Mueller Water Products displayed its Smarter Hydrant that — in addition to fire protection — monitors water system pressure and detects leaks in the distribution system around the clock.

Jones J-4038 and J-3038 wet-barrel fire hydrants can be equipped with a Hydro-Guard pressure monitoring sensor installed in the dome top and an Echologics distribution leak detection node as the nozzle cap.

The sensor monitors system pressure and can alert personnel via cellular communications within minutes if a spike occurs. Data is logged for analysis and can be stored for up to two years on a secure web server. 

The leak detection node uses proprietary acoustic sensors to find leaks on a variety of pipe materials and water distribution mains. The node is pre-assembled and consist of an acoustic sensor, analysis software, network hardware, batteries and an antenna.

The smarter hydrant can enable utilities to use existing hydrant assets as a hub for communication and technology deployment. New hydrants be purchased with the smarter features, and any existing wet-barre hydrant with a dome top can be converted to monitor pressure and detect leaks.