4 Important Components of Fire Sprinkler Booster Pumps

September 27th, 2022

Sufficient water pressure is vital for a fire sprinkler system. That said, if your fire protection system is unable to get the right amount of water pressure from a water source, you may benefit greatly from a fire pump!

In high-rise residential buildings, fire pumps are often used to take water from a water source to sprinklers. They serve to increase the available water pressure to one suitable for the fire protection system. Therefore, when designing your building, it is important to consider fire sprinkler booster pumps.

Who Needs a Fire Pump?

First introduced in the early 1900s, fire pumps came to their inception during a period of explosive growth in high-rise buildings. Today, they are available for more than just high-rise buildings. Other buildings that require fire sprinkler booster pumps mainly include large industrial complexes, hospitals, warehouses, restaurants, and other large facilities.

Fire Pump Installation Components

If you need a fire pump for your fire sprinkler system, then these are some crucial fire pump components you should consider.

1. Jockey Pump : The role of a jockey pump is to maintain water pressure throughout the fire sprinkler system. It helps you prevent the main pump from starting and stopping without any requirement. While the jockey pump can produce high pressure, it won’t change the volume of the water. Thus, it is used primarily to maintain pressure when you have a small leak or other change in the system that causes minor water loss.

    

2. Hoses : Hose connections perform two different roles: Augmenting the water supply and testing the performance of the fire pump. This is done by measuring the flow and pressure.

    

3. Control Devices : There are primarily two main control devices. The controller is set to automatic mode and can be changed to manual if necessary. There are also emergency features to start the pump driver in emergency scenarios, such as the pump failing to start automatically during a fire.

    

4. Intake and Discharge Points : The fire pump intake and discharge points come with specific design specifications. To minimize the chances of air getting trapped inside the pump so that no pump damage or serious damage occurs, the pipe on the intake is kept flat across the top on the discharge side.

    

   Most fire pumps are typically listed by an approval institute. They are either electric pumps or diesel fire pumps and start whenever there is a pressure drop in the fire sprinkler system below a certain set-point. In a fire installation, you can have one or more fire pumps, depending on the occupancy hazard and specific fire installation standards.

    

   Characteristics of a Fire Pump

    

   Fire sprinkler booster pumps are typically made with non-corrosive materials (stainless steel, bronze) to avoid any potential clogging and corrosion. To minimize the chances of cavitation, they are most often designed with the NFPA value and flow [Q] and head [H] curve. The reason for this is the reliability and performance of water distribution into the building. The maximum flow for your fire pump can be determined to avoid cavitation and ensure enough power reserve. In some cases, it also dictates the capacity of the stored water.

    

   At Callaghan Pump, we provide different ranges of end-suction, horizontal split-case, vertical split-case, vertical in-line, and vertical turbine fire pumps for sale. All our products meet fire protection standards, where their fire components are tested and certified by accredited laboratories. Need more details?

   Contact us today!