Fire hydrants are those water-filled, colored containers or pipes we see at strategic locations along the roadside, parking spaces, industrial zones, colliery, etc. Plus, fire hydrants are usually found in extremely cold areas where materials can ignite readily and spread a fire. Fire hydrants act as a regular source of water for both swimming pools and firefighters on their mission to extinguish large fires.
In this guide, we aim to tackle some relevant questions including “can I get fire hydrant water for my pool?” and many more.
What Is A Fire Hydrant?
Fire hydrants are iron devices of different colors that are connected to underground water sources, usually a local water supply. Owing to this, you can easily get an adequate supply of water from fire hydrants to fill up your hopeless, dried-up pools.
On the other hand, fire hydrants are designed with several valves and connection points. Moreso, they come in different sizes and colors like brown, red, yellow, white, blue, etc.
Fire hydrants are painted with bright colors to enable firefighters and swimming pool owners to detect them easily. This device is also effective in helping firefighters put out a fire.
Obtaining the water you need out of a fire hydrant won’t take much of your time. In case of a fire outbreak, All You’ve Got to do is to connect the hoses of your fire truck to the valves attached to the fire hydrants.
Thereafter, you’ll be surprised to see how more than enough water will flow through the valves of the fire hydrants to the fire truck. You can then decide what to do with that much water, whether to use it to extinguish a fire or fill up your pools.
However, to ensure you don’t break your community rules, you might need to seek the service of firefighters before you think of a fire hydrant. This is because, in some areas, there are rules that strictly guide the use of fire hydrants.
Types Of Fire Hydrants.
A fire hydrant, which you can also call a “fire plug” was first discovered by Frederick Graff in the early 1800s. When Frederick was still an engineer at the Philadelphia waterworks, he invented the first fire hydrant by combining a hose and a faucet outlet.
Frederick’s fire hydrant was based on the “wet-barrel” design. Nowadays, several improvements have been made to fire hydrants which results in the development of better designs.
In short, fire hydrant designs have been narrowed down to two types namely, wet-barrel fire hydrants and dry-barrel fire hydrants. Now, let’s take a quick look at these two fire hydrants design:
Wet-barrel type.
Wet-barrel fire hydrants are susceptible to freezing in frigid temperatures, because of this, they can only be fixed in areas where cold temperatures are not a big deal. And if managed properly, wet-barrel hydrants can live up to a minimum of 100 years.
Also, note that all the mechanical components of wet-barrel hydrants are always above the ground.
Dry-barrel type .
The water in dry-barrel fire hydrants is stored in a hydrant system below the ground. Dry-barrel hydrants can resist frosting in some areas.
Moreso, this type of hydrant is subdivided into three major components, which include compression, slide-gate, and toggle mechanisms.
So here, the big question comes in, since a fire hydrant is a good fire protection device, can you use it to fill up your pools? And by the way, can you get fire hydrant water for your pool? Stick around to find out the answers to this.
Can I get fire hydrant water for my pool?
Sure, you can! You can get hydrant water to fill up your swimming pool in a couple of ways.
However, you might need approval from the fire department in your area or, better still, contact firefighters before you can extract a fire hydrant water to fill up a pool. After getting approval from the local fire authority in your area, you can pump out fire hydrant water.
To fill up your pool with this water, first, you need to request a meter from your town. You can pay a certain deposit charge for this meter to get it faster.
Afterward, the meter will measure the total amount of fire hydrant water you used to fill up your pool. The amount of water will then calculate the remaining fee for the meter.
Mind you, some other devices you might need to fill up your pools, such as the hydrant wrench, will be rented out to you along with the meter. Then, you can fill up the pool yourself by connecting several pipes leading to the pool with the valves in the fire hydrant.
Gradually, the fire hydrant water will flow into the pool and fill it up with enough water within some hours.
How Much Will It Cost Me To Get A Fire Hydrant Water For My Pool?
Well, it depends on the volume of water you need. Therefore, before you decide to get a fire hydrant at all, you need a meter to measure the quantity of water your pool requires to be filled to the brim.
You can either pay deposit charges to get the meter from your city or donate some cash to the fire department of your city. However, the former way is the fastest method.
Some small cities in the United States, such as North Carolina and Tennessee, charge an affordable deposit fee to rent out the meter you need to measure the quantity of hydrant water your pool needs. For example, North Carolina charges about $30 while Tennessee demands a $40 fee for the meter.
Can Firefighters Help To Fill Up A Pool With Fire Hydrant Water?
Yes, firefighters can fill up pools with fire hydrant water, and in fact, they are more skilled in using this kind of water. However, if you beckon them to a swimming pool, they are more likely to refuse to help you.
Why? The reason is simple. There are many reasons firefighters from your area’s local fire department might feel reluctant to help you fill up your pool with fire hydrant water.
But to make sure you understand better, we have summarized all these reasons into two major reasons which are:
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Firefighters Use Their Skills And Tools For A Bigger Cause.
What do we mean by a bigger cause? That’s a good question! Originally, fire fighting agencies were created to gather a team of firefighters who will always be there to save innocent lives at a fire scene.
Therefore, the primary assignment of firefighters is to extinguish fires caused by any flammable substance like perfume with the tools and save lives. This is the bigger cause we are talking about.
Now, imagine you call on firefighters to come and help fill up your pool with fire hydrant water. Meanwhile, their service is also needed in a fire explosion scene, probably instigated by flammable coconut oil at the same time. Where do you think they will go?
Of course, they will prefer to save lives with their skills other than helping you fill up your pools, which you only need for pleasure.
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Their Services Are Expensive.
Firefighters demand a lot of money from you when they notice you’re not in an emergency, especially with filling up swimming pools. So, seeing you don’t need them that urgently, they can suggest a price you might not afford.
If the firefighters’ costs exceed your budget, you won’t be able to buy their time and, in return, they won’t help you fill your pools.
Consequences Of Filling A Pool With Fire Hydrant Water
Filling up a pool with fire hydrant water is feasible, but truth be told, it is not advisable to use it. This is because the use of fire hydrants can be hazardous.
Below are some common consequences of filling a pool with a fire hydrant. Let’s check them out:
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Closing A Fire Hydrant Requires Caution
Operating a fire hydrant successfully is not a matter of a hasty open and close, as you do for your regular devices. Here, you need to be extra careful.
To open a fire hydrant when you intend to pump out its water is not a hard task. You can get that done with just a hydrant wrench.
However, closing this same device can be a big deal, especially when you close it wrongly or negligently.
If you close the fire hydrant abruptly, the pipes can explode, resulting in large volumes of water being wasted. And you know, it won’t turn out well to destroy the community lifesaver resort in times of fire outbreak.
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Water Spurts Out Of The Fire Hydrant Violently
Like we said earlier, you need to be very careful when using fire hydrant water. Water gushes out of a fire hydrant at high pressure and if care is not taken, the pressurized water can damage any tool attached to it.
Final Recommendations.
In conclusion, you can get fire hydrant water for your pool. However, you need to keep some other factors in mind before investing in fire hydrant water.
This guide spotlights everything you need to know about fire hydrant water and how to get it. You can also visit here to read more on the uses of fire hydrants.
