Designing Water & Hydrant Systems
© 2000 Capt. Willis Lamm, Water Supply Officer, Moraga-Orinda (CA) Fire District
Background    Criteria    Storage    Distribution    Hyd. Design    Placement    Installation    Codes & Markings    Applications    Codes & Standards
  BACKGROUND

Water and fire fighting will always be together. Globally, water is our most plentiful resource. It is inexpensive. When public water systems are present, it is available in an almost endless supply. When applied properly, it is very effective in absorbing heat and extinguishing fires. For these reasons, fire services throughout the world base their primary operations upon utilizing water as a fire extinguishing agent.

Water and fire hydrant systems involve substantial capital expense, however they typically last between 70 and 100 years. A properly designed and installed system is a long term investment in community safety and should be undertaken utilizing long term planning and appropriate engineering standards.

Protecting evacuees - 1991 Oakland Firestorm

The purpose of this information sheet is not to design water and hydrant systems, but rather to present information and raise issues that should be considered by water system planners and designers, especially in small communities or third world countries where relevant fire codes and standards have not been adopted.

Background    Criteria    Storage    Distribution    Hyd. Design    Placement    Installation    Codes & Markings    Applications    Codes & Standards
  DESIGN CRITERIA

While there are numerous published minimum standards, design criteria for water systems should be based upon the expected service needs over the life of a particular system. Storage and water delivery capacities should include peak domestic consumption combined with peak anticipated fire flows. Storage capacity should be sufficient to hold two days' peak domestic use plus a minimum of two hours of peak fire flow in ordinary hazard zones, and a minimum of three hours (or greater) in high hazard zones.

High flow operations
Calculations for pipe sizing should take into account a minimum of 50 years subsequent community growth and its increased demands on the system. Pipe materials and installation criteria should be appropriate for soil conditions which includes issues of soil stability and seismic activity.

Over the life of a system it is less costly to install a proper system that has sufficient capacity for future community needs to it is to remove and replace pipes every few years.

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Background    Criteria    Storage    Distribution    Hyd. Design    Placement    Installation    Codes & Markings    Applications    Codes & Standards
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