Section 3.2.4
Shall Indicates a mandatory
Section 3.2.5
Should Indicates a
Recommendation or Advised
Fire Pump Location
4.14.1.1* Indoor Fire Pump Units
4.14.1.1.1 Except as permitted in 4.14.1.1.3, fire pump units serving high-rise buildings shall be protected from surrounding occupancies by a minimum of 2-hour fire-rated construction or physically separated from the protected building by a minimum of 50 ft (15.3 m).
4.14.1.2 Outdoor Fire Pump Units
4.14.1.2.1 Fire pump units that are outdoors shall be located at least 50 ft (15.3 m) away from any buildings and other fire exposures.
Table 4.14.1.1.2 Equipment Protection
Pump Room/
House |
Building(s) Exposing
Pump Room/House |
Required
Separation |
Not sprinklered
Not sprinklered Fully sprinklered |
Not sprinklered
Fully sprinklered Not sprinklered |
2 hour fire-rated
Or 50 ft (15.3 m) |
Fully sprinklered | Fully sprinklered | 1 hour fire-rated
Or 50 ft (15.3 m) |
General Requirement
4.14.3.1 Heat An approved or listed source of heat shall be provided for maintaining the temperature of a pump room or pump house, where required, above 40°F (4°C).
4.14.4 Normal Lighting. Artificial light shall be provided in a pump room or pump house.
4.14.5 Emergency Lighting.
4.14.5.1 Pump rooms shall be provided with emergency lighting.
4.14.5.2 The intensity of illumination in the pump room(s) shall be 3.0 ft-candles (32.3 lux), unless otherwise specified by a requirement recognized by the authority having jurisdiction.
4.14.5.3 Emergency lights shall not be connected to an
engine-starting battery.
4.14.5.4 The emergency lighting shall be capable of maintaining the lighting level for a minimum of 2 hours.
4.14.6 Ventilation. Provision shall be made for ventilation of a pump room or pump house.
4.14.7* Drainage.
4.14.7.1 Floors shall be pitched for adequate drainage of escaping water away from critical equipment such as the pump, driver, controller, and so forth.
4.14.8 Guards. Couplings and flexible connecting shafts shall be installed with a coupling guard in accordance with Section 7 of ANSI B11.19, Performance Requirements for Safeguarding
4.13.1.1* Where an electric variable speed pump is installed, the automatic circulation relief valve shall open at the minimum speed.
4.15.1.1 Steel pipe shall be used aboveground except for connection to underground suction and underground discharge piping.
4.16.10* Anti-Vortex Plate. Where a tank is used as the suction source for a fire pump, the discharge outlet of the tank shall be equipped with an assembly that controls vortex flow in accordance with NFPA 22.
4.18.1 Supervised Open. Where provided, the suction valve, discharge valve, bypass valves, and isolation valves on the backflow prevention device or assembly shall be supervised open by one of the following methods:
(1) Central station, proprietary, or remote station signaling service
(2) Local signaling service that will cause the sounding of an audible signal at a constantly attended point
(3) Locking valves open
(4) Sealing of valves and approved weekly recorded inspection where valves are located within fenced enclosures under the control of the owner
Fire Pump
3.3.49.5 Fire Pump. A pump that is a provider of liquid flow and pressure dedicated to fire protection.
4.1 Pumps. This standard shall apply to centrifugal single stage and multistage pumps of the horizontal or vertical shaft design and positive displacement pumps of the horizontal or vertical shaft design.
Pump
3.3.49.18 Vertical Line shaft Turbine Pump. A vertical shaft centrifugal pump with rotating impeller or impellers and with discharge from the pumping element coaxial with the shaft. The pumping element is suspended by the conductor system, which encloses a system of vertical shafting used to transmit power to the impellers, the prime mover being external to the flow stream.
A vertical turbine pump is the only type of pump allowed negative suction pressure
6.1.1.1 Centrifugal pumps shall be of the overhung impeller design and the impeller between bearings design.
6.1.2* Application. Centrifugal pumps shall not be used where a static suction lift is required.
3.3.49.15 Pressure Maintenance (Jockey or Make-Up) Pump. A pump designed to maintain the pressure on the fire protection system(s) between preset limits when the system is not flowing water.
11.1.3.1 Diesel engines for fire pump drive shall be of the compression ignition type.
Fuel Supply Tank Capacity
Section 11.4.1.3.1*
Fuel supply tank(s) shall have a capacity at least equal to 1 gal per hp (5.07 L per kW), plus 5 percent volume for expansion and 5 percent volume for sump.
Example
Fire Pump 120hp (89.5kw)
Fuel tank capacity:
1 gal/hp x 120hp = 120 gal or
5.07 L/kw x 89.5kw = 454 L
Total Capacity:
120 gal + [120 gal x (5% + 5%)]
120 gal + 12 gal
132 gal
Or
454L + [454L x (5% + 5%)]
454L + 45.4L
499.4L
The minimum fuel tank capacity 132 gal/499.4L for engine driving a Fire Pump 120hp (89.5kw)
Acceptance Testing, Performance And Maintenance
14.1.1.1 Suction piping shall be flushed at a flow rate not less than indicated in Table 14.1.1.1 or at the hydraulically calculated water demand rate of the system, whichever is greater.
14.1.2.1 Suction and discharge piping shall be hydrostatically tested at not less than 200 psi (13.8 bar) pressure or at 50 psi (3.4 bar) in excess of the maximum pressure to be maintained in the system, whichever is greater.
Fire Pump Setting
Section A.14.2.6
(4) Fire Pump Settings. The fire pump system, when started by pressure drop, should be arranged as follows:
(a) The jockey pump stop point should equal the pump
churn pressure plus the minimum static supply pressure.
(b) The jockey pump start point should be at least 10 psi (0.68 bar) less than the jockey pump stop point.
(c) The fire pump start point should be 5 psi (0.34 bar) less than the jockey pump start point. Use 10 psi (0.68 bar) increments for each additional pump.(section 10.5.2.5 The second pump must start 5-10 seconds behind the primary pump starting to prevent water hammer)
(d) Where minimum run times are provided, the pump will continue to operate after attaining these pressures. The final pressures should not exceed the pressure rating of the system.
(e) Where the operating differential of pressure switches does not permit these settings, the settings should be as close as equipment will permit. The settings should be established by pressures observed on test gauges.
(f) Examples of fire pump settings follow (for SI units,1 psi = 0.0689 bar):
- i. Pump: 1000 gpm, 100 psi pump with churn pressure of
115 psi
- Suction supply: 50 psi from city — minimum static; 60 psi
from city — maximum static
iii. Jockey pump stop = 115 psi + 50 psi = 165 psi
- Jockey pump start = 165 psi – 10 psi = 155 psi
- Fire pump stop = 115 psi + 50 psi = 165 psi
- Fire pump start = 155 psi – 5 psi = 150 psi
vii. Fire pump maximum churn = 115 psi + 60 psi = 175 psi