What goes wrong on a private hydrant
Most hydrant problems show up as something you can see. Caps seize on their threads. Outlets weep at the gasket. An operating nut rounds off or refuses to turn, and a hydrant clipped by a delivery truck can lean, crack or break off at the base.
The fix depends on the hydrant type. Many Southern California hydrants are wet-barrel: they stay full of water all the time, and each outlet has its own valve. On those, a full barrel is normal, and we work on the outlet valves, seals and caps. Dry-barrel hydrants are different, because they close at a main valve below grade and should drain empty after shutoff, so water left standing in the barrel points to a blocked drain or a seat that isn't closing.
- New caps, gaskets and outlet threads
- Outlet valve rebuilds on wet-barrel hydrants
- Main valve, seat and drain repairs on dry-barrel hydrants
- Replacing a hydrant a vehicle has broken
- Bonnet paint to the NFPA 291 flow color code
Low flow on a District 29 connection
One question we get from Malibu: what can an owner do when a hydrant's GPM won't meet the number needed for a will-serve letter from Los Angeles County Waterworks District 29? Start with a flow test. It shows whether the hydrant is the restriction (a partly closed valve, a damaged seat, debris in the line) or whether the supply is. Repair handles the first case.
The second case is harder. If the District 29 supply is the limit, a bigger private main may not help, and the options move to water stored on site: a tank, a fire pump, or a draft connection at a pool, which a Malibu caller has asked us about. Which one fits depends on the property and on what the County of Los Angeles Fire Department will accept. Get that answer first.
Moving or replacing a hydrant on a job site
Malibu callers have asked whether a hydrant can be shifted a couple of feet on a construction site. Usually, after we see the site. Moving a hydrant means cutting into the private fire service main, and NFPA 24 covers that main and everything attached to it, so the new lateral, restraint and connection all have to meet that standard. Short moves are still underground work.
A hydrant past repair gets replaced under the same rules. Adding a hydrant where none exists is covered on our Malibu fire hydrant installations page.
Who inspects, and who may do the work
Malibu has no city fire department. The city contracts with the County of Los Angeles Fire Department, which handles fire suppression and also does fire prevention and inspections for Malibu. Ask the County fire inspector what your site needs after a repair.
Under NFPA 25, private hydrants are flow tested and inspected every year. That's a separate visit from a repair; see annual fire hydrant testing in Malibu and Malibu fire hydrant maintenance.
Our California work is done by Hedrick Fire Protection, which holds C-16 (fire protection) and C-10 (electrical) contractor licenses and is licensed by the California State Fire Marshal under Title 19 to inspect, test and maintain water-based fire protection systems.
Getting a hydrant repaired
Hydrants come up more than any other service in our Malibu calls. Tell us the address and what you see. A photo helps. Call us at (213) 568-0188 or email us at socal@1profire.com
Malibu hydrant repair questions
Do you cover the Santa Monica Mountains side of Malibu?
Malibu is in our service area. Call with the property address and we'll talk through how we reach it.
How do I tell a wet-barrel hydrant from a dry-barrel one?
Look at the outlets. A wet-barrel hydrant usually has a separate operating stem for each outlet, while a dry-barrel hydrant has one operating nut on top that opens a valve below ground. Not sure? Send us a photo.
Can you install a hydrant on a remote or off-grid property?
That's an installation job. Tell us about the water source and the length of the run. Our installations page has more.