The installation of an Advanced Valve Technologies EZ Valve ensured a fire and police station maintained their water supply during vital repair works to a fire hydrant.
Hydratec Services, a trusted long-term partner of AVT, was called on to assist with the repair of a leaking fire hydrant in an East Texas location. Typically fire hydrants are supplied by a ‘T’ line.
This is a small section of water line that is fed by the main line running along a street.
Conventional water valves require a large section of pipe to be available when installed due to the need for at least two excavations for the fitting of line stops and a valve, but the AVT EZ Valve requires just one small excavation allowing them to be fit on this small ‘T’ line and isolate the hydrant without affecting the rest of the local water supply.
Hydratec owns the kit required to install AVT EZ Valves so when they learned about the issue, they knew the installation of an insertion valve was the best option.
The leaking fire hydrant could not be repaired under pressure so had to be shut off. This highlighted several issues. The closest isolation point was a good distance from the hydrant so up to three city blocks which included a hotel, several restaurants and retail properties, a police station, and a fire station, would also need to lose their water supply for the repair to be completed.
Hydratec Services sent a team of three water industry professionals to fit the EZ Valve, They took just one-and-a-half-hours to install the EZ Valve on the 6” cast iron pipe.
AVT’s VP of Global Sales, Shawn Petty said: “Many times fire hydrants sit at the end of short pipes leading from water mains so installing traditional line stops is out of the question. The AVT EZ Valve can be installed on relatively short pieces of pipe and has time and time again proved itself to be the ideal solution when fire hydrant repairs are required.”
AVT President Harry Gray said: “This is a great example of how the compact, yet robust AVT EZ Valve delivered the perfect solution to a potentially costly and highly disruptive issue. We are seeing more and more water system operators opt for the EZ valve when they need to shut off fire hydrants for repair and this is a perfect example why.”
