Keep Apparatus from Freezing Up?

We are a rural volunteer department, with 24 members. While shuttling water to the scene, the valves and dumps often freeze up during harsh Wisconsin winters. I was just wondering if anyone knows of anything, that's not too expensive since we are on a tight budget, that we can spray on or apply to our valves, dumps, doors to keep them from freezing up between filling and dumping? Any help is appreciated.

Casco Fire Dept

Casco, Wisconsin

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Permalink Reply by Finn Volunteer on May 30, 2010 at 9:00am

At here that temperature is too hot for most people..

That last thunderstorm dropped 5cm of water in four hours. 19 wildfires, house fires and automatic calls.

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Permalink Reply by Bendone on June 13, 2010 at 5:03pm

Petroleum jelly works well for us. Coat the weather stripping around the doors of the dump valves and the Cams and interior of the camlock fittings.

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Permalink Reply by Bud on May 9, 2016 at 2:55pm

A torch can be 1 of you best friends in the winter.

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Permalink Reply by Bud on July 12, 2018 at 2:34pm

Well up in the northwest corner of Vermont and I learned this from a article about the Fairbanks, Alaska fire Dept. that they used to spray biodegradable anti freeze. In they late fall I would spray all suction hose couplings, intake and discharge caps, ball valves. It really worked good on the Kocheck couplings as a lubricant both summer and winter. Now something else that might work is W-D 40 it dispersess water.