Seeking expert advice on preventing freezing of underground fire hydrants in the north during winter
Thread Content
In the northern regions, the permafrost layer is usually over 1.5 meters thick, which poses freezing problems for underground fire hydrants. How do experts solve this issue? First of all, there are no heat tracing pipes.
Cover the fire hydrant lid with felt, and then cover it with sand.
There are leaks; the fire protection pipes leak water in summer, which may cause blockages in the pipes
It’s not as thick as 1.5 meters as the original poster mentioned; generally, the layer that prevents freezing is less than 1 meter thick. Modern fire hydrants are equipped with automatic anti-freezing systems, which means that the water inside the underground part is automatically drained. What needs to be protected is only the water guns and nozzles located on the surface.
In addition to insulating and sealing the wellhead, regular inspections are necessary. Typically, a bottle filled with water is lowered to the bottom of the well; these inspections check whether the water in the bottle has frozen. Especially when temperatures drop significantly, if it is found that the water has frozen, additional insulation measures must be taken, and if needed, materials such as felt can be inserted into the well to provide further insulation.
Good idea; this allows for real-time monitoring of temperature to ensure it doesn’t freeze
After covering it with insulation material, we seal it with plastic sheeting