What's On Your Engine #25? - External Suction Intake Control Valves

Thousands of pumpers use some type of suction inlet control valve on at least one of their main suction inlets. These valves come in a wide range of sizes and types, offering many choices to departments. In rural areas where drafting operations are a standard practice, many departments use an external suction inlet control valve as part of their setup. In these situations, the best approach is to select a valve with the largest internal waterway to minimize flow restriction and ensure the inlet side is trimmed out with NH threads that match your suction hose, which is most commonly 6-inch NH.

Having a suction inlet control valve, whether internal or external, provides the driver/operator with several options when drafting, using onboard tank water, and adding additional suction lines. The photos in this story show a pumper equipped with a TFT Jumbo Ball Intake Valve on the officer’s side of the vehicle. The driver initially placed the suction line on the driver’s side into service without a valve. The second suction line was installed on the officer’s side after additional equipment arrived. The crew built out the second suction line, connected it to the intake valve, and brought it online without losing prime or stopping operations, thanks to the suction inlet control valve.