To eliminate a fire, a whole system is required, consisting of a hydrant, hoses, valves and other types of elements. These devices allow you to supply water directly to the fire. Not a single fire extinguishing system can do without high-quality shut-off valves, which include a fire valve. Consider what types exist, their differences and the benefits of using.
Regulations
In everything related to fire extinguishing systems, regulation occurs with reference to such documents:
- NPB 154-2000. This regulation discloses all data on fire fighting equipment, valves, fire hydrants. It also regulates the technical part: safety requirements and methods for testing equipment.
- GOST R 53278-2009. The previous document refers to this GOST as a foundational document that provides a clearer description of the definitions of regulatory values.
- FZ 123. This law regulates the legal situations in the event of a fire, as well as measures to prevent it.
These regulatory documents regulate all areas, from the production of valves to their use andtests.
What is this?
Fire valve (aka valve) is part of the crane. It is installed on the internal water supply system for fire extinguishing with liquid or gas temperature up to 50 °C. One end of this product is made in the form of a coupling, and the second is a pin (external thread) for screwing in a coupling head.
The design of fire valves is no different from conventional analogues. The difference is only in the diameter and material of execution. In their design, they have a flywheel, bushing, gland packing, head housing, stem threads, insulation, valve with gasket.
Views
You can distinguish several species according to different characteristics:
- By installation type - channel, wall.
- According to the type of external structure of the hull - angled (90° or 125°), straight-through, direct-flow.
- By function - shut-off, lock-regulating, special.
- Material - cast iron, brass.
- Inner diameter - 50mm or 65mm.
- By type of connection - coupling / coupling, coupling / pin. The lug in the fire valve allows you to attach a hose with a fire hose (metal fire hose tip).
The variety of classifications does not affect the main quality of such reinforcement - reliability.
Valve requirements
There are a number of fire damper regulations:
- tightness of the product and connections;
- nominal passage - from 40 to 65 mm;
- working pressure at the time of water supply - at least 1 MPa;
- working pressurecarried out under the valve;
- working temperature should not exceed 50 °С;
- number of turns before opening - from 4 to 6, depending on the nominal passage;
- flywheel rotation - right;
- compulsory pressure test within 12 hours before sale.
All these requirements make it possible to start the system as quickly as possible under fire conditions in extreme conditions.
Material of performance
The fire valve is made of cast iron and brass.
This is due to the fact that such products must be durable and reliable. Cast iron and brass differ in such characteristics, namely anti-corrosion, strength and ability to withstand high system pressure.
All of these properties allow the use of such products for a long time.
Marking
The properties of the crane are displayed not only in alphabetical, numerical designation, but also in symbols and in the color of the body painting. Marking is applied by casting and must contain the following data:
- nominal diameter;
- nominal pressure;
- body material;
- trademark and/or manufacturer's name;
- direction of supply of the working medium;
- year of issue;
- arrow indicating the direction of the working environment;
- designation of gasket for flange seal, etc.
Other types of marking are applied in accordance with the requirements of the regulatorydocumentation and regulations.
Color coding reveals what material the case is made of:
- black - grey, malleable, ductile iron;
- grey - carbon steel;
- blue - alloy steel;
- blue - high-alloy steel, corrosion-resistant and heat-resistant alloys.
As you can see, the fire valve fully reveals its characteristics in the marking.
Features of installation and maintenance
Different types of designs allow you to install the fire hydrant valve in any position.
Mounting with handwheel down is prohibited. In fire conditions, working with the water supply system should be accessible and easy. In an extreme situation, every second counts, so the valve should simply open in 4-6 turns. Modern designs allow you to perform such actions without additional leverage.
During installation, the tightness of the system must be observed. When installing the valve on the pipeline, the gasket and stuffing box connections are tightened. Before installation, the pipe must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt and sand.
Device requirements:
- The valve can be installed using a connection head.
- In case of failure (wear) of the gland seal, it is replaced.
- Stem to be periodically lubricated.
- Regular inspection of equipment by tests.
- When the equipment expires, itdismantled and sent for recycling.
- The service life of valves depends on proper installation and maintenance.
The fire stop valve is one of the important devices of the fire extinguishing system. The speed and possibility of its use in emergency situations depends on its quality and proper installation. And this directly affects the life of a person. Therefore, the use of fire equipment that does not comply with regulatory documentation is strictly prohibited at enterprises.
When purchasing devices such as a valve, you must request a certificate of conformity. Pay attention to the marking, to how correctly it is applied and whether the technical characteristics correspond to the required ones. In no case should you take products of dubious origin. They are of poor quality and reliability. It is not worth saving on such products, the life and he alth of people directly depend on them.
