[drive surgeon]

does anyone use the fire dry riser taps for water on jobs?  there is one on a job im quoting, where do i get the hose or connections to fit to it?

[Gerry Styles]

Check withyour local fire brigade I think that you are not allowed to use them

[Roger Oakley]

Check withyour local fire brigade I think that you are not allowed to use them

Correct Fire Brigade use only.

[drivewasher]

The risers are dry anyway! The brigade fit their high pressur pump to the ground level conection this steel dry riser directs water from the tender/hydrant up to the roof and the firefighter conect shorter hoses to it at the floor where the fire is.
Hence the name "dry riser" it's just a sort of permanent hose there all the time in case it's needed

[Rob_Mac]

I have had a look over a few web sites, came across this

Why do dry/wet risers need to be serviced?
• risers are prone to neglect and vandalism
• severe penalties should the rising main fail to work for the Fire
Service
• leaking from a wet riser could cause substantial damage
BS 5306 Part 1 1976 recommends for dry risers:
• a visual inspection every six months
• an annual pressure test
BS 5306 Part 1 1976 recommends for wet risers:
• 2 visual inspection services per year
• 2 electric pump inspection services per year

There are a couple of things there - Severe penalties should the rising main fail to work for the fire brigade. I guess that the company will be pursued (if things go wrong) and you being the only person unqualified to use it will then be pursued for any liability.

• leaking from a wet riser could cause substantial damage - I know that you are looking to use a dry riser but when it is charged and you have a problem, connecting, whatever, there is the potential of creating scenes from Noahs Ark, maybe there is a problem below you, a seal gone, no problem on your floor but because you have charged the system things are bobbing about.

They are for fire brigade use, you don't know what you are doing with the system, will have reason to poo your pants if it goes wrong. I would leave alone and look at alternatives.

I went to have a look at cleaning a car park in Birmingham airport, 8 storeys high, needed to get water up there, tank driven up, lots of 11/4 inch hose and a fire hydrant set up.

If there was  no fire hydrant then we would have used a tank at bottom, tank at top and a very big pump to pump between the two.

There will always be another way

Rob

[JandS]

Dry risers are dry.
Next time you are near a tower block look at the inlet     it's usually very secure for obvious reasons.
If you did get to use it , which your not supposed to, at least check that the outlet valves on every floor are shut off before you charge it.
Even then, as someone else said, you could still have a leaking seal or something on another floor and you wouldn't know till it was too late.
You'd also need a standpipe.
In a car park it's not such a big deal because your outside for starters so not really a problem.
Not really a case of don't do it though more a case off you won't be able to do it.


John

[drivewasher]

The point is it's a DRY riser, Why would you want to charge it anyway. Us pressure washer want to GET water not pump 500 feet into a tower block in a pipe that goes nowhere.
The origonal poster obviously thought there was potential for a water supply to use IE as a fire hydrant/water board outlet that you can ( if authorised) use a standpipe on