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The Mack Super Pumper was a locomotive engined fire fighter (2018)

(bangshift.com)
148 points mstngl | 1 comments | 03 Nov 25 20:37 UTC | HN request time: 0.201s | source
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jauntywundrkind ◴[03 Nov 25 22:15 UTC] No.45805094[source]▶
This thing feels like a mortal danger to the (up to 8x!) iron pipes / hydrants it's pulling from, that it'd want to just chew up the very pipes themselves! Or to the building it's hurling 37 tons of water a minute at! I don't understand how a connector hose wouldn't collapse, how it maintains any cross-section rather than being sucked into collapse.

Also wondering: what replaced this!

(Ed: great reply from Mindcrime. Also, the new Ferrara Super Pumper shows a very impressive ribbed(?) 8-inch "hard suction" hose! There's a whole wikipedia section for these drafting/vacuum hoses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suction_hose)

replies(4): >>45805215 #>>45805216 #>>45805345 #>>45809485 #
1. mindcrime ◴[03 Nov 25 22:28 UTC] No.45805216[source]▶
This thing feels like a mortal danger to the (up to 8x!) iron pipes / hydrants it's pulling from,

When pumping a fire engine supplied by a hydrant (or any other pressurized source, as opposed to drafting from a static water source like a pond or lake) there's an idea of "residual pressure" which is monitored by a gauge on the pump panel. The engineer is responsible for making sure the residual pressure doesn't drop below the level where damage would occur to the water system, supply hose, or the pump itself. It's been a few years, but I think most departments spec somewhere around 20psi as the minimum residual pressure they allow.

Also wondering: what replaced this!

The Super Pumper[1], of course! :-)

The new one isn't quite as extreme, not tractor drawn and no separate engine. This is more of a traditional fire engine style platform, but the specs are still pretty impressive.

[1]: https://www.firefighternation.com/lifestyle/new-fdny-super-p...