5-Inch Hose Boosts Pumper Capability

Improvements in the materials used in large-diameter hose and couplings have made handling, deployment and use relatively easy. Departments which use large-diameter hose can improve the deployment capability of each pumper committed to a fire fighting operation while minimizing the time, equipment and effort required to deliver the potential volume of the pumper.

Friction loss charts and water flow tests show that one 5-inch hose delivers a volume approximately equivalent to six 2 ½-inch lines or four 3-inch lines at a given pressure and distance. Friction loss has a minimal effect on the delivery of up to 1000 gpm in a 5 or 6-inch hose lay as long as 600 feet. Where deliveries must exceed 1000 gpm or must be moved longer distances, as in rural areas, large-diameter hose provides the most efficient means of minimizing friction losses and developing the full potential of pumpers and water supplies.

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