Hose Testing

[vortek222]

Anyone know of any companies in jersey that will test hose?

[CaptOldTimer]

Anyone know of any companies in jersey that will test hose?

Fire hose???


Why not test it your self using a pumper with the hose connected to the discharges? This is what most fire department do.

[vortek222]

A couple of years ago we purchased a hose testing machine becuase of the fact that hose testing on the pumpers voids the warranties. Now we have the problem of manpower. It just takes too much time and it seems to be the same 3-4 people who come out every year. Me being one of them. We learned that there are companies out there that do this and keep records of it to help improve ISO ratings.

[CaptOldTimer]

A couple of years ago we purchased a hose testing machine becuase of the fact that hose testing on the pumpers voids the warranties. Now we have the problem of manpower. It just takes too much time and it seems to be the same 3-4 people who come out every year. Me being one of them. We learned that there are companies out there that do this and keep records of it to help improve ISO ratings.

Void What Warranties?? A fire manufacturer is going to void the warranty, if you test the hose with the pumper that the department has bought and paid for??? What are they going to do if you make a fire using that rig and have to pump water using hose lines?? Sound like a company that I never want to deal with let alone buy apparatus from!

We have tested hose for as long as they have had the stuff using a pumper on a hydrant and a lay out of hose with a nozzle attached and the air and water bled and pressure taken up slowly to 300 psi for in service hose and 400 for new hose lines. We usually do this at a school parking lot, on weekends when no classes are being conducted.

If this is a volley dept, conduct the hose testing as a mandatory training exercise. Be there or have a very good reason as why you aren't. We did this in a volley dept I was active with years back.

[vortek222]

We have a lot of trouble getting our guys to come to the firehouse for fires. They just dont have the drive to come anymore. We discussed this at an officers meeting and it was the concensus to have an outside company come in and do it. I am somewhat against it but we dont have a choice anymore. My firehouse has about 17 active guys and 5-6 of them really show up all of the time.


By the way we use a very well respected company for our Engines. We also had a pump training class and even they said it is dangerous to use the engines to hose test. War stories of pumps overheating so much they exploded. Or building up too much pressure that caps blow and hit people.

[Bones42]

Fire One

Waterway Inc

Have used both. Good results.


PS - your war stories are just that...stories.

[vortek222]

Bones 42

Thank you i will try them

[cozmosis]

We also had a pump training class and even they said it is dangerous to use the engines to hose test. War stories of pumps overheating so much they exploded. Or building up too much pressure that caps blow and hit people.

Make sure you circulate water in your pump. Make sure your caps are screwed on tight. If there is any truth to the war stories you heard, it was because the department failed to do one of those two things. If you don't trust your pumpers to hose test, how do you trust them to pump on a fire?

[triseaside]

Correct me if i'm wrong, I was under the impression that one of the most damaging tasks you could perform with an engine is hose testing. A friend who does fleet repair for fire departments, Tells me that hose testing will damage the packing in the pump, It may not be today and it may not be tomorrow, but the pump will sustain damage from hose testing. and are you willing to use a 1/2 million dollar piece of equipment to test hose with and have it fail when you actually need it to fight fire. And as i read in another hose testing thread a guy actually thinks the manufacturer of the pump is going to warranty the pump after you tell them you used it to test hose.
GOOD LUCK!