Three Types of Fire Hydrant Adapters and What Each Does
One would think that fire hydrants would not need adapters of any kind. After all, fire hoses are supposed to fit all hydrants no matter what, right? Actually, there are some good reasons why that is not true, and there are different kinds of adapters based on what is needed. Some of those adapters, their uses, and the reasons for their creation and existence are as follows.
Breakable Caps
Breakable caps are caps used to block the flow of water out of the hydrant. They may be used when a fire department needs to access water quickly in an area where multiple buildings that are very close together could suffer damage if just one of those buildings is on fire. They break the cap, turn the pin, and release the water. The caps also double as a means to prevent tampering with a fire hydrant, a common occurrence despite the hefty fines associated with tampering with fire hydrants.
Hex Female to Male Connection
This is an adapter that fits over the main water portal of the hydrant. It screws on around the portal side and extends into a screw-on male adapter on the opposite side. The idea here is that the fire hose in use cannot connect to the hydrant because the portal is too large, so the female to male adapter converts the larger port on the hydrant to a smaller diameter connection on the opposite side. The fire hose can now screw onto the male part of the adapter much easier because the hose is finally able to fit around the male part of the adapter/extension. The "hex" refers to the shield portion between the male and female sides of the adapter.
Fire Hose Pin Lug Adapters
When firefighters really have trouble connecting to a hydrant, they first connect a pin lug adapter, followed by one of the other adapters that screws onto that. This is common when hydrants are so old that modern hoses cannot connect, or when hydrant portal threads are so stripped that the hose's threads cannot grip and hold or even screw onto the hydrant. In the minutes it would take to frustratingly try to connect a hose to such a hydrant, a building would burn down. Hence, the importance of making it much easier to connect a fire hose quickly and without any issues to slow down the firefighters in their jobs.
Contact a business like Buy Wholesale Company to check out some fire hydrant adapters on the market today.