“ANTI-FREEZE” WATER TANK FITTING
The idea of a permanently mounted fitting that would help prevent the water in our portable tank from freezeing in below-zero temperatures was born one winter night when our department responded to a mutual-aid call to a structure fire in the next town and witnessed the freezing of several hundred feet of four-inch hose connected to another department’s truck.
Our solution was to permanently mount a four-inch Storz fitting to our water tank; we added a cap for protection. In cold temperatures, we hook up a t’Wnch hoseline and circulate water from another pumping unit into the tank, allowing it to overflow when necessary. Ihe method has been tested at temperatures well below zero at actual fires and has kept the water from freezing. An added benefit is that department members do not have to look for the fitting and mount it each time; it’s one less thing for firefighters to remember
Photo by author.
