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| Frequently Asked Questions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Little Hose Monster®
The Hose Monster®
Fire Flow Testing with the Hose Monster®
Pump Testing
The Pitotless Nozzle™
Dechlor Demon™
TrackOne™and Fire Flow Tester™Software.
GeneralLittle Hose Monster® Q. How much does the Little Hose Monster weigh? A. The Little Hose Monster by itself weighs only 3 pounds. With the Pitotless Nozzle and gauge, it still only weighs 6 pounds Q. Will it move or whip around because it is so light? A. The same answer as the one given for the steel Hose Monsters applies. The weight is not what keeps it from whipping around. The thrust is cancelled by flowing water in two opposing directions. Q. On occasion when I use the Little Hose Monster the unit slides or moves laterally when doing a hydrant flow test. Why is that and how do I solve this problem? A. This can be the result of the hose being slightly twisted or if Little Hose Monster is on an incline. If the hose is even slightly twisted, it will try to straighten out when it fills with water. Another solution is to use the Little Hose Monster Stabilizer Kit.. Contact us if problem persists. Q. Will the Little Hose Monster break when flowing at high pressures? It’s pretty small? A. The Little Hose Monster has been tested through numerous water flow situations, as well as special destruction testing; We found that injection-molded glass filled polypropylene is the most durable material and nearly impossible to damage, even when trying. Besides, if your Little Hose Monster becomes damaged within 2 years, we’ll replace it right away. Q. Why do I have to use a Pitotless Nozzle™ with the Little Hose Monster? A. The Little Hose Monster was designed to work with the Pitotless Nozzle to measure flow rate and control discharge. The Pitotless Nozzle will save time and money from replacing damaged pitots while giving very accurate and steady readings. It also allows the Little Hose Monster to be very small and light as well as a quick and easy setup. Q. When I stack the Little Hose Monsters 2 or 3 units high, the stack gets top heavy and falls over. How do I solve this problem? A. The Little Hose Monster Stabilizer Kit adds stability and keeps the stacked units upright during heavy water flow. It consists of a specially designed metal base and tie downs. Q. What about dechlorination? Can I still dechlorinate with the new Little Hose Monster? A. Dechorlination is accomplished the same way when the Little Hose Monster is used. Connect the Dechlor Demon to the hydrant, in line with the hose and Hose Monster. The Hose Monster® Q. How much does the Hose Monster weigh? It must be pretty heavy to keep from whipping around? A. The 2 1/2" Hose Monster weighs 27 pounds. The 4" and 4 1/2" Hose Monsters each weigh 45 pounds - but the weight is not what keeps it from whipping around. The thrust is cancelled by flowing water in two opposing directions. The Hose Monsters weigh as much as they do because of the durable material they are built with. Q. How much water can I flow through the Hose Monster without damaging it? A. A lot! Probably more water than your system can provide. Water will never damage the Hose Monster. Q. What are the maximum and minimum flow rates I can read from the Hose Monster? A. 118 GPM through 2943 GPM. The lower ranges can be read using the 2 ½” Hose Monster and the Pitotless Nozzle™ or UL/FM Nozzle Inserts™. The higher ranges through the 4 ½” Hose Monster. Call us or refer to flow charts to determine which equipment would apply. Flow Charts Q. Will it really stay on the ground when it's flowing water? A. Yes. The thrust is cancelled by flowing the water in two equal and opposing directions. Q. Even if you are flowing thousands of gallons per minute? A. Yes. The Hose Monster may vibrate as a result of flowing water, but the thrust is cancelled and there will not be any whipping force. Q. What is the maximum flow rate that can be accurately measured through the Hose Monster®? A. The flow charts provided with the Hose Monster indicate the flow rates for which we have laboratory test data supporting. Flow Charts Q. Is the gauge on the Hose Monster the same as your typical hand held pitot gauge? A. We recommend the use of high quality test gauges on the Hose Monster. We offer ½ % accuracy rated, liquid filled gauges with a 4” dial for easy reading. The gauge range should be suited for anticipated readings. Dial gauges read most accurately in the middle two-thirds of the range. A 100 PSI gauge reads most accurately between 30 and 70 PSI. Our 100 PSI gauge reads in single PSI increments. Many gauges that come with hand-held pitots are of a lower quality. Q. Why do I need an extra pitot? A. If you are using a 4" or 4 ½" Hose Monster you do not need one. If you are using the 2 ½" Hose Monster, a spare should be kept on hand. Sometimes in the middle of a flow test or pump test a piece of debris hits the built-in pitot and damages it. When this happens you do not want to have to take the rest of the day off. Instead, change out the damaged pitot with the spare that you keep on-hand. You will need the Pitot Changeout Kit (PCK) or 1/8" hex wrench and few minutes. Save the old pitot. Contact us for a return authorization because the damaged pitot can be rebuilt at the factory for far less than the cost of the new pitot. Q. Where is the pitot in the 4" (or 4 ½") Hose Monster? A. The 4" and 4 ½" Hose Monsters use a UL Certified orifice plate . . . not a pitot. It is ideal for flushing operations because it is both accurate and durable. We have never had a complaint of the orifice plate being damaged from flushing debris. Q. What about dechlorination? Can I still dechlorinate with the new Little Hose Monster? A. Dechorlination is accomplished the same way when the Little Hose Monster is used. Connect the Dechlor Demon to the hydrant, in line with the hose and Hose Monster. Flow Testing with the Hose Monster® Q. How much is the friction loss when I use a hose? A.. Hose causes friction loss, but in a fire flow test, it doesn't matter. The purpose of a fire flow test is to evaluate the water supply; what flow rate will be available at 20PSI residual. A flow test requires three measurements; STATIC PRESSURE and RESIDUAL PRESSURE at a TEST FLOW RATE. The reading from the gauge cap on the test hydrant gives you STATIC and RESIDUAL pressures. The Pitotless Nozzle or Hose Monster gives you the TEST FLOW RATE. The friction loss created in the hose results in lower TEST FLOW and at the same time greater RESIDUAL pressure. This should not affect the predicted flow at 20PSI. *The flow test should create a drop in static-to-residual pressure of 25%. *NFPA 291, 2007 More information is in our literature rack. Q. Previously we did flow tests using a hand-held pitot. What effect will there be on the flow rate and the flow test if I use a hose and the Hose Monster? A. The TEST FLOW will be less, but the residual pressure will also be higher. This will not adversely affect the flow test. A Flow Test Comparison Related note: NFPA 291, 2-3 says the discharge "should" cause a drop in pressure at the residual hydrant (aka: test hydrant, pressure hydrant, static/residual hydrant) of at least 25%.) Q. Which gauge should I put on the Hose Monster? A. A high quality test gauge with a ¼" male NPT connection will connect directly to the gauge port on the Hose Monster. Our gauges come standard with the brass tee, drain cock, nipple and set of quick disconnect couplings. More on gauge selection at Gauges Q. Can we use the table found in NFPA-291 to determine the flow based on our reading of the gauge from the Hose Monster? A. The table found in NFPA-291 is not the same as the Hose Monster flow chart. Those tables are the result of the formula Q = 29.84 * D0.5 * P2 . (NFPA 291 4.7.3) The table does not consider coefficients (NFPA 4.7.1 and 4.8.2), which are necessary to accurately measure flow rates. We provide appropriate flow charts with each Hose Monster sold. Flow charts are also available on our Literature Rack. Use the Hose Monster flow charts when you use the Hose Monster. Use NFPA Table 4.10.1 and apply the correct coefficient(s) if you are taking hand-held pitot readings directly from a hydrant nozzle or pumper port*. *Assuming that the hydrant nozzle is round, cylindrical with no protrusions, of an exact consistent diameter, and has a known coefficient. Q. Do I add the hydrant coefficient to the flow rate from the Hose Monster? A. No. The flow rate is measured correctly at the built-in nozzle of the Hose Monster and not affected by the flow characteristics of the hydrant nozzle or pumper port. Q. What are the coefficients used to calculate flow rate. A. The flow charts we provide with the Hose Monster, Nozzle Inserts and Pitotless Nozzles are correct and should be referred to first. Our software, Fire Flow Tester™, TrackOne™ and TrackOne for ValveStar® calculate flow rates and correspond with our flow charts. It is common for third-party software to use the pitot formula to compute flow rate. Our Nozzle Inserts (1 1/8”, 1 ¾”) and 2 ½” Hose Monster use a pitot to measure velocity pressure. Coefficients are listed below. It is important to note that the 4” & 4 ½” Hose Monsters and the Pitotless Nozzles do not use a pitot and the pitot formula has to be tricked into calculating correct flow rates. Entering the coefficients below into a program that uses orifice diameter, coefficient and pitot pressure should give relatively accurate flow rates. If you use them with a third party software, check results against our flow charts. If you create your own spreadsheet, a simpler and more accurate method would be to use the k-factors listed below. Here are the pitot formula and coefficients for all sizes of the Hose Monsters, Nozzle Inserts and Pitotless Nozzles:
If you are using pitot formula and your software does not allow for coefficients greater than 0.99, substitute the following orifice diameters and coefficients for the Pitotless Nozzle 1.75” and the Pitotless Nozzle 2”:
For a pdf document of the coefficients and formulas used to calculate rated capacities click this link Q. If I intend to do flushing only, which Hose Monster should I use? A. There are three equipment options for doing flushing: Option 1: The 4" or 4 ½" Hose Monster. They’re larger, and they flow more water. They employ a FM Approved orifice plate instead of a pitot. It is made from ¼” steel which makes it durable and not susceptible to damage from normal flushing debris. Option 2: Using a Little Hose Monster (HML) with a Flushing Nozzle (FN). The benefit of this option is that it is much lighter; only 4 lbs. It is smaller, easy to transport, and quicker to set up. Option 3: Using a 2 ½” Hose Monster Flushing Unit (HM2HF). This model is the same as a regular 2 ½” Hose Monster except that it does not have a pitot installed and sells at a lower price. A pitot kit can always be purchased and installed later if you decide to take pressure readings. If Pitot damage is a problem, you may want to consider the Pitotless Nozzle™. Q. Can I thread the Hose Monster directly to the hydrant? A. It is physically possible but shouldn't be done. The benefits of the Hose Monster are realized by using hose. It gets the flowing water away from the hydrant and into the street gutter . . . or wherever you want it. Flow from a hydrant nozzle is extremely turbulent. It is common to see a gauge needle bounce plus and minus 10 or more PSI when measuring flow close to the hydrant. Q. Why should I use a Remote Reader? A. Two good reasons; Stay dry. Take the pressure readings away from the flowing water. The Remote Reader encourages workers to remove and safely store the gauge after a flow test. A gauge threaded directly to the gauge port on the Hose Monster is less likely to be removed after a flow test. A gauge attached to the Hose Monster via the Remote Reader is easy to remove without tools and put in the gauge case. Pump Testing Q. How many Hose Monsters do I need for a 1000 GPM Pump? A. For planning purposes, figure 500 GPM per hose. A hose with a 1 3/4" UL FM Nozzle Insert flows 504 GPM at 32 PSI pitot. There are other variables to consider such as pump capacity and hose length. Q. How many hoses can I hook up to one Hose Monster? A. One hose per Hose Monster. Q. Why should I use the Monster Tester? A. Without the Monster Tester -
With the Monster Tester -
Q. Can the Hose Monster be used on a roof-top standpipe test? A. Yes. In fact, a roof-top standpipe test should not be conducted without a Hose Monster. With the Hose Monster, a roof-top flow test can be conducted any time of day because no water is disbursed over the side of the building. The 2 1/2" Hose Monster with a UL Nozzle Insert is commonly used and can lie directly on the roof without causing damage. 500 GPM = 2 ½"
Hose Monster with 1 ¾" Nozzle Insert See the video of the Hose Monster® on a roof-top in Wilmette Illinois. Q. How do I know how many Hose Monsters to use or what size Pitotless Nozzle/Nozzle Inserts to use when pump testing? A. Generally plan for 500 GPM per hose. This assumes 2 ½” hose in lengths 50 feet or less. We can make a more precise determination for you with the following information.
Contact us with the above information and we will be able to make recommendations as to what size Pitotless Nozzle or Nozzle Inserts to use and how many hose lines to run. The Pitotless Nozzle™ A. The Pitotless Nozzle measures the flow rate by measuring the internal pressure from the inside of the nozzle. There is no pitot. Small rocks and other debris usually pass harmlessly through the center of the nozzle. The same debris would likely damage a pitot if it were in use. Q. Is the Pitotless Nozzle accurate? A. The Pitotless Nozzle was tested extensively in two different private hydraulics laboratories before being tested at the FM Approvals lab in Rhode Island. K-factors are known and consistent. In addition, FM Approvals conducts regular audits of our manufacturing facility. Q. In what applications should the Pitotless Nozzle be used? A. The Pitotless Nozzle is used in flow testing, pump testing, or flushing. The Pitotless Nozzle can be used with the Little Hose Monster (HML), the 2 ½” Hose Monster (HM2H or HM2HF), or by connecting it directly to a hydrant nozzle or pump test header. The Pitotless Nozzle can be used with the 4” or 4½” Hose Monster only if if you use a special adapter. 4 ½ or 4” male x 2 ½ male NH. It can only be used on the end of a hose that is solidly anchored. Call us if you are considering an application. Q. How low or high of flow rates can be measured? A. As low as 48 GPM and as high as 1607 GPM. There are four sizes; 1”, 1 1/8”, 1 ¾” and 2”. Q. Can the Pitotless Nozzle be attached directly to a hydrant nozzle? A. Yes, and gauge readings are surprisingly steady. Click here to view a short video of a 2" Pitotless Nozzle on hydrant - Notice the steady gauge reading on the 2" Pitotless Nozzle. Q. Can I connect the inlet of the Pitotless Nozzle to a hydrant nozzle and then connect a hose to the outlet? A. No. The outlet of the Pitotless Nozzle must be open to atmosphere or readings will be inaccurate. It may be connected to the inlet of the 2 ½” Hose Monster. The air vent opening near the inlet of the Hose Monster assures atmospheric pressure at the outlet of the Pitotless Nozzle. The Dechlor Demon™ Q. Can the Dechlor Demon be used in fire flow testing and water main flushing operations? A. Yes. That’s what it is designed for. Q. What is the maximum flow rate capacity of the Dechlor Demon? A. The Dechlor Demon has the capacity to flow as much water as a Hose Monster or more. Q. What is the minimum flow rate the Dechlor Demon can handle? A. The 2 ½” Dechlor Demon has demonstrated that it can dechlorinate flow rates as low as 100 GPM. That is the flow rate to be expected from draining a chlorinated water tank. Q. Is it necessary to use the Hose Monster with the Dechlor Demon? A. At least 5 feet of hose is necessary to use on the discharge side of the Dechlor Demon to assure sufficient mixing of the dechlorinating agent with the chlorinated water. If flowing at higher rates, the Hose Monster is necessary to cancel the thrust. Q. What levels of chlorine can the Dechlor Demon dechlorinate? A. It is designed to neutralize chlorine in normal drinking water as well as super chlorinated mains. Q. What chemicals can be used in the tank? A. We offer DD mini-tabs™, Vita-d-chlor™ (both vitamin C) and Bio-Neutralizer (sodium sulfite). Others may be used but check with us first. TrackOne™ and Fire Flow Tester™ Software Q.
Will TrackOne work on my computer? Q. I have a large amount of data in another format that I want to import into TrackOne. Can I do that? A. Data from other programs can be imported into TrackOne. If you have a licensed copy of MS Access and are familiar with working with it, you may be able to import much data yourself. We also offer the service of converting your data into TrackOne. Q. What if much later I wish to upgrade to a system and no longer use TrackOne, can my data be transferred? A. TrackOne stores data in a Microsoft Access database. It is an industry standard and can be accessed by Excel and many other programs. Access provides the ability to export data in a variety of formats. Q.
For back up, do I need to back up the entire program and how often should
I do it? A. TrackOne automatically saves changes to the data as you key them in. At the end of each day or as soon as large amounts of data have been added, your data should be saved. All the data is stored in the file named t1data.mdb. The default location is C:\track1. This data file can be located on your server and backed up automatically with all your server data. There is no need to back up the program because it can always be recovered from the installation CD. Q.
We perform fire flow tests using a test hydrant and sometimes two or three
flow hydrants. Can TrackOne handle that? A. Yes. TrackOne expects to see a test hydrant (pressure hydrant) and one or more flow hydrants. The test hydrant and flow hydrant can even be the same one. For more information on Hydrant Capacity flow testing and Main Capacity flow testing, click this link. How to Perform a Flow Test. Q. For insurance purposes we report to ISO periodically. Will TrackOne help us with that? A. Yes. ISO grades your water system based on a number of things. They include annual flow testing and accurate reporting of results. TrackOne makes this job much easier than other methods such as paper records. Your hydrants are grouped into logical sections for flow testing. Flow test work orders are produced according to your periodic schedule. (Ex: Every 12 months) Q. What kind of reports will TrackOne produce? A.
There are a number of additional reports on hydrants, valves and mains. Selection criteria are extensive including date ranges, locations and much more. All reports on flow testing and flushing include a total for water used. Q. We want to set up a valve exercise program. How can TrackOne help us? A. This can be done using TrackOne for ValveStar® in combination with Hurco’s ValveStar® equipment. Use TrackOne to organize your valve/hydrant exercise groups and export them to ValveStar. The equipment uses a computer and screen to guide you to each valve or hydrant to be exercised and displays pertinent information. The ValveStar machine is the muscle for opening and closing valves. As it is doing the work, it records pertinent exercise data and stores it for later uploading into TrackOne. The result is detailed reporting on the operation of each valve and hydrant in your system. A. This can also be done without ValveStar equipment. The TrackOne work order system enables you to define each valve and hydrant on a route, then print it on a work order. When the work is complete, easily enter the collected data into the system. These work orders can be scheduled to be performed based on user-defined intervals. (Ex: 24 months) Q. We want to set up a flushing program. How can TrackOne help us? A. TrackOne enables you to perform unidirectional flushing on your entire system. You select the mains to flush, the desired flushing velocity, the flow device* and which valves to close to achieve unidirectional flushing. With that information, TrackOne produces a work order telling the field crew exactly what to do. The actual results are recorded on the work order form and entered into the computer. Q. We want to set up a hydrant maintenance/hydrant painting program. How can TrackOne help us? A.The unique work order system allows you to set up specific tasks to be performed on each hydrant or valve. The beauty of TrackOne is that you define what the tasks are and how often they should be performed. Q.
Does TrackOne produce US Air Force form USAF 1027? A. TrackOne produces a report with all the information used on USAF 1027 in a slightly different format. Q. What about flow devices? Do we need to use the Hose Monster or the Pitotless Nozzle? A. The unique work order system allows you to set up specific tasks to be performed on each hydrant or valve. The beauty of TrackOne is that you define what the tasks are and how often they should be performed. General Q. How long for delivery of products from Hydro Flow Products, Inc.? A. Our goal is to ship from a strong inventory position. Orders that come in before noon Central Time, are usually shipped the same day. If you place the order in the afternoon and still want it shipped same day, please ask us. We'll do our best to accommodate you. We ship from the Chicago area, FedEx Ground service unless you request a different carrier. |
Phone: 847.434.0101
Fax: 847.434.0073
503 West Golf Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
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