Jockey Fire Pumps: Everything You Need to Know

August 23rd, 2022

Do you know that unwanted pressure drops, water leaks, or temperature changes can fool your NYC fire pump into starting unnecessarily? To avoid this, you will need a jockey pump, which is an electric motor driven and controlled by a pressure switch in the main trunk. It periodically switches the fire pump ON and OFF to maintain pressure at a high level.
 

How do Jockey Fire Pumps Work?

Jockey fire pumps are an important component of fire-fighting systems. They are a small pressure maintenance pump that works in conjunction with a fire pump as part of a fire protection system. A jockey pump maintains the water pressure on the fire protection system between pre-set limits when the system is not running. Its role is to keep the pressure elevated so that the main fire pump won’t run unless absolutely necessary.
 

When/Why do You Need a Jockey Fire Pump?

To start with, you won’t need any jockey pump on all systems. According to NFPA 20, pressure maintenance or jockey pumps should be used where it is essential to maintain a uniform or high water pressure on the fire protection system. We recommend using a jockey pump to minimize pressure surges in all situations. The objective is to avoid shocking the system with a water hammer, especially when you start the main fire pump.
 

Types of Jockey Fire Pumps

1. Regenerative Turbine:

   These are cheap and low HP (horsepower) jockey pumps. They always require a pressure relief valve.

 

2. Vertical Multi-stage:

   These are extremely reliable jockey pumps that can be used to prevent exceeding system pressure ratings. They are easy to maintain, but are slightly more expensive.

 

3. Submersible Multi-stage:

   If your water supply is not pressurized properly, then submersible multi-stage jockey pumps are your only option. These are well pumps that can be submersed down into the water on the end of a galvanized pipe.

 

The Main Requirements of Jockey Fire Pumps

1. Jockey pumps should be centrifugal-type pumps.
2. They are approved, but are not required to be listed.
3. They should not have alternate or standby power.
4. The controller should be listed, but not listed for fire pump service.
5. An isolation valve should be there on the suction side of the jockey pump.
6. Install a check valve and isolation valve in the discharge pipe of the jockey pump.
7. Jockey pumps must have their own individual pressure sensing line.
8. Their isolation valves shall not be supervised.

 

The Sizing of Jockey Fire Pumps

1. The size of the jockey pump should replenish the fire protection system.
2. It should have sufficient discharge pressure to maintain the desired fire protection pressure.
3. If the jockey pump serves only above-ground piping, it should be sized to provide a flow that is less than that of a single fire sprinkler.
4. If the jockey pump serves underground mains, then choose a pump that will make up the allowable leakage rate in 10 minutes or 1 GPM (whichever is larger).

A good rule of thumb for sizing is to use 1% of the fire pump rated capacity. Also, the pressure of the jockey pump should be greater than the pressure of the main fire pump by a minimum of 10 PSI to avoid the false starting of the main fire pump.

 

At Callaghan Pump…

We are an authorized master distributor of Aurora Fire Pumps for the New York metropolitan area. We can provide you with the right jockey pump sizing and help you meet your fire protection requirements.

To get started…Contact us!