Diesel Fire Pump Package: Why you need a Jockey Pump

When a fire sprinkler system gets activated, there is often a sudden drop in water pressure in the system. This may create serious water pressure problems, but jockey pumps can be installed to overcome such situations. These are small pumps connected to a fire sprinkler system to maintain pressure in the sprinkler pipes by sensing the fire pump automatic controller.

The main components of a diesel fire pump package include:

• Jockey Pump: It prevents the fire pump and system from any potential short cycling during non-emergency situations.

• Jockey Pump Controller: This is an automatic pump controller that controls the jockey pump system.

• Check Valve: It prevents water from flowing back into the fire pump and is installed on the discharge side of the pump.

• Control Valve: It allows the jockey pump to be isolated for maintenance purposes. This valve may be a butterfly type or an OS&Y.

The Role of a Jockey Pump in Fire Sprinkler Systems

Also known as a pressure maintenance pump, the role of a jockey pump is to maintain the pressure in the sprinkler system to avoid any non-emergency starting of the fire pump. It is built to start before the fire pump and return the fire protection system to its minimum static pressure.

The jockey pump saves the fire pump from short cycling, which can shorten its life span in the long run. It is a low-cost component of a fire pump sprinkler system and is sized to 1% of the fire pump’s rated flow. However, it doesn’t keep up with the system demand in regard to water flow. In this case, the water pressure will continue to reduce until the fire pump starts.

The Operation of a Jockey Pump

Sprinkler systems often use an electric or diesel fire pump package to push the necessary amount of water pressure throughout the system when activated. All the water pressure comes from a large fire pump. However, it’s not good to use this large pump to keep your sprinkler system pressurised. Therefore, you may need a jockey pump to keep your lines at a set pressure limit.

Since proper pressure is critical to safely operate your fire sprinkler, you need a jockey pump, along with a fire pump, to manage required water pressure. This small pump allows the fire pump system to stay charged without overworking your large pump. In fact, in an ideal scenario, your large pump will never get activated, meaning that the jockey pump is doing all the work to ensure your lines are charged and ready to spray water at a fire.

The Maintenance of a Jockey Pump

To keep your sprinkler system fully operational and ready for any fire emergency, you should maintain your jockey pump and diesel fire pump package. Like any other pump, it is a compact unit subject to maintenance issues. The most immediate maintenance signs will show up during weekly tests. Be sure to test the fire pump, not only the jockey pump.

Activate the fire pump with the controller and open the main drain line to test the jockey pump capacity. Watch the pressure drop closely to see if your jockey pump activates to make up for the pressure difference. If not, you need to troubleshoot the pump as soon as you can.

At Callaghan Pump, we supply the highest quality, NFPA-approved diesel fire pumps with appropriate jockey pump sizing for fire protection. If you need more information regarding jockey pump sizing or capacity, please feel free to send us a message today.