New York City Fire Pumps: A Crucial Fire Safety Components

 

When determining your fire safety system, there are many components to consider, such as New York City fire pumps. Here’s everything you need to know about these fire safety components.

If you look at New York City fire pumps, you will find that they are life-safety equipment with an array of requirements and elements you need to look into before installation. This includes the building structure, local fire codes, fire room, and fire protection provider. Let’s take a look at fire pumps in detail!

What do New York City Fire Pumps do?

Fire pumps are an essential component responsible for supplying adequate water pressure to fire protection or sprinkler systems. They help the system in controlling a fire before it becomes worse, saving lives, assets, and properties from destruction.

These pumps are most commonly found in industrial facilities, housing complexes, power plants, schools, hospitals, airports, and commercial buildings. Below are the two main types of NY City fire pumps:

• Positive Displacement

A positive displacement pump is rare and can be used to produce water pressure by capturing a specific volume of water per pump revolution. Then it pushes the water out through the discharge line. As a result, this creates high pressures, but has limited flow volume compared to centrifugal pumps.

• Centrifugal Pumps

On the other hand, centrifugal pumps are the most commonly used NY City fire pumps. With these pumps, water pressure is developed primarily by the action of centrifugal force (spinning). When water enters the suction, it passes to the center of the impeller. The rotation takes place, which drives the water pressure. These pumps are great in handling large volumes of water while providing high-pressure boosts.

There is also another type of fire pump called a jockey pump, which is a small pump attached to the fire protection system. It continually switches on to maintain the right amount of water pressure in the distribution system. The pressure is somewhere around 7 Kg/cm2 or 100 psi.

In case there is a small leakage somewhere in the system, the jockey pump will automatically switch on to compensate for it. Make sure your jockey pump has a backup and is controlled by pressure sensors. These sensors will detect the drop in the pressure and switch the fire pumps on. The only way to switch off the pump is manually. There is an international code created to avoid the pump switching off due to any malfunction in the control system.

About Aurora Fire Pumps New York City

Whether a new building, small office, or water mist application, Aurora is a leading supplier of fire pump systems used in a variety of applications throughout the world. They are internationally known for their high-quality manufacturing and performance that outlast competitors.

The company offers everything from fire suppression pumps and split-case pumps to vertical turbines and in-line pumps. Their commitment to excellence goes beyond the product line, incorporating the latest technologies in fire pump manufacturing. In short, you can rely on Aurora to provide you with all of your water pressure solutions.

Wrapping Up

To select the best pump along with pump drawings and specifications, contact us at Callaghan Pump. We offer an array of Aurora Fire Pumps in New York City that are ideal for various industrial applications. This will help you save valuable time in the selection and evaluation of the best fire pump for your space.

Get started today!

4 Crucial Tests for Your New York City Fire Pump

 

New York City Fire Pumps are perhaps the most critical part of fire protection. They are installed at a site where the available public water pressure is not enough to meet fire protection needs. Most fire pumps are driven by either electric motors or diesel. However, some older ones have gasoline or even steam engines.

Fire pumps come in all shapes and sizes and are usually connected to a private water supply, such as a storage tank, reservoir, lake, or river. Some of them are vertical shaft turbine-type pumps, whereas others are horizontal pumps. Keep in mind that fire pump failure could spell disaster. Therefore, basic testing is a must to minimize the potential risks.

That being said, let’s dive deeper into this article and understand the testing needed to ensure that your New York City Fire Pump will perform as expected during a fire accident.

·         Water Flow Testing

Fire pumps of all types require to be fully flow-tested at least annually. You need to measure them against the pump characteristic curves of churn, rated point, and maximum output. Since pump performance can gradually deteriorate over time, it can affect the overall performance of your fire protection system. With annual flow tests, you can pinpoint these problems before they get worse.

If you want to carry out a flow test for New York City Fire Pumps, it’s a good idea to hire professionals for the job. They have the right expertise and training to perform such tests.

·         Acceptance Testing

When you have a newly installed New York City Fire Pump, you will need to perform a special fire pump acceptance test. According to NFPA 20, acceptance tests are important for new installations. The "three-point test" is a basic minimum flow test requirement, but we would recommend as many as five test points for an acceptance test.

The pump should be tested by measuring the voltage and electrical current under different flow conditions. NFPA 20 requires the use of voltmeters and ammeters to conduct these tests safely.

·         Full Unit Inspection

New York City Fire Pumps should be inspected at least weekly to check the general condition of the pump, driver, and controller. The inspection includes visually examining the bearings, stuffing boxes, water supply suction, strainers, power off alarms, etc. Diesel fire pump inspections include things like batteries, oil levels, cooling systems, belts, and hoses.

·         Regular Testing

Lastly, there are some fire pumps that require regular testing. This could be done by either automatic start (preferably) or by manual start (occasionally). Regular testing is a start-up and run test, which is quite similar to starting your car on a frigid morning. You can run a 30-minute test for diesel pumps and a 10-15 minute test for electric fire pumps under normal running conditions.

Closing Thoughts

These are some of the main fire pump tests to keep your New York City Fire Pump running smoothly for years. As mentioned above, these tests should be carried out on a regular, monthly, and yearly basis to ensure that the pump will protect the property, assets, and people in the event of a fire. Have any fire pump requirements?

Book your New York City Fire Pump today.