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.

Fire Pumps and Systems: The Most Commonly Asked Questions

At its best, firefighting is a hazardous business. And without a well-designed fire protection system and a fire booster pump, it becomes even more dangerous to save assets and lives. A fire pump is an important part of your sprinkler system and is essential in buildings with levels higher than 400-500 ft.

Especially in high-rise structures, fire pumps and systems are critical in distributing water through sprinklers. This is true where water pressure from water mains can’t reach the sprinkler system. It usually happens when the fire pump intake is either connected to the public water supply or a static water source like a tank, reservoir, lake, etc.

·         What does a Fire Booster Pump do?

The role of the fire pump is to provide water flow to the sprinkler risers and hose standpipes at a higher flow. It starts when the water pressure in the fire protection system drops below a certain threshold.

The fire pump is powered either by an electric motor or a diesel engine. If a building code requires power that is free from the local electric power grid, you will need an electric motor connected via a listed transfer switch and the installation of an emergency generator.

·         When do You Need a Fire Pump?

To determine whether you need a fire booster pump, compare the fire suppression system demands with the available water supply. If the supply cannot meet the demands, you will need a fire pump. Conversely, if the water supply meets the pressure demands, you don’t need a fire pump.

·         What are the Standards Governing Fire Pumps?

Code-compliant fire pumps and systems for commercial and industrial buildings begin with the standards governing fire pumps. According to the US-based National Fire Protection Association - NFPA, the standard for installing stationary pumps is the most widely accepted standard. NFPA 20 is considered the leading code, with its many safety measures that are designed to account for all conceivable scenarios and ensure maximum fire protection.

NFPA 20 addresses everything from the fire pump room to the water source itself. The standard provides installers, designers, and manufacturers with minimum requirements for the design, manufacture, installation, and testing. It ensures that each of the individual components would perform as a whole when the system is active.

·         How Often Should You Inspect/Test Your Fire Pump?

It is likely that your building contains a sprinkler system and a fire booster pump as part of your fire protection equipment. These are automatic systems that act as the first line of defense when a fire breaks out. A vital part of your fire safety plan is to inspect your fire pump so that it can perform optimally. You may wonder how often you should inspect and test your fire pump. Well, this can be done regularly, weekly, monthly, and yearly.

·         Why You Should Install a Jockey Pump in the Fire System

Fire pumps and sprinkler systems are designed to put out fires as quickly as possible. This is done by a set of sprinklers connected to each other and to the water source. When the sprinkler system is active, it will take only a few seconds for the sprinkler to release water.

However, there is a need to maintain pressure in the pipes, so each fire sprinkler loses a small amount of pressure when it turns on. When a fire breaks out and a sprinkler turns on, there must be enough pressure in the pipes to activate the next sprinkler.

Here, installing a jockey pump could save your day. It is designed for this purpose and will turn on whenever it senses a certain amount of pressure drop in the fire protection system. It will maintain water pressure to help the fire booster pump operate without any delay.

The Bottom Line

Without a fire booster pump, your fire sprinkler system will only work until there is a prolonged water supply and pressure. This means that the system won’t be able to reach every corner of your building and put out an entire fire by itself. So, rest easy knowing that having a sensing line for fire pumps would help you ensure fire safety 24/7.

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