Nozzles & Equipment
Smooth-Bore Nozzle
A smooth-bore nozzle is a plain tapered tip that produces a solid stream and forms it at a lower tip pressure than a fog nozzle — about 50 psi on a handline. Its flow depends on the tip diameter and the pressure behind it.
With no moving parts, a smooth-bore tip simply lets water out through a fixed opening. The solid stream carries well, reaches far, and punches through to the seat of a fire, and because it forms at a lower pressure it asks less of the pump than a fog stream of similar flow.
Its flow is predictable from the tip size and the nozzle pressure, which makes it easy to plan for at the panel. Larger tips and higher pressures both raise the flow — and the nozzle reaction the crew has to hold.
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Nozzle Flow & Reaction