An electrical heater malfunction in a commercial building causes a fire. Smoke detectors go off and the fire department rushes to the scene. Fire fighters connect their hose to the commercial fire hydrant to put out the fire, but no water comes out. Just imagine how terrible such a situation can be.
Maintenance of commercial fire hydrants is critical to ensure that these kinds of things never happen. In this post, we’ll show how commercial fire hydrants in Gilbert, AZ should be maintained and operated.
Maintaining Commercial Fire Hydrants
Commercial fire hydrants in Gilbert should always be operable to provide fire protection in case of a commercial fire. Inspection and maintenance of fire hydrants are vital to ensure that fire hydrants stay operable. If fire hydrants are not properly inspected and maintained, they won’t work when firefighters need them to.
Commercial fire hydrants should be inspected once every year. Dry-barrel commercial hydrants should be inspected twice every year. Every inspection of the fire hydrant should be documented. If there are any problems found in the fire hydrant, they should be reported.
A fire hydrant maintenance and inspection can be performed in the following ways:
- Main valve leakage should be checked with a listening device. Pumper cap should be removed for this purpose.
- The fire hydrant should be fully opened to determine the ease of operation. If the fire hydrant doesn’t open easily, stem replacement or lubrication will be required. A professional plumber in Gilbert, AZ should be hired for this purpose.
- Leakage in the fire hydrant should be checked around the seals, nozzles or pumpers, operating nut and flanges.
- The threads of the fire hydrant should be inspected by removing all nozzle caps and pumper caps. Approved lubricants should be applied to the caps.
- The cap chains should also be inspected for ease of movement and binding. They should be replaced if necessary.
- The lubrication of the operating nut should also be checked. Approved lubrication should be applied if necessary.
- The breakaway flange should be inspected for damage.
- The GPS location of the fire hydrant should be checked to ensure it is correct.
- If a fire hydrant is not operating fine and requires replacement or repair, then fire department or utility personnel should be informed.
A few questions that should be asked during the inspection of a fire hydrant include:
- Is the fire hydrant leaking from anywhere?
- Is there any water accumulated near the fire hydrant?
- Is the condition of the fire hydrant adequate?
- When static pressure test was performed, did any of the drainage holes or nozzles indicate leakage?
- Is the commercial fire hydrant in the right position?
- Should the fire hydrant by protected by installing bollards?
- Is the location of the fire hydrant adequate or should it be moved away from traffic?
- Should the fire hydrant be lowered or raised?
- Is the port facing the right direction?
- Does the fire hydrant properly drain?
- Are threats of nozzle and pumper in appropriate working condition or do they need to be replaced?
- Does the fire-hydrant provide adequate flow?
- Is there any maintenance required on the nozzle ports or pumper ports?
- Is the fire hydrant easily accessible to firefighters?
ISO maintenance requirements for fire hydrants include:
- Physical defect or damage
- Obstructions around and on the fire hydrant
- Outlets of hydrants must be facing the right direction
- Auxiliary valve should be visible
- All outlets should be lubricated and cleaned
Operating a Commercial Fire Hydrant
It is essential to operate the fire hydrants properly so that they can provide fire protection when required. A hydrant wrench should always be used when a fire hydrant is being operated. After the highest port has been opened, the value should be slowly opened a couple of turns until water reaches the open port. If there is any debris in the barrel of the fire hydrant, it should be flushed. If the water is clear, the hydrant should be fully opened. The air trapped inside the barrel of the hydrant should be displaced because compressed air in the hydrant can create problems.
The internal valve of the hydrant may not function due to mechanical problems or debris. In that case, an operating hand valve should be attached to the hydrant’s port so that water can easily flow. If the water flowing from the hydrant cannot be completely stopped with the operating nut, the hand valve should be used to stop the flow. Then, the hydrant’s control valve should be closed to completely stop the flow and shut down the commercial fire hydrant. Once the fire hydrant has been shut down, repair work can be carried out.
Inexperienced personnel should not operate very old commercial fire hydrants in Gilbert. The reason is that these hydrants may not properly seal when closed. Also, if inexperienced personnel operate the valve they may end up breaking the stem while trying to seal the hydrant and stop the leak.
Commercial Fire Hydrant Repair
If any issues are found during the inspection of the fire hydrant, a professional plumber should be hired to make the repairs. A professional plumber will properly diagnose the fire hydrant and fixed the issues to ensure that the fire hydrant operates properly. When it comes to professionals, there is no one else to trust but the Mesa Plumbing Company. Our plumbers are skilled in commercial plumbing services and they can install, repair or maintain fire hydrants or fire supply lines.
Contact us when you need a professional plumber in Gilbert for fire hydrant repair and maintenance.