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.

Diesel Fire Pumps: Everything You Need to Know About Inspection and Testing

There’s no better protection from fire accidents than proper preparation and maintenance of your diesel fire pumps. Thus, you should protect your business/place of residence with expert fire maintenance and inspection. Let’s learn about them in this blog post!

Fire Pump Inspection and Testing

Since pressure sensing lines in fire pumps help maintain designed pressure on each fire sprinkler system, make sure you know how to take care of them. When your fire pump stops working, the fire sprinkler system won’t get to the desired water pressure during an emergency. Thus, maintaining it would help you diagnose and prevent potential issues before they get worse.

Inspections are visual observations to verify that a fire pump system appears to be in good operating condition. It determines whether the system is free of physical damage. On the other hand, tests include hands-on simulations that mean taking actions on the fire protection system. Below are some key fire pumps tests and inspections:

• Weekly fire pump tests: This includes inspecting the condition of your pump room and the fire pump system.
• Monthly fire pump inspections: This includes checking the pump operation. You should run the test for 10-15 minutes.
• Annual fire pump inspections: Check the pump operation for both diesel and electric pumps. Test the alarm signals and be sure to service hydraulic systems, mechanical transmissions, and motors on an annual basis.

Now that you know the main types of fire pump tests and inspections, it’s time to know what you should keep in mind while inspecting your electric or diesel fire pumps. By practicing the following tips, you can prolong the life of your sensing line for fire pumps.

• Perform weekly fire pump tests that can be carried out by a designated person.
• Inspect the power source of your fire pump, be it an electric or diesel engine.
• Make sure the source can be cycled once or twice a year.
• Maintain lubrication to prevent parts inside the fire pump from locking in place.
• Check the fire pump components inside your fire pump, including the fire pump casing relief valve, the packing, and the casing relief valve.
• Don’t forget to monitor your water pressure gauge. And if it is above/below the normal value, contact your fire protection professional.

According to NFPA 25…

Inspection, testing, and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems, including fire pumps, should comply with industry standards. These standards will help you maximize the system’s integrity and avoid potential pump failures. They establish the minimum requirements for the periodic inspection and maintenance of your sensing line for fire pumps. The key requirements include the changes in occupancy, use, operation, materials, hazard, or water supply that can impact the performance of the fire pump system.

Also, NFPA standards address the operating condition of fire protection systems, such as impairment handling and reporting. They apply to fire protection systems and ensure that the system has been properly installed by generally accepted practices. Keep in mind that these standards do not require the inspector to verify the adequacy of the design of the system. This requirement is not a part of the periodic inspection and maintenance standard.

Since corrective actions are needed to ensure that your fire pump system operates satisfactorily, it should be in accordance with the NFPA standards. In addition to that, if your sprinkler or the pressure sensing lines in fire pumps show any signs of the following, it should be replaced:

• Corrosion
• Leakage in the system
• Sudden loss of water pressure
• Any physical damage like bending and warping

Final Remarks

We offer an array of fire pumps that can be the best solution if your building is equipped with a sprinkler system. It requires constant water pressure regardless of varying demand or fluctuation in the incoming pressure. We supply branded fire pumps for commercial, industrial, and residential applications. From smaller commercial facilities to manufacturing industries, our line of diesel fire pumps can be a good fit for any application.

To find out more about pressure sensing lines in fire pumps, contact us.

A Guide on How to Calculate Jockey Pump Capacity

 Our customers often ask us about jockey pumps and how to calculate their capacity and size. This is crucial because it ensures there is enough water pressure to control a fire. Before we answer this question, it would be best to understand what a jockey pump is and how it functions in electric or diesel fire pumps.

Jockey Pumps

Also known as a pressure maintenance pump, a jockey pump is a key component of fire pumps. It is a small apparatus that works in conjunction with the fire pump as part of a fire protection system. Designed to keep the pressure elevated, a jockey pump prevents the main fire pump from running unless absolutely necessary.

Unwanted pressure drops, water leaks, and temperature changes often fool the fire pump into starting without any requirement. Using a jockey pump, which is electric motor-driven, you can control the pump and switch it on and off periodically to maintain the main pressure at high levels. Jockey pumps are preferred to be centrifugal pumps and must be properly approved.

Jockey Pump Sizing

The size of your jockey pump determines whether it is able to maintain the fire protection system pressure, allowable leakage, or any pressure drops. Make sure it is the size you need to maintain the desired fire protection system pressure. Keep these things in mind:

·         The sizing of the jockey pump should be done in such a way that it provides a flow less than a single fire sprinkler. This is true when the jockey pump serves only above-ground piping for fire sprinklers.

·         The fire pump should start and run for water flow situations where a sprinkler is open. Keep in mind that this won’t happen if the jockey pump is too large.

·         Select a jockey pump that makes up the allowable leakage rate in 10 minutes or 1 GPM (whichever is larger).

·         The water pressure of the jockey pump should be greater than the pressure of the main fire pump by a minimum of 10 psi. This will avoid the false starting of the main fire pump.

·         A good rule of thumb for sizing a jockey pump is to utilize 1% of the fire pump rated capacity.

·         The pump is not required to have alternate or standby power.

Jockey Pump Capacity

A simple rule for sizing is that the jockey pump capacity should be around 5-10% of the main fire pump. Based on NFPA 20 Standard, jockey pumps should have rated capacities not less than normal leakage rates. They should have discharge pressure sufficient to maintain the desired sprinkler system pressure. So, the first thing is to calculate the normal leakage rate and know how to size a fire pump. You need to take into account the net positive suction pressure available and the effect of rising to shutoff the system.

Additionally…

There are valves required for diesel fire pumps and jockey pumps. For instance, an isolation valve should be installed on the suction of the jockey pump, so that it will isolate the pump for repair. Also, a check valve and isolation valve should be in the discharge pipe of the jockey pump. That’s it!

To learn more about jockey pumps, get in touch with us.