High-Flow Nozzles Designed for Monitors and Deck Guns

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO

Component manufacturers are designing new large-flow nozzles and redesigning existing models to give greater and smoother flows, more reach from monitors and deck guns, and improved performance capabilities.

ELKHART BRASS

Keith Chard, OEM product manager for Elkhart Brass Company, says Elkhart Brass’s flagship large-flow products are its EXM monitors and nozzles. “The two most popular products in that line are our Sidewinder® EXM that flows up to 750 gallons per minute (gpm) and our Cobra® EXM, which has up to a 1,500-gpm flow. Each of those monitors has its own selection of nozzles.”

Chard notes that Elkhart’s 6000 series is a popular choice for the Sidewinder EXM. “We offer low-flow up to high-flow versions in the 6000 series, with the 6000-200E flowing 15 gpm to a maximum of 200 gpm and the 6000-700E, which flows from 200 gpm to 700 gpm,” Chard says. “Each of these nozzles is field-adjustable via a selector on the nozzle’s barrel. Another popular nozzle for the Sidewinder EXM is the 5000 Series, a fixed-flow version available in ranges from 15 gpm to 475 gpm, preset to the desired flow from the factory.”

The SM-1000, SM-1250, and SM-1500 Select-O-Matic® nozzles are the ones most often used on Elkhart Brass’s Cobra EXM, Chard notes. The nozzles deliver flows of 1,000 gpm, 1,250 gpm, and 1,500 gpm respectively. The SM Series nozzles are automatic nozzles, designed to deliver maximum stream reach over a wide range of flows. The SM Series nozzles also are referred to as combination nozzles that can be operated in straight stream or fog pattern.

At the top of the flow chart, Elkhart Brass makes the Scorpion® EXM with an automatic nozzle that flows up to 2,500 gpm, the Skystream® EXM with a smooth bore nozzle that will deliver 3,000 gpm at more than 400 feet of reach, and the Magnum® EXM with a flow capacity of up to 5,000 gpm. Three nozzle options are available for the Magnum EXM: a 3,000-gpm fixed flow combination nozzle; a 5,000-gpm fixed flow combination nozzle; and the 3000EX, a smooth bore integrated into a combination nozzle that delivers 3,000 gpm at a 400-foot range.

TASK FORCE TIPS

Brian Podsiadlik, technical marketing manager at Task Force Tips (TFT) Inc., says TFT’s Master Stream nozzles range from 500 gpm all the way up to almost 8,000 gpm. “The Master Stream 1250, 1500, and 2000 nozzles are the most common and are used in combination with an apparatus monitor,” Podsiadlik says, “and are available in fixed, selectable, and automatic versions to meet the needs of standard pump ratings that range from 1,250 gpm, 1,500 gpm, and 2,000 gpm.”

Podsiadlik notes that the Master Stream Automatic nozzles are available with adjustable nozzle pressure from 80 pounds per square inch (psi) to 120 psi. “There is an enormous advantage to having adjustable pressure, especially with aerial trucks that are installed with dual monitors,” he points out. “The TFT Master Stream Automatic allows you to adjust nozzle pressure down to 80 psi, which hydraulically matches a set of stacked tips, eliminating the problems of one nozzle ‘robbing’ water from another.”

TFT has enhanced its VORTEX nozzle by offering the new VORTEX 2 series of Master Stream nozzles. The VORTEX 2 installs behind any set of monitor stacked tips or any single smooth bore tip and is available in manual or electric remote. “The VORTEX 2 is a 2½-inch waterway with six stream-straightening fins that aid in delivering a superior solid stream,” according to Podsiadlik. “If firefighting operations require a dispersed pattern, the firefighter can switch the VORTEX 2 to a completely water-filled dispersed pattern out the end of the smooth bore tips.”

Podsiadlik says the TFT’s Master Stream 4000 series is available in selectable and automatic nozzles. “The selectable model includes 2,000-gpm and 4,000-gpm user-adjusted settings,” he says, “and the automatic has a range of 600 gpm to 4,000 gpm with field-changeable operating pressures of 80 psi to 120 psi. The adjustable operating pressures allow the firefighters to meet their tactical needs of maximum flow, maximum reach, or an equal balance of both with the available water supply. The Master Stream 4000 is available with a 6-inch ANSI 150 flange for installation on any brand of large-flow monitor or a quick-connect inlet for TFT’s new Tsunami monitor on apparatus, trailer, or fixed installations.”

Podsiadlik points out that the added safety of having a remote-control solution is a trend for all large-flow nozzles. “This allows the crew to be out of the hot zone and still deliver their target fire flows to the seat of the fire,” he says. “In addition to added safety, remote-control options offer great tactical capabilities that include programmable oscillation patterns.”

Another trend is the ability to integrate Bluetooth® technology with any configuration of TFT remote control equipment, he adds. “This Bluetooth technology is a plug-and-play device that allows full Bluetooth range control of movement and oscillation with TFT’s new Tactile Touchscreen Handheld Controller.”

AKRON BRASS

Jason Riggenbach, product manager for Akron Brass, says the largest flow nozzles Akron Brass makes are for its Renegade 3580 monitor, which is typically used in industrial applications. “We have three types of nozzles for the Renegade, an automatic constant-pressure, a fixed-flow, and an adjustable,” Riggenbach says. “The automatic can flow 5,000 gpm; the fixed is available from 1,000 gpm to 5,000 gpm; and two adjustable nozzles with one able to flow either 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, or 5,000 gpm and the second model flowing 3,000, 4,000, or 5,000 gpm.”

Riggenbach says Akron Brass recently came out with a new monitor and nozzle, the AeroMaster12®, using an AkroMatic 3000 nozzle. “The monitor and nozzle are designed for greater reach,” he says, “and produce flows of 3,200 gpm with a reach of more than 400 feet.” He notes that Akron Brass also recently redesigned its SaberMaster™ 1578 electric master stream nozzle to give a true smooth bore and fog pattern. “It gets the reach and penetration with the smooth bore and offers the fog pattern in a single nozzle,” he says. “The 2½-inch nozzle with a 2-inch tip flows 1,250 gpm. We made the nozzle smaller and lighter to provide the same flow and moved the center of gravity on the nozzle to make it easier to use.”

Akron Brass also makes the 5178 and 5177 automatic nozzles for its StreamMaster monitor that’s designed for aerial ladders and platforms. “The 5178 is a 2,000-gpm nozzle, while the 5177 is 1,250-gpm,” Riggenbach says. “The StreamMaster II 3480 monitor has CAN onboard controls that allow for obstacle avoidance, soft stop, and position feedback.”

He adds that Akron Brass makes a couple of unique large-flow nozzles like the self-educting AkroFoam 4479 nozzle that combines water and foam and flows 2,000 gpm and the AkroChem 4042 nozzle that combines water and dry chemical to flow 2,000 gpm. Riggenbach points out the AkroFoam and AkroChem nozzles are typically used in aircraft rescue and firefighting and industrial applications.

ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Arizona-based journalist, the author of three novels and five nonfiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board. He served 22 years with the Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including in the position of chief.