WET RISER SYSTEM
Wet riser systems are pressurized with water having a permanent water supply from fire water pumps and fire water storage tanks. The wet riser system comprises of one or multiple vertical riser pipes or horizontal runs of piping that feed the Landing Valve connections. These risers are connected to fire pumps and fire water storage tanks located within the buildings. A 25mm diameter for Hose Reel System OR 40 mm diameter for Hose Rack system AND, 65 mm diameter for the landing Valve tapping will be made from the wet riser in each floor level and fitted with multipurpose hoses and nozzles that are placed inside a cabinet, known as Class III hose systems, for the use of the Civil Defence department personnel or other trained fire fighting personnel. In addition four way breeching inlets located at a ground level are connected to the bottom of the wet riser to pump water from the Civil Defence fire truck as supplementary water supply
A complete wet riser installation is more than the riser itself. The landing valves, hose reels and the breeching inlet that lets a Civil Defence appliance boost the main are all part of the same package, and STARCO supplies, installs and maintains them together.
COMPONENTS OF A WET RISER INSTALLATION
- STARCO FIRE HOSE REEL CABINET
- FIRE HOSE REEL SYSTEM
- BREECHING INLET SYSTEM
STARCO FIRE HOSE REEL CABINET
The cabinet is the visible point of the riser on every floor. It houses the hose reel, the landing valve, the hose and nozzle and, in the double configuration, first-aid fire extinguishers as well — keeping the equipment protected, clearly identified and immediately to hand.
STARCO supplies the full cabinet range:
- Fire hose reel cabinet — single type
- Fire hose reel cabinet — double type
- Fire extinguisher cabinet
Cabinets are available in recessed or surface-mounted form with glazed or solid doors, finished for the environment they sit in. Equipment supplied by STARCO is certified by Civil Defence and carries Kitemark, UL and FM listing, LPCB and Wheel Mark approval as applicable to the product.
FIRE HOSE REEL SYSTEM
The hose reel is the first-aid firefighting outlet of the riser — the one an occupant or a trained floor warden can use before the fire service arrives, without needing to run out a heavy fire hose. A 25 mm tapping is taken from the wet riser at each floor level to feed it.
The reel carries a semi-rigid rubber hose on a drum, with a shut-off nozzle that gives jet or spray at the operator’s choice. Reels are supplied fixed, swinging or recessed so the hose can be run out in any direction from the cabinet, and are available with manual or automatic inlet valves.
The hose reel is installed, pressure tested and commissioned with the rest of the riser, and inspected on the same preventive maintenance visit as the cabinet and extinguishers.
BREECHING INLET SYSTEM
The breeching inlet is how the Civil Defence appliance gets water into the riser. Two-way and four-way inlets are located at ground level in an accessible position and connected to the bottom of the wet riser, so a pumping appliance can supplement or take over from the building’s own fire pumps and tanks.
The assembly comprises the instantaneous male inlet connections with caps and chains, a non-return valve on each inlet, a drain valve, and the inlet cabinet that houses and identifies it. Dry riser installations use the same arrangement, with the inlet as the only water supply to the riser rather than a supplement to it.