1.1. Valve Maintenance, Exercising and Replacement: Valve maintenance shall include the following procedures but not limited to: a. CONTRACTOR shall locate and access each valve. b. CONTRACTOR shall align valve box to vertical position (if located outside of pavement). c. CONTRACTOR shall clean debris and standing water from valve box. d. CONTRACTOR shall exercise valve from open to close and back to open position for two (2) complete cycles at a frequency provided by the County. e. CONTRACTOR shall obtain and record GPS Sub-Foot accuracy +/- 1” (foot) coordinates of valve. f. CONTRACTOR shall paint valve box blue. Valves located inside residential or commercial driveways or aprons shall not be painted. g. CONTRACTOR shall document all pertinent data including location, type, and size of valve, direction of rotation to open position, numbers of turns to fully open position, degree of operating difficulty, and note deficiencies and/or closed valves to be immediately reported to the Utility in a format approved by the County’s Designee. h. If applicable, CONTRACTOR shall raise valve box to grade. i. If valve has reached its maximum life cycle or is inoperable, the CONTRACTOR shall notify the County’s Designee of the inoperable valve. j. It shall be the CONTRACTOR’s responsibility to replace any valve that breaks during exercising. 1.2 Hydrant Maintenance, Exercising and Replacement shall include the following procedures but not limited to: Fire hydrant testing and maintenance shall be in accordance with American Water Works Association (AWWA) - M17 Manual and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 291 Manual for Installation, field testing, and maintenance of fire hydrants, to include the following procedures: a. CONTRACTOR shall locate and access each fire hydrant b. CONTRACTOR shall locate, access, and exercise fire hydrant isolation valve c. CONTRACTOR shall check fire hydrant nozzle height for correct ground clearance d. CONTRACTOR shall identify make, model, nozzle size and year of hydrant manufacture e. CONTRACTOR shall lubricate operating nut (if appropriate for hydrant make/model) and all f. Nozzle outlets with noncorrosive FDA approved lubricant g. CONTRACTOR shall open hydrant with nozzle caps in place to check for seal leakage h. CONTRACTOR shall verify that the hydrant main (bottom) valve closes completely i. CONTRACTOR shall flow hydrant to maximum rate for 5-minutes, record static and residual working pressure and calculate flow rate and gallons flushed. If hydrant fails to flow clear in the initial 5-minute flush notify the County’s Designee of the discrepancy. Continue to flow hydrant until water clears, checking in 5-minute increments. The use of a calibrated combination pitot gauge and hydrant diffuser is required for all hydrant flushing.
