Water Source

Lift

Accessibility

Coordination

Installation Tips

Water Source
Determine the depth of water at piping entry location. In ponds, use the low water level if known to insure operation during droughts.

A minimum of two feet of water over the pipe is necessary to avoid cavitation.

Lift in excess of 15 feet should be avoided. For other than Class "A" pumps, the maximum should be 10 feet .

    1. We feel the length of pipe should be held to around 40 feet maximum if at all possible, this should include the length of the priming suction hose. While the horizontal pipe should always be below water, that may not always be the case as the pipe should have a gradual slope toward the pond. During drought conditions, long pipe lengths could lead to primer pump burnout.

    2. Hydrants will need to be installed in deep water rather than in the shallow end. This is necessary due to the reach of the back hoe. On a shallow slope, the reach would exceed the 10 foot to 12 foot capability of most equipment.

    3. Both a 45 degree or 90 degree configuration can be used to install the dry hydrant. One may be a better choice than the other depending upon terrain at site location.

    4. On short pipe installations of approximately 30 feet, we found a slight variation could be done to significantly add to the draw down depth during drought conditions.

    5. Height of the dry hydrant above the ground should be approximately 2 feet or lower than the intake of the responding fire truck.

Dry Hydrant Page

How to Install a Dry Hydrant