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East TN | Check with your local fire departments if you don't want to buy new. Some departments replace them on engines every so often and they may have some stashed in a back room. Might come off them for a small donation. Or may have ones that need a new gauge, hose, seal, etc.
If you do carry them, check them every so often. What we have seen go bad first, is the rubber hose. It will dry rot and crack where it bends to go down along the side of the can. Multiple simple fixes for that though.
We have mounted a few of them in compartments via sewer pipe. Dont remember the exact size, but one of the diamaters works well.
They do not have to be mounted vertically. Many engines have them slid in sideways. If they leak the water out, they weren't holding the compressed air anyways.
If you get a used one that doesn't have the plastic strainer, it's no big deal.
It is fairly important to get exactly the 2.5 gallons of water in them so that you get the "best bang for your buck" when you need it. You dont want to be running out of water and still have air nor out of air and have unused water.
Easy way to get the exact 2.5 gallons - used DEF jugs.
We have an extra DEF jug in tje compartment with our water can and fittings off our air brake lines with a short section of air hose to refill our can on-scene. Ot is a lot better to hike a can a couple times up a hill rather a hose line for cooling a small brush or trash fire. This might be a good idea for folks with air on their equipment and/or service trucks.
Some folks add a little dawn dishwashing liquid. This will add a "foam" effect to the water when sprayed and sometimes help to and layer it on whatever your spraying.
If your worried about it freezing in the winter, keep it somewhere handy around the garage or house. You might be suprised at how effective that 2.5 gallons pointed at the base of a room and contents fire can be. Not to mention, closing the room.door behind you. There is a reason that ladder truck companies in the cities have a designated "can man" every time it rolls.
Most of you all wouldn't need them, but the shoulder/carrying straps they make for them are pretty handy. But we have also made them from old seatbelts, messed up rathchet straps, chunks of webbing, etc. It's easy enough to drill a hole through the bottom rim (not in to the can) and run your small rope through it. Or a key ring works well.
Not to mention that it's fun for kids to play with this time of year.
Bunch of videos out there and fire websites with articles on tips/tricks/best practices. | |
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Baler fires
