Fire Hydrants

As a fully licensed fire protection contractor, Performance Fire Systems, Inc. performs professional Fire Hydrant Services in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and the greater Southern California area in accordance with NFPA 25, as well as the State of California Fire Marshall Guidelines. Our expert crews are certified and trained to perform all areas of installation, testing, maintenance, and repair to keep your fire hydrants in working condition.

Fire Hydrant Inspections

All Private Fire Hydrants are required to be inspected on an Annual and Five (5) Year schedule to ensure Compliance with NFPA-291 Fire Code Regulations. The inspections ensure their readiness to be used by fire fighters during fires. It is the responsibility of the property owners or tenants to maintain the fire hydrants and keep inspection records available upon request by the local jurisdiction.

The Annual Fire Hydrant Inspection consists of a visual and an operational inspection of the Fire Hydrant Components ensuring the valves, stems, caps, seals, and threads are operational, lubricated, and undamaged.

The Five (5) Year Fire Hydrant Inspection includes all the inspection criteria and testing requirements of the Annual Fire Hydrant inspection plus a fire hydrant water flow test, barrel size measurements, water flow measured in gallons per minute, and the residential pressure test measured in pounds per square inch.

All Deficiencies that are discovered during hydrant testing must receive prompt repairs in accordance to NFPA-291.

Why Are Fire Hydrant Inspections Important?

The purpose of a fire hydrant is to provide firefighters with a reliable source of water to tap into should a blaze break out in your building. This makes fire hydrants a vital part of the community’s fire protection system, yet it’s easy to overlook the importance of maintaining and repairing these fixtures. Here are the top reasons to make this an annual priority for your business.

• Verify safe operation: Common safety issues with fire hydrants include water leaks, missing parts, rusted bolts, broken couplings, loose nozzles, and other parts in need of repair or replacement. An inspection addresses these safety issues to ensure proper operation if it ever becomes necessary to tap into the hydrant for firefighting purposes.
• Ensure reliable performance: A flow test during a fire hydrant inspection determines if any issues exist that could interfere with the fixture’s ability to help fight a fire. Such issues might include seized operating nuts or caps, low flow caused by partially closed valves, and poorly lubricated parts. Even the fire hydrant’s location is an important consideration in terms of accessibility when firefighters arrive at the scene.
• Check the water flow: A flow test ensures adequate water pressure in all areas of the system. Places with significantly lower flow could have partially closed valves, a problem that can only be identified during a fire hydrant inspection.
• Remove sediment from the system: Dirt, rust, and other debris in your fire hydrant lines could affect performance. A system flush during a fire hydrant inspection clears this sediment from the system.
• Avoid liability issues: If your building succumbs to a fire and you haven’t kept up with annual fire hydrant inspections, you could be in for a nasty surprise when the neglected fire hydrant fails to serve its purpose. This could leave you liable for the damages to your building since your insurance company can cite neglect as a reason to deny coverage. Of course, the damage is also likely to be higher if firefighters can’t tap into the hydrant to help extinguish the fire, resulting in an expensive twofold setback for your business.

Our Fire Hydrant Services Include:

• Emergency Repair – 24/7
• New Installation
• Annual & 5 Year Fire Hydrant Inspections & Certifications
• Fire Hydrant Flow Testing
• Rebuilds
• Fire Hydrant Flushing
• Raising Hydrants to Grade
• Nozzle Repairs
• Main Operating Valve Maintenance & Repairs
• Collision Repairs
• Installing Protection Bollards
• Painting
• Blue Reflective Markers

What is a Fire Hydrant Flow Test?

The Fire Hydrant Flow Test is performed in order to determine the water availability for firefighting and/or fire sprinkler systems for commercial, industrial, or residential properties. The flow test is conducted to measure the amount of flow at each hydrant. Through this testing, we are also able to verify the condition of the water distribution, by discovering potentially faulty valves or wall deposits. Keeping your water system well maintained on a regular basis ensures firefighters will have the available water supply to combat and reduce the potential damage caused by fires.

Want to learn more about Performance Fire Systems, Inc., Fire Hydrant Services? Please call us at (714) 794-9559.