Many fire equipment companies also offer services to help you maintain your systems, such as fire pump testing and inspection services. By doing these, you can help ensure you always have the water supply you need when you must access it for fire protection purposes.
The Need for a Fire Pump
It is necessary to install a fire pump when the local water system supply does not provide adequate water pressure to power a sprinkler system. High elevations bring about pressure loss, such as in high-rise buildings. As well, stronger water pressure is often needed in large volumes for buildings such as storage warehouses. Pumps are also used when water sources are located in a ground level tank.
The Operation of a Fire Pump
Pumps that were able to install can be powered by electric motor, diesel engine or in less frequent cases a steam turbine. If a building code requires the fire pump to have a separate power source, an electric pump can be linked to a transfer switch so that an emergency generator can be used to power the pump.
Types of Fire Pumps Available
Pumps are supposed to turn on when the pressure in a fire sprinkler system drops below a specified level. Drops in pressure can occur when one or more sprinklers are exposed to elevated heat that surpasses their design criteria, which results in the release of water. The opening of other connections related to firefighting can also result in a pressure drop. It is important that fire pump testing examine these and other various issues that relate to the effective operation of a fire pump system.
The various types of pumps available for use in the fire protection industry include:
- Vertical turbine and vertical in-line
- Horizontal and vertical split case
- Jockey pump
- End section
Make sure any company you work with follows the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 20 Standard for the Installation of Stationary Fire Pumps for Fire Protection when providing services.