NFPA 291, Recommended Practice for Water Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants

NFPA^® 291 Recommended Practice for Water Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants, 2022 Edition

Chapter 1 Administration

1.1 Scope.
1.2 Purpose.
1.3 Application.
1.4 Units.

Chapter 2 Referenced Publications

2.1 General.
2.2 NFPA Publications. (Reserved)
2.3 Other Publications.
2.4 References for Extracts in Recommendations Sections.

Chapter 3 Definitions

3.1 General.
3.2 NFPA Official Definitions.
3.3 General Definitions.
3.4 Hydrant Definitions.

Chapter 4 Flow Testing

4.1 Water Flow Testing Purposes.
4.2 Rating Pressure.
4.3 Procedure.
4.4 Layout of Test and Procedure to Determine the Available Water Supply in a Water Main.
4.5 Layout of Test and Procedure to Evaluate the Available Flow Through a Fire Hydrant.
4.6 Equipment.
4.7 Test Procedure.
4.8 Pitot Readings.
4.9 Determination of Discharge.
4.10 Use of Pumper Outlets.
4.11 Determination of Discharge Without a Pitot.
4.12 Calculation Results.
4.13 Data Sheet.
4.14 System Corrections.
4.15 Public Hydrant Testing and Flushing.

Chapter 5 Marking of Hydrants

5.1 Classification of Hydrants.
5.2 Marking of Hydrants.

Annex A Explanatory Material
Annex B Informational References

THE NFPA HANDBOOKS DIFFER FROM CODES AND STANDARDS

Ever wonder what the difference is between an NFPA^® handbook and a code or standard? We’re glad you asked.

NFPA codes and standards both provide requirements for achieving outcomes. Handbooks take a deeper dive, providing the full text of a code or standard as well as expert commentary and features such as graphics, decision trees, testing procedures, case studies, sample forms and checklists, and other helpful aids to give a better understanding of the reasoning behind the requirements and how to apply them.

JUST REMEMBER:

• A code or standard is a framework—a set of rules to follow with a goal to achieve a certain result
• A handbook is a connector—linking requirements to application by helping you understand the reasoning behind a code or standard

The simplest way to think about it is that codes and standards list the technical requirements while handbooks explain those requirements to clarify how to apply them.

2019 Edition

Conduct fire flow testing and marking of hydrants using NFPA 291 -- now with the discharge formula also in metric.

NFPA 291, Recommended Practice for Fire Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants applies to both public and private hydrants to provide fire protection engineers, contractors, installers, and AHJs with the latest testing procedures to:

• Determine the rate of flow available at various locations for firefighting purposes
• Classify hydrants in accordance with their rated capacities
• Color-code hydrants to indicate their class

Now including both metric and imperial measurements.

The 2019 edition of NFPA 291 adds the metric formula for discharge through circular orifices. In addition to the metric formula, the 2019 edition provides an updated table on discharge through circular orifices to provide measurable velocity pressures in the metric system.

NFPA 291 is essential for municipal leaders and anyone responsible for fire protection and public fire safety planning -- including insurance representatives, AHJs, and system installing contractors. (Print, 24 pp., 2019)

2016 Edition

Ensure adequate water supplies in a fire emergency with guidance in NFPA 291.

NFPA 291, Recommended Practice for Fire Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants provides fire protection engineers, contractors, installers, and AHJs with the latest testing procedures to:

• Determine the rate of flow available at various locations for firefighting purposes
• Classify hydrants in accordance with their rated capacities
• Color-code hydrants to indicate their class

Complete with provisions for the recommend testing of both public and private hydrants, the 2016 edition of NFPA 291 is essential for municipal leaders and anyone responsible for fire protection and public fire safety planning -- including insurance representatives, AHJs, and system installing contractors. (Softbound, 17 pp., 2016)

If you purchased a PDF, licensed PDFs can be accessed immediately. Instructions can be found in your order confirmation.

Effective with the annual 2020 code cycle, NFPA^® will no longer offer access to the PDF format as a choice for new editions of codes and standards, handbooks, or other reference titles. Existing PDFs will remain in-market and will still be accessible in our National Fire Codes^® Subscription Service (NFCSS™). For more information about the different format options available to access essential code and standard content you need, click here.

Previous editions of NFPA^® documents are available for sale. Please see applicable NFPA codes and standards product pages to confirm which editions are available for purchase. If you have any questions, contact NFPA Customer Support at 1-800-344-3555 or nfpa.org/customerservice.