Moss Street to Receive Two New Fire Hydrants
Wallace C. Drennan, Inc., working for the Sewerage and Water Board, will be replacing hydrants that service the area. Residents and businesses on Moss Street between St. Philip Street to Dumaine Street will experience low water pressure on Tuesday, July 5, 2016 from 9 a.m. until noon while two new fire hydrants are installed.
The Sewerage and Water Board appreciates your patience as they work to improve the City’s infrastructure.
Please note that all scheduled work may change due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather delays.
In areas subject to freezing temperatures, only a portion of the hydrant is above ground. The valve is located below the frost line and connected by a riser to the above-ground portion. A valve rod extends from the valve up through a seal at the top of the hydrant, where it can be operated with the proper wrench. This design is known as a “dry barrel” hydrant, in that the barrel, or vertical body of the hydrant, is normally dry. A drain valve underground opens when the water valve is completely closed; this allows all water to drain from the hydrant body to prevent the hydrant from freezing.
In warm areas, hydrants are used with one or more valves in the above-ground portion. Unlike with cold-weather hydrants, it is possible to turn the water supply on and off to each port. This style is known as a “wet barrel” hydrant.
Both wet- and dry-barrel hydrants typically have multiple outlets. Wet barrel hydrant outlets are typically individually controlled, while a single stem operates all the outlets of a dry barrel hydrant simultaneously. Thus, wet barrel hydrants allow single outlets to be opened, requiring somewhat more effort, but simultaneously allowing more flexibility.
A typical U.S. dry-barrel hydrant has two smaller outlets and one larger outlet. The smaller outlet is often a Storz connection if the local fire department has standardized on hose using Storz fittings for large diameter supply line. The larger outlet is known as a “steamer” connection, because they were once used to supply steam powered water pumps, and a hydrant with such an outlet may be called a “steamer hydrant”, although this usage is becoming archaic. Likewise, an older hydrant without a steamer connection may be called a “village hydrant.”
description courtesy Wikipedia
