When it comes to safeguarding your property against fire emergencies and securing a reliable water supply, there are some important things to consider:
- Fire Hydrant Placement Regulations: Building regulations require that there must be a fire hydrant located within 90 metres of any building so that firefighters have access to a water source in case of a fire.
- Responsibility for Fire Hydrants: Affinity Water own all fire hydrants connected to our mains and work together with Fire Authorities to keep them in good working condition.
- Installation of Private Hydrants: If it's not possible to have a fire hydrant within 90 metres, property owners have the option to install a private hydrant on their property. We will supply all the bits you need to connect a private hydrant at the property boundary. You will need to contact our Network Regulations team with your proposal to make sure everything complies with the Water Supply Regulations 1999 Contact Network Regulations Team at network.regs@affinitywater.co.uk
- Responsibility for Private Hydrant: It's important to note that the installation and maintenance of a private hydrant are the responsibility of the property owner. This includes making sure the hydrant is in good working condition, regularly maintained to meet safety standards and has appropriate backflow protection against the risks identified on site. As always, our Network Regulations team are on hand if you need any help!
Installing a Sprinkler System? Here's What You Need to Know:
If you're considering the installation of a sprinkler system for added fire protection, we're here to assist you. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Notification is Key: Before installing your sprinkler system, please notify our Network Regulations team by completing the form below and ticking the box for “A pump or booster drawing more than 12 litres per minute, connected directly or indirectly to a supply pipe”. Failure to notify us could put your drinking water supply at risk of contamination. This can have serious consequences, including legal implications and the need to redo or modify your plumbing work within the building.
- Provide Necessary Documentation: To ensure the safety of your water supply, we'll need a few essential documents from you:
- Plumbers' Schematic Drawing: This drawing should demonstrate that your water supply has adequate backflow protection to prevent any issues arising from stagnant water.
- Specifications for Tanks or Booster Systems: This helps us confirm they meet Reg 4 compliance with the Water Supply Regulations 1999.
- Flow and Pressure Guarantee: We are unable to guarantee pressures and flows above the minimum standards. These are 1 bar pressure and 9 litres per minute flow. You should always discuss this with your designer or installer before works are started. Please reach out early to discuss your installation and water supply arrangements. This way, we can help to avoid the need for post-installation changes and prevent delays in getting your sprinkler system operational.
- Testing Flow Rates: Hydrants cannot be used to test the flow rate for a sprinkler system as this would fall under hydrant misuse, we've explained more on this below. As part of your new connections application where a significant flow of water is required we can run a hydraulic model to establish how much flow we can provide at this time.
- Network Reinforcement: It's important to be aware that we do not reinforce our network to meet fire protection requirements.
Hydrant Misuse
It is a criminal offence under section 42(6) of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and section 174 of the Act, to use any of our fire hydrants or washout points without our authorisation. Under each authorisation license we set out the terms for using our hydrant. This includes the use of approved standpipes to make sure we continue to protect our assets, water supply and most importantly, our customers.
At Affinity Water, your safety and water supply are our top priorities. If you have any questions or require assistance during this process, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.