Water main pressure monitoring equipment

[cdafd]

Scott

I cannot remember which question/thread you posted I thought a piece of equipment to either monitor a fire hydrant or water main pressure over a period of time.

Can you post a link to the equipment

Thanks

 

[77JQX]

We use the HPR-31 and HPR 31i from Telog Instruments

 

[cdafd]

77

About how much are they?

 

[77JQX]

I don't know what we paid - I wasn't involved in the purchase.

 

[rconner]

Are you looking for variations in normally rather steady pressure over time, or instead e.g. VERY brief transients that may be much off these curves (I'm guessing all the instruments and recorders etc. traditionally available may have very different abilities)?

 

[cdafd]

I am an ahj

We have a project coming

We have done five flow tests, over about a year time. Most were close in readings. We keep having to have utilities check for closed valves. Which have been found. We had one test that had about 1200 gpm spike.

So I thought monitor the pressure on the main for a few days. To see if any spikes over a time period

 

[rconner]

While I don't have direct experience with same, I've noticed the devices and manufacturers as mentioned e.g. at

http://www.wateronline.com/doc/water-distribution-system-wireless-monitoring-0002

etc. (some instruments reportedly now have capabilities of taking and recording up to 20 or more pressure readings per second, and for some time).
[Incidentally, I believe closed valves are not unusual. I think I remember a presentation a few years ago that noted when a detailed survey of 7,000 or so valve locations was conducted, obviously for a fairly large water system, a few hundred valves were actually found closed!)]

 

[LCREP]

CD,

I had a water supply to a pump drop 1500 GPM from one year to another. We had the water co. check the valves, they found a valve closed. The valve was on a grid, the valve turned the system from a grid to a dead end main, big difference. Ask the water utility where the valves were closed and what effect it has on the system. Sometimes one valve can make a big difference!!

 

[cdafd]

I did an annual on a golf lawn mower supply warehouse.

Two risers , walk by and see the Gages setting on zero.

Someone had turned the roadway valve off in the street!

 

[LCREP]

CD

Back in the day we would witness main drain tests at client locations. The owner opened the main drain and it went to 0. Oh great now what.

Call the water company oh it is Friday at 4pm we will have someone out Monday afternoon, do you understand the building has no fire protection, can you flush the toilets, yea no problem, see you Monday.

Call the FD, OK thanks for letting us know, let us know when it is back on. Can you loan us 300' of firehose so we can at least have some water to the fire protection? Nope against policy someone may get hurt, yea how about one of your firefighters at a non sprinklered building! Sorry against our policy.....

So now it is 430, what the heck do we do..... I know I have firehose at home since we conduct fire pump tests...problem is I am 2 hours from home. Drive home, takes me 2.5 hours because of traffic, get the hose, drive back, and connect the hose to the FDC from the fire hydrant in front of the building.

Tuesday the owner calls me, sprinklers back in service, valve open now. Oh great why was the valve closed? Oh the were tearing down the building across the street and they shut the wrong valve! And he says the water company wanted to know who opened the fire hydrant without notifying them!!

Closed valves what a pain in my backside.

 

[cdafd]

Ok, I keep thinking I hear different terms or have heard them.

On fire hydrant flow tests, or sprinkler design, is there a new term for what I would say is averaging of the water flow tests, or requireing tests over a period of time??

If so which NFPA standard?? 291, 13 other??

 

[TravisMack]

You are supposed to have the seasonally adjusted lowest test for the system you are tying in to. However, that never happens. That is one of the reasons many authorities specify and minimum safety margin.

Travis Mack
MFP Design, LLC

http://www.mfpdesign.com

"Follow" us at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/MFP-Design-LLC/92218417692

 

[bmlxd40]

We have used devices similar to these. They are pretty simple to use, just screw them into a hydrant cap with a 1/4" NPT female outlet.

https://www.dicksondata.com/products/PR350