Newsletter - March 2018
This is the fourth CET monthly Newsletter. Each month we will bring you information for powerful fire ground solutions involving the products we make.
We will highlight one of our CET equipment dealers, and one of our employees -to give you an opportunity to get to know us a little better- and our dealers who are out there working hard for you everyday. Additionally, we have a “Did You Know” segment to provide factoids on news you can use, and will provide industry news as it becomes available. Let us know what you think. If there are additional topics you feel would be useful to include in our newsletter, please reach out and let us know.
Article by Ed Collet who is an engineer by trade, a firefighter, and an Instructor for pump operations and re-supply with the Bowling Green State University Fire School.
As Winter starts to break in parts of the country Spring is just around the corner which means it is time to get portable, floating,and skid mounted
pumps ready to go to work.
The first thing to do is check the motor. It is a good time to change the motor oil and filter if so equipped. Check the spark plugs to see if they are in good condition and set the gap if needed. If the electrode or insulator show signs of wear or damage replace the plugs. Make sure there are no issues causing the plug condition. Clean or replace the air filter and exhaust spark arrestor if so equipped. If the pump was stored without stabilized gas the gas should be replaced with fresh. If the battery was not on a trickle charger or battery tender, check the voltage to see if the battery needs charged. Even if the battery has the correct voltage the charge may be low enough to prevent the motor from starting.Once all the checks have been performed the motor should be started. Remember not to run the motor for an extended length of time without water flowing through the pump for cooling.
Inspect the pump and priming system for any damage including cracked or damaged lines that may prevent proper priming. Remove the priming venturie to clean out debris and carbon deposits.
Before putting pumps in service it is important to back flush the pump to remove any scale that my have developed. Doing this requires a clean pressurized water source. Connect the water source to the pump discharge. Open the discharge valve and the pump drain valve. Make sure the priming valve is closed to prevent water from entering the exhaust and motor. Open the water source and allow the water to run for several minutes to clear any debris or scale that has built up in the pump body. Back flushing should also be done after pumping contaminated, salt, or brackish water.
The pump is only part of the water delivery system, check the condition of the suction hose, strainer, and discharge hose. Look for cracks and signs of material degradation in the suction hose along with the condition of the gaskets. This is a good time to flip the gaskets. Check the strainer for damage and cleanliness. Just like the suction hose inspect and flip the gaskets. Discharge hose should be inspected and tested along with a department’s attack and supply hose.
With the pump flushed, the motor, and other equipment checked it is time to run the pump. Running the pump from draft will make sure all systems are functioning properly. Find an area that will provide 15-20 feet of lift to check the performance of the priming system. Once prime is achieved throttle the pump though the entire range to make sure it functions as expected. The performance of the pump can be verified with a pitot tube to measure flow and inline pressure gauges to measure discharge pressure.
Taking care of large apparatus is built into every department’s operation plan, maintaining and verifying the performance of portable, floating, and skid mounted pumps is just as important since they are expected to work when called on.
CHECK YOUR OLDER PORTABLE PUMPS!
• Are your portable pumps in working order?
• Are you ready for brush fire season?
• Are you prepared for non-hydrant fire scenarios where drafting from static water sources are your only option?
To help you be ready CET will give you $100 trade in value on your old pumps towards purchase of new ones. Offer must be redeemed through an authorized CET Fire
Pump Dealer.
CALL US FOR DETAILS @ 800-567-2719 • fire-pump.com
Fire Dept:
Hillsboro, TN VFD
Members:
23 Volunteers
Population Served:
6000 year round , with 90,000 annually
for one weekduring the Bonnaroo Music Festival
Territory Coverage:
113 sq miles
Number of Calls Annually:
135
Discussion with :
Chief Brandon Gunn
Why did you select CET Fire Pumps to provide your new drop-in Skid Unit?
We had acquired a military Hummer to use as a brush truck and needed someone to help us customize it for our needs. We work with Allen Ragsdale from EVS in Memphis for many of our equipment needs as they always work hard and take care of us. Allen recommended CET to help us find a solution. We wanted a 200 gallon tank and a CET pump with an 18HP Vanguard engine since it works with both an electric start and manual start back up. We weren’t sure how everything was going to fit and ended up going through many design revisions. CET was very accommodating, along with Allen from EVS, and they helped us customize to make everything work. To date the unit has performed very well.
How/where will you use these new units?.
Everyday brush and grass fires of course, but the unit is also vital for our mutual aid back up for the Arnold Airforce base and the annual Bonnaroo Music Festival when our population served swells to 90,000 people.
Did you know CET provides “Discharge Manifold Customization.” We build the manifold like you want it with your choice in discharge quantity and your desired type of valves (industrial or fire type).
NAME
Serge Gauthier
TITLE
Brush Truck Production Manager
HOW LONG WITH THE COMPANY?
14 years
WHAT DO YOU DO?
Manage and supervise the brush truck plant division.
My specialty is electronics.
HOW DOES WHAT YOU DO AFFECT THE CUSTOMER?
Meet and exceed customer expectations, and assure complete customer satisfaction with our brush trucks from production to delivery.
ANY HOBBIES, OR OUTSIDE INTERESTS YOU WOULD
LIKE TO SHARE WITH CET CUSTOMERS?.
I am a big hockey fan. I also enjoy Deer hunting with rifle, black powder and crossbow. I also enjoy weekends on an ATV.