Fire Supression

Fire Cisterns are reliable year-round dedicated water sources for firefighting

123

Statistic

200+

Projects

330+

Tanks

Fire Cisterns are often required when there is no central piped water supply in the area. Providing a fire cistern in compliance with the local fire department’s design and storage volume requirements creates a valuable emergency water resource available to the entire community.

Fire Sprinkler Reservoirs are used in applications where the building’s domestic water supply line can not meet sprinkler demand.

123

Statistic

200+

Projects

330+

Tanks

Underground water storage tanks remain ice free, rarely propagate algae or bacteria, and are far less likely to be the target of vandalism or graffiti. Underground water supplies have minimal visual impact and therefore maintain the property values of nearby commercial and residential real estate.

Fire Cistern Draft Design

Fire Cistern Draft Design

With limited reliable year-round water supplies in remote areas, individuals and homeowner associations often install water storage tanks in a working relationship with their local fire departments. When water is available, lives may be saved, property can be better protected, and fire insurance premiums often drop. It is extremely important that any effort along these lines be coordinated with your local fire department or the appropriate regional governmental agency.

Gravity Discharge Fire Cistern to Cast Iron Hydrant

Fire cisterns for individual large family homes or ranches with large barns are generally sized from 10,000 to 30,000 gallons. Cistern systems for an entire neighborhood or small subdivision can be as large as 60,000 gallons or more. Developers are often required to install fire cisterns in rural subdivisions where the only water sources are low volume single family wells.
Gravity Discharge Fire Cistern to Cast Iron Hydrant

Minimum Lift Suction Fire Cistern for High Elevation Locations

When drafting vertically at sea level from a tank or pond with a well-maintained modern fire pump “as a rule of thumb” keep the lift from the bottom of the tank to the hydrant head 17 feet or less. The maximum lift must be reduced by 1 ft per 1,000 feet of elevation above sea level realizing that the fire flow rates may drop as the tank empties. For fire cisterns at higher elevations consider a minimum lift installation. Make sure your local fire authority approves your design and maximum lift at the elevation of use.

Fire Sprinkler Tank with Pump House Above

Fire sprinkler reservoirs are a common occurrence in older commercial areas where underground water lines are too small for modern fire flows. Similar conditions are encountered when a rural commercial building or school is being served by a domestic well with limited delivery volume. In cases such as these, water must be stored in a tank and be available in sufficient quantity to satisfy the fire sprinkler pump demand.
Fire Sprinkler Tank with Pump House Above
Fire Sprinkler Pump in Vault or Basement

Fire Sprinkler Pump Mounted Inside a Vault or in a Basement

When a small above ground pump house is unsatisfactory from an architectural perspective, the pump can be installed below grade in a precast concrete vault with zero visual impact after landscaping.

Fire Apparatus Pump Test Station

Fire Departments also often use underground tanks for testing their truck mounted fire pumps. This process is called Annual Testing and ensures the equipment will perform as expected when called upon. The size and layout of a test tank will vary based on the flow rate of the pumps and the number of trucks to be tested, one after another. Contact Darco Tanks for further information on pump test facility designs.
Fire Apparatus Pump Test Station

Recommended and Available Accessories

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8 inch vent with red/green sight level indicator
8 inch vent with red/green sight level indicator

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Dry Hydrant head
Dry Hydrant head

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Siamese Refill
Siamese Refill

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40 Years of Successful Projects

Darco Tank's Nation-wide Fire Suppression Projects

  • Fire Suppression

Things to Consider

Questions to consider when getting a preliminary quote: