Hydrant Guard Check Valves: Patented Solutions to Mitigate Water Loss from Wet-Barrel Hydrant Shears

• Hydrant Guard break-off check valves can be mounted under any wet-barrel (above-grade) fire hydrant. The entire Hydrant Guard valve sits above ground, between the hydrant and the water supply pipe.
• In an undamaged fire hydrant, Hydrant Guard’s valve doors sit parallel to the water flow, minimizing their effect when the hydrant is in use.
• Breakaway bolts hold the unit to the hydrant. These bolts are hollow so they will break when the hydrant is sheared, separating the hydrant from the flange before the water main pipe itself is damaged.
• In the event of a shear, the valves rotate instantly until they are perpendicular to the water flow, stopping the massive surge of water from the water main pipe. Only a small amount of water is allowed through, creating a “witness stream” to alert personnel to the sheared hydrant.
• Hydrant Guard is designed so that after a shear only the breakaway bolts need to be replaced.

When wet-barrel fire hydrants are sheared, they often fail to hold down their water supply. A sheared hydrant can discharge water at hundreds, or even thousands, of gallons per minute. Multiplied by the number of vehicles striking fire hydrants in the United States, the total water loss is staggering.

Hydrant Guard break-off check valves provide an effective seal that activates when a hydrant is sheared (broken), reducing water loss to the absolute minimum.

In many regions, water is a scarce resource. We can’t afford to let it go to waste simply because fire hydrants are inadequately prepared for a strike. Hydrant Guard provides an easy, elegant solution that can be retrofitted onto any above-grade fire hydrant.