There are several types of fire hydrants, two of which are called wet barrel and dry barrel. Dry barrel hydrants have a shut off valve at the interface between the hydrant and the supply piping, with drains at the base that allows the hydrant to drain water in the surrounding ground. Wet barrel hydrants will stay filled with water at all times and will have shut off valves at each individual hose connection.
Wet barrel hydrants are ‘faster’ since you don’t have to wait for the hydrant to fill and are easier to maintain, but are prone to being damaged in areas where the temperatures drop below freezing. Dry barrel hydrants are used in areas where the temperatures can drop below freezing because they’re not filled with water at all times.
Wet barrel hydrants, however, don’t store water anymore that the underground piping does. They may have 10s of gallons of water in them, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to what’s typically needed for fire fighting purposes.
There are several types of fire hydrants, two of which are called wet barrel and dry barrel. Dry barrel hydrants have a shut off valve at the interface between the hydrant and the supply piping, with drains at the base that allows the hydrant to drain water in the surrounding ground. Wet barrel hydrants will stay filled with water at all times and will have shut off valves at each individual hose connection.
Wet barrel hydrants are ‘faster’ since you don’t have to wait for the hydrant to fill and are easier to maintain, but are prone to being damaged in areas where the temperatures drop below freezing. Dry barrel hydrants are used in areas where the temperatures can drop below freezing because they’re not filled with water at all times.
Wet barrel hydrants, however, don’t store water anymore that the underground piping does. They may have 10s of gallons of water in them, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to what’s typically needed for fire fighting purposes.