takes tokens $3.50 for 1000 gallons. Takes two minutes to fill!

Dave Olson
 

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Doug Dahlke said:
I found a place locally that has the brass fittings I need to hook up a hose to a fire hydrant. What plastic fittings do I need to go through the tank and hook up to the brass? Can I get that at Lowe's? What size hose should I use going between the tank and hydrant?
Click to expand...

Unless you have a back flow installed you will need to have an air gap, so no tank fittings are allowed. It would enter thru the top and have a space that is double the size of the feed line. Think solid tubing piped on the outside.
 
Hydrant usage

Does someone know of a website that describes how to use a fire hydrant? I have just purchased a meter and the reducers and have landed a job that requires its use. I have set up everything with the local water company so I am legal and registered with them.
 
I wrote to the state of Florida about using reclaimed water and they said that it was perfectly fine for pressure washing. So now I fill up my tank from parks. I'm not so sure about using it on a home, but for community work such as sidewalks it works great and the HOA's are happy. I usually add about a quart of pool chlorine to a 200 gallon tank with a little degreaser for wetting purposes. It works for me.
 
powerwashing4u said:
Does someone know of a website that describes how to use a fire hydrant? I have just purchased a meter and the reducers and have landed a job that requires its use. I have set up everything with the local water company so I am legal and registered with them.
Click to expand...

Why not talk to the agencies you mentioned for hands on training?
 
1. Remove hydratn cap
2. Install the valve/gauge
3. Install hydrant wrench
4. Turn the wrench
5. Open the valve all the way. Hydrants have 2 openings, top and bottom. If you open the valve only part way, the opening on the botttom will wash out the hydrant. A hydrant that is washed out will sometimes have water coming out around the base of the hydrant. Keep washing out the hydrant will lead to a large hole in the dirt. The amount of water filling your tank is regulated by the gate valve or the ball valve at the outlet of the valve/gauge you screwed on the hydrant.
6. To shut down the valve, close the gate valve or ball valve. Remove the hose going to your tank. Close the hydrant, using the hydrant wrench. Just as the hydrant is closed, open the gate valve/ball valve. Put your hand over the outlet, continue to close the hydrant and you should feel the suction as the lower valve closes. the lower valve closes last so the water in the hydrant will drain and not stay in the hydrant and freeze. Remove the valve/gauge and look for water dripping out of the hydrant.
7. Install cap. Ask if they want you to use grease on the threads.

I am surprised you were not given a quick lesson in hydrant use. You must have a water purveyor, Fire Departments are very choosy on who they let use their hydrants. They want to make sure the hydrants are opened and closed properly.
 
One more note

I stopped by my local fire dept today and got the same directions except they added: let the water run for a minute until clear then hook up the hose. Thank you for the detailed directions. When I went in to get step up with the meter I just talked to a clerk and she had no idea on how to work the hydrant. I will print out your directions and drop them off to her. I figured the set up was fairly simple but did not want to mess up the hydrant and then lose access to it.
 
The only time I have let the water run until clear was testing hydrants. You get lots of water real quick when it runs on the ground. When making a hydrant lay, we never had time to flush the hydrant.
 
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