SYNC™

SynC · Editorial revision

Fire Pumps

Revision10
EditedOct 17, 2026
StatusCurrent
Contents

View changes in this revision   Revision history

Current revision. This is editorial revision 10, the current text of this standard. Read it on the standard's page.

SynC Standards Team — Specifier (Platform Standards) ✓ OfficialDiscloses employment SynC (SynC Platform Team)
Remake batch 23: rewritten from scratch under the authoring cheatsheet with datasheet constraints; scope boundaries restated against the remade neighbors

1 Scope

NOTE This standard governs the selection, rating, construction, driver, jockey pump, pump room piping and trim, power source arrangement, supervisory signals, pump room provisions, installation, factory and field testing, warranty, and spare parts of a stationary fire pump assembly installed under NFPA 20. (1.1)
NOTE A fire pump is a single-purpose machine that sits idle for months and is then required to reach rated speed and deliver rated flow within seconds of a pressure drop it did not cause, with no operator present and, for a diesel driver, no connection to the building electrical system. Nearly every requirement in this standard exists to make that one start certain: the listing of each component, the reliability of the power source, the arrangement of the suction piping, the room temperature, and the test that proves the assembly before it is accepted. (1.2)
NOTE The scope begins at the suction flange of the suction control valve, where the underground fire service main or the suction tank piping enters the pump room, and ends at the discharge side of the discharge control valve, where the sprinkler, standpipe, or other served system begins. Within those limits it includes the pump, the driver, the jockey pump and its controller, the suction and discharge piping and trim, the relief valves, the flow test arrangement, and the gauges, together with the fuel supply at a diesel engine, the engine's cooling and exhaust, and the starting batteries and chargers. (1.3)
NOTE The following are governed elsewhere and are outside this standard: (1.4)
  • the listed fire pump controller, electric or diesel, with its starting method, its sensing, its alarm contacts, its automatic test provisions, and the combination controller and power transfer switch, governed by Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers
  • a power transfer switch furnished as a separate listed unit rather than as part of a combination fire pump controller, governed by Automatic Transfer SwitchesAutomatic Transfer SwitchesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/automatic-transfer-switches
  • the on-site generator, governed by GeneratorsEngine GeneratorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/generators, and the classification of the fire pump within the emergency power system and the capacity of its alternate source, governed by Emergency And Standby PowerEmergency and Standby Power SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/emergency-and-standby-power
  • the diesel fuel tank as a vessel, governed by Fuel Dispensing And Storage TanksFuel Storage TanksResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fuel-dispensing-and-storage-tanks, and the fuel supply, return, fill, and vent piping beyond the tank nozzles, governed by Fuel Oil SystemsFacility Fuel-Oil SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fuel-oil-systems
  • the general construction, efficiency, insulation, and bearing rules for low-voltage induction motors, governed by Electric MotorsCommon Motor Requirements for Electrical EquipmentResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/electric-motors and invoked by this standard for the fire pump motor
  • the underground fire service main, its thrust restraint, and its flushing, governed by Underground Fire Service MainsUnderground Fire Service MainsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/underground-fire-service-mains
  • the pipe, fittings, joints, listed control and check valve products, supervisory switches, drains, and hangers common to all water-based systems, governed by Fire Protection PipingFire Protection Piping and SpecialtiesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-protection-piping
  • the systems the pump serves, governed by Wet Pipe Fire Sprinkler SystemsWet-Pipe Fire Sprinkler SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/wet-pipe-fire-sprinkler-systems, Dry Pipe Fire Sprinkler SystemsDry-Pipe Fire Sprinkler SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/dry-pipe-fire-sprinkler-systems, Pre Action And Deluge Sprinkler SystemsPre-Action and Deluge Sprinkler SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/pre-action-and-deluge-sprinkler-systems, and Standpipe SystemsStandpipe SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/standpipe-systems, and the fire department connection, governed by Fire Department ConnectionsFire Department ConnectionsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-department-connections
  • the foam concentrate, the proportioning equipment, and the discharge devices of a foam or foam-water system, governed by Foam Fire SuppressionFoam Fire Suppression SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/foam-fire-suppression
  • the fire alarm control unit, the monitoring modules, and the supervising station connection that receive the fire pump signals, governed by Fire Alarm SystemsFire Alarm SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-alarm-systems
  • contractor and designer qualification, submittal administration, coordination, and record documents common to all fire suppression work, governed by Common Work Results Fire SuppressionCommon Work Results for Fire SuppressionResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/common-work-results-fire-suppression
  • the concrete equipment pad, governed by Concrete PadsConcrete Equipment PadsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/concrete-pads, and seismic restraint design for the assembly and its piping, governed by Vibration Isolation And Seismic RestraintVibration Isolation and Seismic RestraintResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/vibration-isolation-and-seismic-restraint
  • firestopping of pump room penetrations, governed by FirestoppingFirestoppingResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/firestopping
  • building hydronic pumps (HVAC PumpsHVAC PumpsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/hvac-pumps), domestic water booster pumps (Domestic Water Booster PumpsDomestic Water Booster Pump SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/domestic-water-booster-pumps), and process, well, and wastewater pumps (Horizontal Centrifugal Process PumpsHorizontal Centrifugal Process PumpsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/horizontal-centrifugal-process-pumps, Vertical Turbine PumpsVertical Turbine PumpsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/vertical-turbine-pumps, Submersible Solids Handling PumpsSubmersible Solids-Handling PumpsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/submersible-solids-handling-pumps, and Sump And Sewage PumpsSump and Sewage PumpsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/sump-and-sewage-pumps)
NOTE An NFPA 22 fire protection water tank is specified under Water Storage TanksWater Storage TanksResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/water-storage-tanks only where the drawings assign a tank built to AWWA D100 to that standard; no SynC standard yet owns the NFPA 22 tank as such, and this standard reads the tank's capacity, elevation, and outlet arrangement from the drawings without specifying the tank. (1.5)
1.6 The fire pump assembly shall comply with NFPA 20 in the edition adopted by the Authority Having Jurisdiction, with NFPA 70 Article 695 for the electric power supply, with NFPA 37 for the diesel engine installation, with the International Building Code, and with the International Fire Code as adopted locally.
1.7 Where a local amendment modifies NFPA 20, NFPA 70, or NFPA 37, the local amendment shall govern unless it is less stringent than the base document, in which case the base document governs.
1.8 The Engineer of Record shall confirm the adopted edition of NFPA 20 before design begins.
NOTE Successive editions of NFPA 20 have changed the supervisory signals a controller sends, the fuel tank provisions, the pump room separation and access rules, the variable-speed pressure-limiting provisions, and the field acceptance test, so the adopted edition decides several of the values this standard asks for. (1.9)
1.10 The Contractor shall comply with Common Work Results Fire SuppressionCommon Work Results for Fire SuppressionResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/common-work-results-fire-suppression in addition to this standard.

2 Referenced Standards

2.1 Equipment, materials, installation, and testing shall comply with the latest adopted edition of each of the following unless a specific edition is cited.
2.2 Where the contract documents, the Authority Having Jurisdiction, or two referenced standards impose conflicting requirements, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
Standard Title
NFPA 20 Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection
NFPA 13 Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems
NFPA 14 Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems
NFPA 22 Standard for Water Tanks for Private Fire Protection
NFPA 24 Standard for the Installation of Private Fire Service Mains and Their Appurtenances
NFPA 25 Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems
NFPA 37 Standard for the Installation and Use of Stationary Combustion Engines and Gas Turbines
NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (Article 695)
NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code
NFPA 110 Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems
NFPA 291 Recommended Practice for Water Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants
IBC International Building Code
IFC International Fire Code
ASCE/SEI 7 Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures
UL 448 Centrifugal Stationary Pumps for Fire-Protection Service
UL 1004-5 Fire Pump Motors
UL 1247 Diesel Engines for Driving Centrifugal Fire Pumps
UL 1478 Fire Pump Relief Valves
UL 218 Fire Pump Controllers
FM 1311 Approval Standard for Centrifugal Fire Pumps (Horizontal, End Suction Type)
FM 1312 Approval Standard for Centrifugal Fire Pumps (Vertical-Shaft, Turbine Type)
FM 1319 Approval Standard for Centrifugal Fire Pumps (Horizontal, Split-Case Type)
FM 1333 Approval Standard for Fire Pump Controllers (Electric Motor Driven)
FM 1335 Approval Standard for Fire Pump Controllers (Diesel Engine Driven)
FM 1321 Approval Standard for Fire Pump Drivers (Electric Motors)
FM 1323 Approval Standard for Fire Pump Drivers (Diesel Engines)
ANSI/HI 14.6 Rotodynamic Pumps for Hydraulic Performance Acceptance Tests
ANSI/HI 9.6.4 Rotodynamic Pumps for Vibration Measurements and Allowable Values
NEMA MG 1 Motors and Generators
SAE J1349 Engine Power Test Code, Spark Ignition and Compression Ignition, As Installed Net Power Rating
ASME B16.1 Gray Iron Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings (Classes 25, 125, and 250)
ASME B16.5 Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings, NPS 1/2 Through NPS 24
ASTM A48 Gray Iron Castings
ASTM A536 Ductile Iron Castings
ASTM B584 Copper Alloy Sand Castings for General Applications
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.219 Mechanical Power-Transmission Apparatus

3 Submittals

3.1 Action Submittals

3.1.1 The Contractor shall submit the following for the Engineer of Record's review and the Authority Having Jurisdiction's approval before the fire pump assembly is released for manufacture:
  • product data for the pump, identifying the configuration, the rated flow and rated net pressure, the rated speed, the impeller diameter, the suction and discharge connection sizes and classes, the materials of construction, the listing, and the weight
  • the manufacturer's published performance curve for the pump model at the selected impeller diameter and rated speed, from shutoff through 150 percent of rated flow, showing net pressure, brake horsepower, and efficiency
  • product data for the driver: for an electric motor, the horsepower, voltage, phase, full-load and locked-rotor current, service factor, enclosure, insulation system, and the fire pump motor listing; for a diesel engine, the model, the rated brake horsepower at the pump speed after the altitude and temperature deductions, the cooling arrangement, the fuel consumption at rated load, and the listing
  • product data for the jockey pump, its motor, and its controller, giving the rated flow and pressure, the horsepower, and the pressure switch range
  • a pump room layout drawing showing the pump assembly, the controller working clearances, the jockey pump, the suction and discharge piping with every valve, reducer, gauge, and relief valve, the test header or flow meter loop, the fuel tank where the driver is a diesel engine, the floor drain, the ventilation openings, and the route by which the pump can be removed and replaced
  • a suction and discharge piping arrangement drawing, dimensioned, showing pipe sizes, the eccentric suction reducer, the distance from the suction flange to the nearest elbow or tee, and the relief valve discharge piping
  • the electrical one-line diagram for the fire pump power supply, showing each source, the routing and protection of the feeder, the disconnecting means, the overcurrent device and its rating, and the transfer switch arrangement, as required by NFPA 70 Article 695
  • the fuel supply drawing for a diesel engine, showing the tank, its capacity and elevation relative to the engine fuel pump, the supply and return connections, the vent and fill arrangement, and the spill containment, coordinated with Fuel Dispensing And Storage TanksFuel Storage TanksResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fuel-dispensing-and-storage-tanks and Fuel Oil SystemsFacility Fuel-Oil SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fuel-oil-systems
  • engine cooling and exhaust drawings for a diesel engine, showing the heat exchanger supply and discharge piping or the radiator air path, the exhaust routing, the silencer, and the exhaust termination
  • battery sizing calculations for the diesel engine starting batteries, demonstrating the cranking cycles NFPA 20 requires at the lowest pump room temperature
  • seismic anchorage and restraint calculations and details for the pump, driver, jockey pump, fuel tank, and piping, stamped by a professional engineer registered in the project jurisdiction, where Seismic Design CategorySeismic Design CategoryParameterEach project supplies its own value.seismic-design-category requires them
  • listing and approval documentation for the pump, the driver, the relief valves, and the hose valves, on the listing basis this standard requires
  • the schedule of supervisory signal contacts the assembly provides, with each contact identified for connection to the fire alarm system under Fire Alarm SystemsFire Alarm SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-alarm-systems
Action Submittals Requiredcheckbox
☑ Pump product data
☑ Manufacturer's performance curve, shutoff through 150 percent
☑ Driver product data, motor or engine
☑ Jockey pump, motor, and controller product data
☑ Pump room layout drawing with clearances and removal route
☑ Suction and discharge piping arrangement drawing
☑ Electrical one-line diagram per NFPA 70 Article 695
☐ Fuel supply drawing for a diesel engine
☐ Engine cooling and exhaust drawings
☐ Starting battery calculations
☐ Seismic anchorage and restraint calculations
☑ Listing and approval documentation
☑ Supervisory signal contact schedule
3.1.2 The fire pump assembly shall not be released for manufacture until the action submittals have been reviewed, returned, and approved by the Authority Having Jurisdiction.
NOTE The fire pump controller is submitted under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers, and the pump room layout drawing required here is where the two submittals meet: the controller's enclosure dimensions, working clearances, and line terminal location are drawn on the layout so that the pump supplier, the controller supplier, and the electrical contractor are coordinating on one sheet. (3.1.3)
NOTE The submittal that most often delays approval at this trade is the one-line diagram, because the fire pump feeder is the only feeder in the building whose overcurrent device is sized to carry locked-rotor current indefinitely, and a one-line drawn to ordinary motor branch circuit rules is returned by every plan reviewer who checks it against Article 695. (3.1.4)

3.2 Closeout Submittals

3.2.1 The Contractor shall submit the following before the fire pump assembly is accepted:
  • the certified factory test curve for the pump actually shipped, by serial number, from shutoff through 150 percent of rated flow at rated speed
  • the field acceptance test report, recording suction and discharge pressure, net pressure, flow, speed, and, for an electric motor, voltage and current on each phase, at churn, at rated flow, and at 150 percent of rated flow, plotted against the certified factory curve, with the automatic and manual start records, the alternate source transfer record, and the signal verification record
  • the Contractor's Material and Test Certificate for the fire pump installation, signed by the installing Contractor and by each witness this standard requires
  • as-built drawings of the pump room, the piping arrangement, the fuel supply, and the electrical supply, recording every field change from the reviewed submittals
  • the as-left pressure switch settings for the jockey pump and the fire pump, and the as-left relief valve settings
  • an operation and maintenance manual including the certified curve, the driver and jockey pump data, the fuel and battery maintenance instructions, the weekly and annual test procedures, and the NFPA 25 inspection, testing, and maintenance schedule for the assembly
  • warranty documentation for the pump, the driver, the jockey pump, and the jockey pump controller, correlated to serial numbers and to the date of acceptance
  • a signed receipt from the Owner for the spare parts delivered
Closeout Submittals Requiredcheckbox
☑ Certified factory test curve by serial number
☑ Field acceptance test report plotted against the factory curve
☑ Contractor's Material and Test Certificate
☑ As-built drawings of the pump room, piping, fuel, and electrical supply
☑ As-left pressure switch and relief valve settings
☑ Operation and maintenance manual with the NFPA 25 schedule
☑ Warranty documentation by serial number
☑ Spare parts receipt
3.2.2 The field acceptance test report shall be plotted on the same axes as the certified factory curve so that the two can be compared point by point.
NOTE The certified factory curve is the document against which every later NFPA 25 annual test is judged, and a facility engineer ten years from now will be asking whether the pump has degraded or was never the pump on the submittal. Tying the curve to the serial number at closeout is what makes that question answerable. (3.2.3)

4 Quality Assurance

4.1 Component Listing

4.1.1 The pump, the driver, the relief valves, the hose valves on the test header, the flow meter, and the suction and discharge control and check valves shall be listed for fire pump service on the basis indicated in the datasheet.
Component Listing Basisradio
● Listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory for fire pump service
○ Listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory and FM Approved
4.1.2 The centrifugal fire pump shall be listed to UL 448, an electric motor driver shall be listed to UL 1004-5, a diesel engine driver shall be listed to UL 1247, and a relief valve shall be listed to UL 1478.
4.1.3 Where the datasheet requires FM Approval, the pump shall additionally be approved to FM 1311, FM 1312, or FM 1319 for its configuration, and the driver to FM 1321 or FM 1323.
NOTE An FM requirement usually originates with the Owner's property insurer rather than with the code, and an FM-approved pump is matched to an FM-approved driver and an FM-approved controller as a set, so the requirement is confirmed with the insurer before procurement rather than discovered at the acceptance inspection. (4.1.4)
4.1.5 A pump assembled from an unlisted bare-shaft pump and a separately purchased motor is not a listed fire pump and shall not be installed under this standard.
4.1.6 A listed component shall not be replaced by an unlisted product, and a listed component shall not be replaced by a different listed product without the Engineer of Record's written acceptance and the Authority Having Jurisdiction's concurrence.

4.2 Unit Responsibility

4.2.1 The pump, the driver, the baseplate, the coupling and its guard, and the engine accessories shall be furnished as a single coordinated assembly by or through one pump manufacturer, who shall be responsible for the hydraulic performance of the assembly and for the compatibility of the pump listing, the driver listing, and the controller furnished under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers.
4.2.2 The jockey pump and its controller shall be furnished through the same supplier as the fire pump assembly unless the contract documents direct otherwise.
NOTE Each of the three listings in a fire pump assembly carries compatibility conditions on the other two: the motor listing fixes the starting methods the controller can apply to it, the controller listing fixes the horsepower and voltage it can serve, and the pump listing fixes the driver speed and power. One party reconciling the three before shipment is what prevents a controller and a motor meeting for the first time in the pump room. (4.2.3)

4.3 Installer and Startup Qualifications

4.3.1 The fire pump assembly shall be installed by a fire protection contractor holding the qualifications required by Common Work Results Fire SuppressionCommon Work Results for Fire SuppressionResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/common-work-results-fire-suppression and by the Authority Having Jurisdiction, with the electrical supply installed by a licensed electrical contractor and the fuel supply piping for a diesel engine installed under Fuel Oil SystemsFacility Fuel-Oil SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fuel-oil-systems.
4.3.2 The pump manufacturer's authorized representative shall be present at the field acceptance test and shall confirm in writing that the assembly has been installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and its listing.
4.3.3 The engine manufacturer's authorized representative shall be present at the startup and field acceptance test of a diesel-driven pump.

4.4 Pre-Installation Conference

4.4.1 A pre-installation conference shall be held at the pump room before the pump is set, attended by the fire protection contractor, the electrical contractor, the pump manufacturer's representative, the controller manufacturer's representative, the General Contractor, and, where the Authority Having Jurisdiction elects to attend, its representative.
4.4.2 The conference agenda shall cover the pump room dimensions and clearances, the pad and grouting procedure, the suction piping arrangement against the reviewed drawing, the electrical service to the pump room and the routing of the fire pump feeder, the fuel tank location and the fuel piping route for a diesel engine, the ventilation openings, the floor drain, the test header discharge location, and the planned date of the field acceptance test.
4.4.3 Minutes of the conference shall be distributed to all attendees and to the Engineer of Record within five business days.

5 Application and Water Supply

5.1 Served Systems and Pump Arrangement

5.1.1 The systems the fire pump serves and the demand it is sized for shall be as indicated on the fire protection riser diagram.
5.1.2 The fire pump arrangement shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Fire Pump Arrangementselect
Single fire pump
Two fire pumps in parallel, each rated for the full demand
Two or more fire pumps in parallel, each rated for a share of the demand
Fire pumps in series, each serving a pressure zone
NOTE A single pump meets the demand of most buildings, and a redundant pump is an insurer's or an Owner's decision rather than a code requirement in ordinary occupancies. Pumps in parallel share a demand that no single listed pump can meet, or provide a second pump so that one can be out of service; pumps in series stack pressure for a tall building whose lower zone components cannot carry the pressure the upper zone needs, and NFPA 20 requires that the second pump in a series arrangement be able to start on the discharge of the first. (5.1.3)
5.1.4 Where more than one fire pump is installed, each pump shall have its own controller, its own suction and discharge control valves, and its own relief valve where one is required, and the pumps shall be arranged so that any one pump can be isolated for maintenance without interrupting the supply from the others.
5.1.5 Where fire pumps are installed in series, the arrangement shall comply with NFPA 20 for series pumping, including the interlock that prevents the second pump from starting against a closed suction and the signals both controllers send.

5.2 Suction Supply

5.2.1 The suction supply type shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Suction Supply Typeselect
Public water main through a private fire service main
Private fire service main from an on-site source
Ground-level or aboveground suction tank
Elevated gravity tank
Break tank fed from a public main
Open reservoir, pond, or wet pit
Well
Per drawings — the fire protection riser diagram (deferred by default)
NOTE A public main delivers a positive suction pressure that falls as the flow rises, so the pump is selected to the residual pressure at 150 percent of rated flow, and a main that cannot hold that residual needs a break tank or a tank supply. A suction tank with its base at or above the pump centerline floods the suction and is the most reliable supply a horizontal pump can have; an open reservoir, a wet pit, or a well sits below the pump and is served by a vertical turbine pump that needs no suction lift. A break tank decouples the pump from a public main the water utility will not allow a pump to draw on directly, at the cost of a tank, its refill valve, and its level supervision. (5.2.2)
5.2.3 The water supply data on which the pump selection is based shall be obtained from a flow test conducted in accordance with NFPA 291 at or near the point of connection not more than 12 months before the date of the pump submittal, or, for a tank supply, from the tank capacity, the low water elevation, and the suction piping losses as indicated on the fire protection riser diagram.
5.2.4 The suction pressure at the pump inlet shall not fall below 0 psi at 150 percent of rated flow, except that where the supply is a suction tank with its base at or above the pump centerline, NFPA 20 permits the suction pressure at 150 percent of rated flow to fall to the negative value it states.
5.2.5 A centrifugal fire pump other than a vertical turbine pump shall not be installed where it would operate under a suction lift.
NOTE The flow test that sizes the pump is the single input nobody can verify after the pump is installed, and a test taken on a different main, at a different time of year, or more than a year before submittal is the usual reason a pump that passed its factory test cannot reach 150 percent of rated flow in the field. (5.2.6)
5.2.7 Where the suction supply is a tank, the tank capacity shall be sufficient for the system demand at the duration the served system standard requires, and the tank shall be refilled at the rate and under the control that NFPA 20 and NFPA 22 require for the arrangement.
5.2.8 Where the suction supply is a break tank, the tank shall be sized and refilled in accordance with NFPA 20 for break tanks, and the refill shall be supervised so that a low water level is signaled to the fire alarm system.

5.3 Foam System Water Supply

5.3.1 Requirements in this article apply where the fire pump serves a foam-water sprinkler system, a foam-water spray system, or a foam system as the water supply for the foam solution.
5.3.2 Where the fire pump serves a foam system, the pump shall be rated for the water demand of the foam solution at the pressure the proportioning equipment requires at its inlet, as indicated on the foam system hydraulic calculations.
5.3.3 The pump shall handle water only, and the concentrate, the proportioner, the concentrate pump where one is used, and the discharge devices shall be furnished under Foam Fire SuppressionFoam Fire Suppression SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/foam-fire-suppression.
5.3.4 Where the proportioner is a balanced-pressure or in-line type that draws its pressure from the fire pump discharge, the pump selection shall account for the pressure the proportioner consumes, and the rated pressure shall be established with the proportioner in the hydraulic calculation.
NOTE A foam system demands water at an inlet pressure the proportioner sets, which is usually higher than a sprinkler system on the same main would need, and a foam system shared with a sprinkler system is sized for both demands flowing at once where the hazard analysis under Foam Fire SuppressionFoam Fire Suppression SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/foam-fire-suppression requires it. (5.3.5)

6 Pump Rating

6.1 Rated Flow and Rated Pressure

6.1.1 The fire pump shall be rated at the flow indicated in the datasheet.
Rated Flowrange
gpm
25501001502002503004004505007501000125015002000250030003500400045005000
Per drawings — the fire pump schedule on the fire protection drawings (deferred by default)
6.1.2 The fire pump shall be rated at the net pressure indicated in the datasheet.
Rated Net Pressurerange
psi
40500
Per drawings — the fire pump schedule on the fire protection drawings (deferred by default)
6.1.3 The rated flow shall be one of the standard capacities NFPA 20 lists for centrifugal fire pumps, selected at or above the system demand, including the hose stream allowance, at the hydraulically most remote point of the served system.
6.1.4 The rated net pressure shall be the pressure the pump adds at rated flow, established by the hydraulic calculation as the pressure required at the base of the served system plus the friction loss through the discharge piping and trim, less the residual suction pressure at rated flow.
6.1.5 The rated flow and rated net pressure shall be established by the Engineer of Record and shall not be increased by the Contractor or the pump supplier as a margin.
NOTE Fire pump ratings are stated at the rated point, but the system is usually served somewhere else on the curve: a sprinkler demand below the rated flow rides up the curve toward churn, and a hose stream demand above it rides out toward the 150 percent point. Selecting the next standard capacity above the demand rather than the one nearest it buys pressure at the overload point, where a pump that is exactly matched has none to spare after the suction pressure drops. (6.1.6)
NOTE Fire pumps are rated in psi of net pressure rather than in feet of head, because the served system is calculated in psi and the controller pressure switches are set in psi; the manufacturer's curve carries both scales and the two are read on the same water. (6.1.7)

6.2 Performance Envelope

6.2.1 The pump shall deliver not less than 150 percent of rated flow at not less than 65 percent of rated net pressure.
6.2.2 The net pressure at shutoff shall not exceed 140 percent of rated net pressure.
6.2.3 The certified curve shall rise continuously from the 150 percent point to shutoff with no point of inflection where two flows produce the same pressure.
NOTE The 65 percent point is what lets a fire pump supply hose streams the sprinkler demand did not plan for, and the 140 percent limit at shutoff is what keeps the pump from overpressuring the served system when it starts against a closed system, which it does at every start. Between those two limits NFPA 20 leaves the shape of the curve to the manufacturer, which is why the same rating from two manufacturers can differ by 20 psi at churn. (6.2.4)
6.2.5 The rated speed of the pump shall be the speed at which the certified curve is plotted, and for a diesel engine driver it shall be the governed speed of the engine with the engine at rated load.

6.3 Discharge Pressure at Churn

6.3.1 The discharge pressure at churn shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Discharge Pressure at Churnrange
Not more than
psi
50600
Derived — the pump net pressure at shutoff added to the maximum static suction pressure, taken from Site Water Supply Pressure MaximumSite Water Supply Pressure MaximumParameterEach project supplies its own value.site-water-supply-pressure-maximum for a main supply or from the full tank elevation for a tank supply (by default)
6.3.2 Every component downstream of the pump, including the discharge check valve, the discharge control valve, the piping and fittings, and the components of the served system at every elevation, shall be rated for the discharge pressure at churn at that elevation.
6.3.3 Where the discharge pressure at churn exceeds the rating of any downstream component, a main relief valve shall be provided under this standard, or the component rating shall be raised, as the Engineer of Record directs.
NOTE The discharge pressure at churn is the highest pressure the pump can produce in service, and it is reached at every start, since the pump starts against a closed system and runs at churn until a sprinkler or a hose valve opens. A public main at its highest static pressure, a pump with a curve that rises steeply to shutoff, and a sprinkler system built with components rated for 175 psi is the combination that most often requires either a relief valve or a higher pressure class downstream. (6.3.4)

7 Pump Construction

7.1 Pump Type

7.1.1 The fire pump shall be of the type indicated in the datasheet.
Pump Typeselect
Horizontal split-case
End-suction
Vertical in-line
Multistage multiport
Vertical turbine
NOTE The pump type carries no default, because it follows from the suction supply, the rating, and the room. A horizontal split-case pump has a double-suction impeller that balances axial thrust, a casing that opens for inspection without disturbing the piping, and the widest range of listed ratings, at the cost of the largest footprint and a suction piping arrangement that is sensitive to elbows near the suction flange. An end-suction pump is the compact and economical choice at the smaller ratings, with a single-suction impeller that carries its thrust on the bearings. A vertical in-line pump hangs in the piping with its motor above the casing and takes the least floor area of any horizontal-supply arrangement, with the motor coming off to reach the impeller. A multistage multiport pump carries several discharge ports at different pressures from one driver and serves several pressure zones in a tall building from one pump where NFPA 20 permits it. A vertical turbine pump is the only configuration for a supply below the pump, and it is selected wherever the water surface sits below the pump room floor. (7.1.2)
7.1.3 Where the suction supply type selected is an open reservoir, pond, wet pit, or well, the pump type shall be vertical turbine.
7.1.4 Where the pump type selected is a multistage multiport pump, each port shall be rated and listed for the flow and pressure of the zone it serves, and the requirements of NFPA 20 for multistage multiport pumps shall apply.
7.1.5 The pump shall be of the materials, rotation, and connection arrangement shown on the reviewed piping arrangement drawing, and a pump furnished with suction or discharge connections in a different position from the one drawn shall be replaced at the Contractor's expense.

7.2 Casing and Impeller Materials

7.2.1 The pump casing shall be of the material indicated in the datasheet.
Pump Casing Materialselect
Cast iron
Ductile iron
Bronze
Stainless steel
7.2.2 Cast iron casings shall conform to ASTM A48 of the class the listing requires, ductile iron casings to ASTM A536, and bronze casings to ASTM B584.
7.2.3 The impeller shall be of the material indicated in the datasheet.
Pump Impeller Materialradio
● Bronze
○ Stainless steel
NOTE A cast iron casing with a bronze impeller, bronze wear rings, and a bronze shaft sleeve is the listed construction of nearly every fire pump on fresh water, and it is stable in that service because the large iron casing is the anode in the galvanic pair and the current density on it stays low. Ductile iron buys casing strength at the higher pressure classes and is what the listing specifies for some high-pressure ratings. Bronze and stainless steel casings and stainless impellers are selected where the suction supply is seawater, brackish water, or a reservoir whose water carries sand or a chemistry that attacks iron and bronze, which is a question answered by the water analysis rather than by preference. (7.2.4)
7.2.5 Where the suction supply is seawater, brackish water, or water the Engineer of Record identifies as corrosive, the wetted materials shall be selected for that water and stated in the submittal with the water analysis on which the selection is based.
7.2.6 Wear rings shall be renewable, secured against rotation, and of a material that does not gall against its mating ring.
7.2.7 The impeller shall be keyed to the shaft, secured against loosening in the direction of rotation, and dynamically balanced.

7.3 Shaft Seal, Bearings, and Baseplate

7.3.1 The shaft seal shall be of the arrangement indicated in the datasheet.
Shaft Seal Arrangementradio
● Packed stuffing box with lantern ring
○ Mechanical seal
NOTE A packed stuffing box is the listed construction on most fire pumps because it needs a controlled drip to cool the packing and that drip is harmless in a pump room with a floor drain, and because packing that fails leaks rather than seizing. A mechanical seal keeps the pump dry and is selected where the pump room cannot tolerate a drip or where the Owner's maintenance staff will not maintain packing; it is also the construction some vertical in-line listings carry. (7.3.2)
7.3.3 Where a packed stuffing box is furnished, the packing gland shall be adjustable from outside the casing, and the drip shall be collected and piped to the floor drain.
7.3.4 A renewable shaft sleeve shall be provided through the stuffing box or seal chamber.
7.3.5 Bearings shall be antifriction bearings selected for the radial and axial loads the pump develops across its listed operating range, with a rating life not less than the value the listing and ANSI/HI 14.6 require for fire pump service, and shall be regreasable through fittings accessible without removing the coupling guard.
7.3.6 A horizontal pump and its driver shall be mounted on a common steel baseplate with a grout dam, leveling provisions, and anchor bolt holes, furnished by the pump manufacturer, and the pump and driver shall be aligned on the baseplate at the factory.
7.3.7 The coupling between the pump and the driver shall be a flexible coupling of the type the listing permits, with a guard that complies with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.219 and that leaves the shaft visible for a speed reading.
7.3.8 Vibration of the assembled pump and driver at the field acceptance test shall not exceed the limits of ANSI/HI 9.6.4 for the pump type and speed.

7.4 Vertical Turbine Fire Pumps

7.4.1 Requirements in this article apply where the pump type selected is vertical turbine.
7.4.2 The vertical turbine fire pump shall be listed to UL 448 for vertical turbine fire pumps and shall comply with NFPA 20 for vertical shaft turbine-type pumps, including the submergence, the bowl setting, the suction strainer, and the wet pit or well arrangement.
7.4.3 The pump shall be furnished complete with the bowl assembly, the suction strainer, the column pipe, the line shaft and its bearings, the discharge head, the stuffing box or seal, the driver with its thrust bearing, and, for a diesel engine driver, the right-angle gear drive listed for fire pump service.
7.4.4 The line shaft lubrication shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Line Shaft Lubricationradio
○ Water-lubricated open line shaft
○ Oil-lubricated enclosed line shaft
NOTE An open line shaft is lubricated by the water the pump lifts, so it needs no oil supply and no oil in the water, and it is the arrangement for a clean supply and a short setting. An enclosed line shaft runs its bearings in oil inside a tube, so it tolerates water carrying sand or silt and the long settings of a deep well, at the cost of an oil reservoir, a solenoid-operated oil feed that opens on start, and a small discharge of oil into the water on every run. The water quality and the setting depth decide between them, which is why the field carries no default. (7.4.5)
7.4.6 The submergence of the bowl assembly below the lowest water level, the bowl setting, and the sump or well dimensions shall be as indicated on the fire pump section on the fire protection drawings.
7.4.7 The wet pit shall be designed and the suction strainer sized in accordance with NFPA 20, and the manufacturer shall review the pit dimensions against the pump before the pump is released for manufacture.
7.4.8 Where the driver is a diesel engine, the engine shall drive the pump through a listed right-angle gear drive sized for the pump thrust and the engine power, and the engine shall be rated for the gear drive losses in addition to the pump brake horsepower.
7.4.9 The vertical hollow-shaft motor or the gear drive shall carry the full hydraulic thrust of the pump plus the weight of the rotating element, and the thrust bearing rating shall be stated in the submittal.

8 Driver

8.1 Driver Type

8.1.1 The fire pump driver shall be of the type indicated in the datasheet.
Fire Pump Driver Typeradio
○ Electric motor
○ Diesel engine
NOTE The driver type carries no default because it is decided by the reliability of the electric supply at the site, which NFPA 20 requires the Engineer of Record to evaluate, and by what the Owner is prepared to maintain. An electric motor starts in seconds, needs no fuel, cooling water, exhaust, or batteries, and costs less to buy and to house, and it is the usual driver wherever the utility service meets the reliability test of NFPA 20 or an alternate source can be provided. A diesel engine runs through any failure of the building electrical system and needs no Article 695 feeder, at the cost of a fuel tank in or near the pump room, an exhaust, combustion and cooling air, two battery sets, a weekly run, and a room that has to stay warm; it is the driver where the electric supply cannot be made reliable or where the Owner or the insurer will not depend on the electric supply for the fire pump. (8.1.2)
8.1.3 The Engineer of Record shall document the reliability evaluation of the electric supply on which the driver selection rests, in accordance with NFPA 20, and shall submit it with the action submittals.
8.1.4 The driver shall be sized so that the brake horsepower required at every point on the certified curve, from shutoff through 150 percent of rated flow, is within the rating stated in this standard for the driver type.
8.1.5 The driver shall reach rated speed within the time NFPA 20 allows for its type after the controller starts it.

8.2 Electric Motor Driver

8.2.1 Requirements in this article apply where the driver type selected is an electric motor.
8.2.2 The motor shall be a squirrel-cage induction motor listed to UL 1004-5 for fire pump service, shall conform to NEMA MG 1, and shall comply with Electric MotorsCommon Motor Requirements for Electrical EquipmentResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/electric-motors for construction, insulation, bearings, and nameplate except where this standard or the motor's listing states otherwise.
8.2.3 The motor shall be rated for the voltage indicated in the datasheet.
Fire Pump Motor Voltagerange
V
20020823046057523004160
Per drawings — the electrical one-line diagram (deferred by default)
8.2.4 The motor shall be three-phase unless the electrical drawings indicate a single-phase supply and the pump listing offers a single-phase motor for the rating.
8.2.5 The motor horsepower shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Fire Pump Motor Horsepowerrange
hp
57.5101520253040506075100125150200250300350400450500
Derived — the highest brake horsepower on the certified curve from shutoff through 150 percent of rated flow, applied under the service factor policy selected in this article, rounded up to the next NEMA standard rating (by default)
8.2.6 The use of the motor service factor in sizing the motor shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Motor Service Factor Use in Driver Sizingradio
○ Brake horsepower at every curve point within the nameplate horsepower
○ Brake horsepower at every curve point within the nameplate horsepower times the service factor, as NFPA 20 permits
NOTE NFPA 20 permits the motor to be loaded into its service factor at any point on the curve, and most listed assemblies are sized that way, which puts the motor at or above nameplate load at the 150 percent point and lets the pump supplier furnish the smaller motor. Holding every point within nameplate buys cooler windings, a motor that tolerates the low voltage at the end of a long feeder, and a horsepower step that is sometimes free when the next standard rating is close; it costs a larger motor, a larger controller, and a larger feeder. The two policies produce different motors on the same pump, which is why the choice is recorded here and the horsepower follows from it. (8.2.7)
8.2.8 Where the motor is served by a reduced-voltage or variable-speed starting method furnished under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers, the motor shall be listed for that starting method and, for a variable-speed pressure-limiting controller, shall be rated for inverter duty under NEMA MG 1 Part 31.
8.2.9 The motor enclosure shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Fire Pump Motor Enclosureselect
Open drip-proof, ODP
Totally enclosed fan-cooled, TEFC
Totally enclosed nonventilated, TENV
Weather-protected Type I, WP-I
Explosionproof
8.2.10 Where the motor is installed in a pump house open to weather or outdoors under a listed enclosure, the motor enclosure shall be totally enclosed fan-cooled or weather-protected Type I.
8.2.11 Where the motor is installed in a location classified under NFPA 70, the motor enclosure shall be explosionproof and listed for the class, division, and group of that location.
NOTE An open drip-proof motor is the listed offering on most fire pump assemblies because the pump room is a dry, conditioned, dedicated space, and the open frame runs cooler for its size and tolerates the locked-rotor heating of a stalled start better than an enclosed frame. A totally enclosed motor keeps the winding away from the room air and is selected where the room is dusty, damp, or shared with other equipment, or where the pump sits in a pump house that is not sealed from the weather; a weather-protected motor is the vertical hollow-shaft construction a vertical turbine pump carries outdoors. (8.2.12)
8.2.13 The motor shall be de-rated for AltitudeAltitudeParameterEach project supplies its own value.altitude and for the pump room temperature in accordance with NEMA MG 1 where the installation exceeds the conditions at which the motor is rated.

8.3 Diesel Engine Driver

8.3.1 Requirements in this article apply where the driver type selected is a diesel engine.
8.3.2 The engine shall be a compression-ignition engine listed to UL 1247 for fire pump service, furnished with the governor, the overspeed shutdown, the instrument panel, the jacket water heater, the starting system, and the engine-mounted fuel pump, filters, and lines that the listing includes.
8.3.3 The engine shall be rated at the pump speed to deliver not less than the highest brake horsepower on the certified curve from shutoff through 150 percent of rated flow, after the deductions NFPA 20 requires for AltitudeAltitudeParameterEach project supplies its own value.altitude and for the highest pump room temperature, with the gear drive losses added where a right-angle gear drive is furnished.
NOTE Engine ratings are published at the SAE J1349 reference conditions, and NFPA 20 deducts power for every increment of elevation above the reference and for every increment of air temperature above it, so an engine selected from the catalog rating at a high site or in a hot room is short of power at the 150 percent point. The deduction is taken against the pump room air the engine breathes, which for a radiator-cooled engine in a room that recirculates its own exhaust air is well above the outdoor temperature at Site Ambient Temperature MaximumSite Ambient Temperature MaximumParameterEach project supplies its own value.site-ambient-temperature-maximum. (8.3.4)
8.3.5 The engine shall be governed to hold the rated speed within the tolerance NFPA 20 allows between shutoff and 150 percent of rated flow, and shall have an overspeed shutdown that signals the controller.
8.3.6 The engine shall be furnished with a jacket water heater that maintains the engine coolant at the temperature the engine manufacturer requires for a start at the lowest pump room temperature, supplied from a circuit that remains energized when the engine is not running.
8.3.7 The engine instrument panel shall carry a tachometer with an hour meter, an oil pressure gauge, and a coolant temperature gauge, readable from the operating position.
NOTE A fire pump engine is not an emergency generator engine: it is governed to a fixed speed rather than to a frequency, it is listed with the pump as a driver, and it carries the fuel, cooling, and starting provisions that NFPA 20 writes for an engine that must start cold and run until the fire is out. An engine that is not listed for fire pump service is not a fire pump driver however well it runs. (8.3.8)

8.4 Diesel Engine Fuel Supply

8.4.1 The fuel supply requirements in this article apply where the driver type selected is a diesel engine.
8.4.2 The fuel tank capacity shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Diesel Fuel Tank Capacityrange
Not less than
gal
255075100150200250300400500600750100015002000
Derived — 1 gal per rated engine horsepower plus 5 percent for expansion and 5 percent for sump, per NFPA 20 Chapter 11, rounded up to a listed tank size (by default)
8.4.3 The fuel tank shall be sized to the capacity in the datasheet, located as indicated on the pump room plan, and arranged so that the lowest usable fuel level, above the sump, is above the inlet of the engine fuel pump, as NFPA 20 requires.
8.4.4 The fuel tank shall be located in the pump room, or where NFPA 20 permits a tank outside the pump room, in a location that keeps the fuel at the temperature the engine requires and that the International Fire Code permits for the quantity stored.
8.4.5 The fuel tank shall be furnished as a vessel under Fuel Dispensing And Storage TanksFuel Storage TanksResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fuel-dispensing-and-storage-tanks, with the listing, the secondary containment, the vent devices, the overfill prevention, and the level gauge that standard requires, and the fuel supply, return, fill, and vent piping beyond the tank nozzles shall be furnished under Fuel Oil SystemsFacility Fuel-Oil SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fuel-oil-systems.
8.4.6 The fuel lines on the engine, the engine-mounted fuel pump, the primary and secondary fuel filters, and the flexible connections at the engine shall be furnished with the engine under this standard.
8.4.7 The fuel supply line shall be connected to the tank above the sump, and the fuel return line shall be connected to the tank rather than to the supply line.
8.4.8 The fuel shall be the grade the engine manufacturer specifies for fire pump service, and a biodiesel blend shall not exceed the blend the engine listing permits.
8.4.9 The fuel tank shall be filled before the field acceptance test and shall be kept at not less than two-thirds of capacity, as NFPA 25 requires.
NOTE The gallon-per-horsepower rule gives roughly eight hours of running at rated load, which is the duration NFPA 20 settled on for an engine that cannot be refueled while a fire is in progress. The sump allowance keeps the water and sediment that collect at the bottom of a standing tank below the supply connection, and the expansion allowance keeps a tank filled on a cold day from venting fuel on a warm one. (8.4.10)
8.4.11 Diesel fuel degrades in storage and grows microbial contamination at the fuel and water interface, and the operation and maintenance manual shall state the fuel sampling, polishing, and replacement intervals the engine manufacturer recommends for a tank that is rarely drawn down.

8.5 Diesel Engine Exhaust and Cooling

8.5.1 The cooling and exhaust requirements in this article apply where the driver type selected is a diesel engine.
8.5.2 The engine cooling arrangement shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Diesel Engine Coolingradio
● Heat exchanger cooled with water from the pump discharge
○ Radiator cooled with an engine-driven fan
NOTE Heat exchanger cooling takes water from the pump discharge through a pressure regulator and a strainer, passes it through the exchanger, and wastes it to drain, so the engine is cooled by the water it is pumping and the room needs only combustion air; it is the listed arrangement on most fire pump engines and the one NFPA 20 writes its cooling provisions around. Radiator cooling makes the engine independent of the pumped water and suits a supply that carries silt or salt, at the cost of a fan load on the engine, a large air flow through the room with motorized dampers at both ends, and an engine that sits in its own heat. (8.5.3)
8.5.4 Where heat exchanger cooling is selected, the cooling water supply line shall be taken from the pump discharge upstream of the discharge check valve and shall include, in duplicate on a bypass, the manual shutoff valves, the strainer, and the pressure regulator that NFPA 20 requires, with the cooling water discharged to a drain through a visible open connection.
8.5.5 Where radiator cooling is selected, the room ventilation shall deliver the combustion air and the radiator air the engine manufacturer requires at the highest pump room temperature, through intake and discharge openings arranged under the ventilation article of this standard.
8.5.6 The exhaust system shall be installed in accordance with NFPA 37 and the engine manufacturer's instructions, with a flexible connector at the engine, a silencer of the grade indicated in the datasheet, exhaust piping and the silencer insulated or guarded where a person could touch them, and a termination outdoors at a location where exhaust is not drawn into a building opening or the pump room ventilation intake.
Exhaust Silencer Gradeselect
Industrial
Residential
Critical
Hospital
NOTE Silencer grades are steps of attenuation, and each step costs back pressure and size. An industrial silencer suits a pump house away from occupied space; a residential grade is the common selection for a pump room in an occupied building; critical and hospital grades are selected where the exhaust terminates near windows, patient rooms, or a property line with a noise limit, and each needs to be checked against the engine's allowable back pressure. (8.5.7)
8.5.8 The exhaust back pressure at rated load, measured at the engine outlet with the silencer and piping installed, shall not exceed the engine manufacturer's published limit.
8.5.9 The exhaust termination location shall be as indicated on the pump room plan and elevations.

8.6 Engine Starting Batteries and Chargers

8.6.1 The battery and charger requirements in this article apply where the driver type selected is a diesel engine.
8.6.2 The engine shall be furnished with two independent starting battery sets, each sized to provide the cranking cycles NFPA 20 requires at the lowest pump room temperature without the other set.
8.6.3 The starting batteries shall be of the type indicated in the datasheet.
Engine Starting Battery Typeradio
● Lead-acid
○ Nickel-cadmium
NOTE Lead-acid batteries are the listed offering on nearly every fire pump engine and are replaced on a schedule because their capacity falls with age and with cold. Nickel-cadmium batteries hold capacity longer, tolerate a cold room and a deep discharge, and last well beyond a lead-acid set, at several times the cost and with a charger set for their chemistry; they are selected where the pump room cannot be kept warm or where the Owner's replacement program is unreliable. (8.6.4)
8.6.5 Each battery set shall be mounted in a rack above the floor, adjacent to the engine, arranged so that the cells can be inspected and the terminals reached without removing the rack, and protected from the engine exhaust and from dripping water.
8.6.6 Each battery set shall be served by its own automatic charger, listed with the controller and mounted in or on it under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers, rated for the battery type and capacity furnished, and supervised so that a charger failure and a low battery condition are signaled.
8.6.7 The battery cables shall be sized for the cranking current at the lowest pump room temperature over the installed cable length, and shall be furnished with the engine.
NOTE Two battery sets exist because a single set that has quietly lost capacity is the most common reason a diesel fire pump fails to start, and the controller alternates between the sets on successive cranking attempts so that both are exercised and a dead set is found on a weekly test rather than at a fire. (8.6.8)

9 Fire Pump Controller Interface

9.1 The fire pump controller for the electric motor or the diesel engine shall be furnished under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers, and this standard specifies no controller feature, starting method, enclosure, or signal contact.
9.2 The pump assembly supplier shall furnish to the controller supplier the motor horsepower, voltage, full-load and locked-rotor current, and starting method compatibility, or the engine model, starting system, battery type, and instrument contacts, before either the assembly or the controller is released for manufacture.
9.3 The pressure sensing line from the discharge piping to the controller shall be furnished under this standard, of corrosion-resistant tube of the size and arrangement NFPA 20 requires, with the check valves or restricting orifices that damp pressure pulses and the test connection that lets the pressure switch be exercised without flowing the pump.
9.4 Where a variable-speed pressure-limiting controller is selected under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers, the pump and the driver shall be listed for variable-speed operation, the certified curve shall be furnished at the maximum speed, and the main relief valve this standard requires shall be provided whatever the controller's pressure-limiting function does.
NOTE The controller and the pump are listed separately and bought from different suppliers more often than not, and the two listings meet at three points: the motor data the controller is built for, the pressure sensing line that tells the controller to start, and the signal contacts the controller sends on. The sensing line is on the pump side of that boundary because it is piping, and it is where a controller that never starts is usually traced to: a sensing line valved off, plugged, or connected downstream of the discharge check valve. (9.5)

10 Jockey Pump and Jockey Pump Controller

10.1 Jockey Pump Selection

10.1.1 A jockey pump with its own controller shall be provided for each fire pump installation, arranged to maintain the system pressure against leakage so that the fire pump does not start on a minor pressure drop.
10.1.2 The jockey pump shall be of the type indicated in the datasheet.
Jockey Pump Typeselect
Vertical multistage centrifugal
Regenerative turbine
Horizontal end-suction centrifugal
Vertical turbine or submersible, for a tank or wet pit supply
NOTE A vertical multistage pump develops the high pressure a jockey needs at a small flow in a compact footprint and is the usual selection on a main supply; a regenerative turbine pump develops the same pressure in a single stage with a steep curve that holds pressure as flow falls, at a higher cost per gallon and with less tolerance of solids; a horizontal end-suction pump serves where the pressure needed is modest; and a vertical turbine or submersible jockey is selected where the fire pump draws from a tank, a pit, or a well and a horizontal jockey would have no flooded suction. (10.1.3)
10.1.4 The jockey pump shall be rated for the flow indicated in the datasheet.
Jockey Pump Rated Flowrange
gpm
12357.510152025304050
Per drawings — the fire pump schedule on the fire protection drawings (deferred by default)
10.1.5 The jockey pump shall be rated for the pressure indicated in the datasheet.
Jockey Pump Rated Pressurerange
Not less than
psi
40500
Derived — the pressure the jockey stop setting requires under the pressure switch settings article of this standard, less the minimum static suction pressure, plus the margin the pump manufacturer requires for the pressure switch differential (by default)
10.1.6 The jockey pump flow shall be sufficient to restore the system pressure after a small leak within a few minutes and shall not be so large that the jockey pump can hold the system pressure against an open sprinkler.
NOTE A jockey sized too small lets the fire pump start on ordinary leakage, which is a nuisance start on an electric pump and a wasted fuel and battery cycle on a diesel; a jockey sized too large masks an open sprinkler and delays the fire pump start, which is the reason the flow is bounded above as well as below. NFPA 20 gives no sizing rule, so the flow is a judgment the Engineer of Record records on the schedule. (10.1.7)
10.1.8 The jockey pump is not required to be listed for fire pump service, and shall be a pump of a type the manufacturer rates for continuous intermittent duty at the rated pressure.
10.1.9 The jockey pump shall be connected to the suction piping upstream of the fire pump suction control valve and to the discharge piping downstream of the fire pump discharge check valve, with an isolating valve and a check valve in its own piping, so that the jockey can be serviced without isolating the fire pump.

10.2 Jockey Pump Controller

10.2.1 The jockey pump controller shall be a listed motor controller with a pressure switch, a minimum-run timer, a hand-off-automatic selector, and a disconnecting means, furnished under this standard and separate from the fire pump controller.
10.2.2 The jockey pump control shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Jockey Pump Controlradio
● Across-the-line starter with pressure switch start and stop
○ Variable-speed drive holding a pressure setpoint
NOTE A pressure switch starter is the usual jockey control: the pump starts at the low setting, runs to the high setting plus the minimum run time, and stops. A variable-speed jockey holds the system at a setpoint without cycling, which quiets a pump room under occupied floors and eases the water hammer of a jockey stopping against a closed system, at the cost of a drive that is a non-listed electronic device on the pressure maintenance side of a life safety system and that needs harmonic and line-side protection coordinated with the building electrical system. (10.2.3)
10.2.4 The jockey pump controller enclosure shall be NEMA Type 2 at minimum, and Type 3R where the controller is installed in a pump house open to weather or outdoors.
10.2.5 The jockey pump controller shall be served by a branch circuit from a source that is not the fire pump feeder, and a loss of the jockey pump supply shall not affect the fire pump.
10.2.6 Where a variable-speed drive is selected, the drive shall be installed on the jockey pump only, shall not be interposed in any part of the fire pump circuit, and shall comply with Low Voltage Variable Frequency DrivesLow-Voltage Variable Frequency DrivesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/low-voltage-variable-frequency-drives for harmonic performance and protection.

10.3 Pressure Switch Settings

10.3.1 The jockey pump stop pressure shall be set at the fire pump discharge pressure at churn, so that the jockey holds the system at the pressure the fire pump would hold.
10.3.2 The jockey pump start pressure shall be set below the jockey stop pressure by a margin sufficient that ordinary leakage starts the jockey before it starts the fire pump.
10.3.3 The fire pump start pressure shall be set below the jockey pump start pressure by a margin sufficient that the jockey has started and failed to hold the pressure before the fire pump starts, and the fire pump controller furnished under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers shall be set to that pressure.
10.3.4 The settings shall be established by the Engineer of Record from the hydraulic calculation and the discharge pressure at churn, recorded on the reviewed submittal, applied at startup, verified at the field acceptance test, and recorded as left in the closeout submittals.
NOTE The three settings stack downward from the churn pressure, and the margins between them are what separate a leak from a fire: NFPA 20 describes the method in its annex, and the common error is a jockey stop setting below the fire pump churn pressure, which leaves the fire pump holding the system after every run and cycling on leakage the jockey cannot reach. (10.3.5)
10.3.6 A fire pump that starts automatically shall stop only by manual operation at the controller, unless the datasheet for the controller under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers selects automatic stop and the Authority Having Jurisdiction accepts it.

11 Suction and Discharge Piping and Trim

11.1 Suction Piping

11.1.1 The suction pipe size shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Suction Pipe Sizerange
Not less than
in.
2.53456810121416182024
Derived — 150 percent of rated flow at a velocity not exceeding 15 ft/s, per NFPA 20, and not smaller than the pump suction flange (by default)
11.1.2 Pipe, fittings, joints, and the listed valve products in the pump room shall comply with Fire Protection PipingFire Protection Piping and SpecialtiesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-protection-piping for the pressure class the discharge pressure at churn requires, and the suction piping between the point of entry and the pump shall be of a material and joint type NFPA 20 permits for suction service.
11.1.3 The suction piping shall include a listed outside screw and yoke gate valve, supervised open, located so that the pump can be isolated from the supply, and no other valve or device shall be installed in the suction piping except a backflow prevention assembly or a suction control valve where NFPA 20 permits it.
11.1.4 A check valve shall not be installed in the suction piping.
11.1.5 Where the suction pipe is larger than the pump suction flange, the reduction shall be made with an eccentric reducer installed with its flat side on top, connected directly to the suction flange.
11.1.6 No elbow or tee with its centerline in a plane parallel to the pump shaft shall be installed within ten pipe diameters of the suction flange of a horizontal split-case pump, and the suction piping of every pump shall approach the suction flange through the straight run NFPA 20 requires.
11.1.7 Where the suction supply is a tank, a reservoir, or a wet pit, the suction inlet shall be fitted with the vortex plate or the strainer NFPA 20 requires for the supply, and the suction piping shall be arranged to prevent air entrainment at the lowest water level.
11.1.8 A suction pressure gauge shall be installed at the suction flange, with a gauge valve, reading compound pressure and vacuum, of the range NFPA 20 requires.
NOTE The two errors that account for most fire pump suction problems are an eccentric reducer installed flat side down and an elbow turned into the suction flange of a split-case pump. The first leaves an air pocket at the top of the reducer that is drawn into the impeller at every start; the second feeds the two sides of a double-suction impeller unequally, so the pump cavitates on one side and loads its bearings on the other, and neither shows on the factory test. (11.1.9)

11.2 Discharge Piping

11.2.1 The discharge pipe size shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Discharge Pipe Sizerange
Not less than
in.
2.53456810121416182024
Derived — 150 percent of rated flow at a velocity not exceeding 20 ft/s, per NFPA 20, and not smaller than the pump discharge flange (by default)
11.2.2 The discharge piping shall include, in order from the pump, a listed check valve, the connection for the main relief valve where one is required, the connections for the test header or flow meter loop and for the jockey pump discharge, and a listed indicating control valve, supervised open.
11.2.3 Where the discharge pipe is larger than the pump discharge flange, the increase shall be made with a concentric increaser connected directly to the discharge flange.
11.2.4 A discharge pressure gauge shall be installed at the discharge flange, with a gauge valve, of the range NFPA 20 requires.
NOTE The discharge check valve prevents reverse flow through a stopped pump from the system or from a second pump running in parallel, and the indicating control valve downstream of it lets the pump and check valve be serviced with the system under pressure from the fire department connection. Nothing that could be closed is installed between the pump and the check valve, so that the pump always has somewhere to discharge. (11.2.5)
11.2.6 Pipe, fittings, and listed valve products in the discharge piping shall comply with Fire Protection PipingFire Protection Piping and SpecialtiesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-protection-piping for the pressure class the discharge pressure at churn requires at the pump room elevation.

11.3 Relief Valves

11.3.1 A main relief valve shall be provided as indicated in the datasheet.
Main Relief Valveradio
○ Provided
○ Not provided
Derived — whether the driver is a diesel engine, whether a variable-speed pressure-limiting controller is selected, and whether the discharge pressure at churn exceeds the rating of any downstream component, per NFPA 20 (by default)
11.3.2 Where a main relief valve is provided, it shall be listed to UL 1478, of the size NFPA 20 requires for the rated flow, installed between the pump discharge flange and the discharge check valve, and set to open at a pressure that limits the discharge pressure to the rating of the downstream components.
11.3.3 The main relief valve discharge shall be arranged as indicated in the datasheet.
Main Relief Valve Dischargeselect
Closed cone to a drain
Open cone to a drain
Piped back to the suction tank or reservoir
NOTE A closed cone discharges to a drain through a sight glass that shows the valve is flowing without wetting the room, and it is the arrangement for a pump room where the drain can carry the relief flow. An open cone discharges in view of the operator and is simpler, at the cost of spray in the room. Piping the relief back to the suction tank returns the water to the supply, which matters on a tank supply with a limited refill, and NFPA 20 permits it on the conditions it states, including that a relief flow returned to a suction pipe is not permitted where it would raise the suction temperature or pressure beyond what the pump tolerates. (11.3.4)
11.3.5 The relief valve discharge piping shall be sized not smaller than NFPA 20 requires for the relief valve size, and a relief valve discharging to a drain shall discharge to a drain of capacity sufficient for the full relief flow, as indicated on the pump room plan.
11.3.6 A main relief valve shall not be used as the means of limiting the discharge pressure where NFPA 20 requires the pump to be selected so that its churn pressure does not exceed the downstream rating.
NOTE A diesel engine can overspeed and a variable-speed controller can lose its speed reference, and either event drives the pump above its rated churn pressure; the main relief valve is the one device that limits the pressure the system sees when that happens, which is why NFPA 20 requires it for those drivers regardless of what the curve shows at rated speed. (11.3.7)
11.3.8 A circulation relief valve shall be provided on every fire pump except a pump whose diesel engine is cooled by water from the pump discharge, of the size NFPA 20 requires for the rated flow, set to open below the discharge pressure at churn, and discharging to a drain through a visible open connection.
NOTE The circulation relief valve passes a small flow through the pump at churn so that the water in the casing does not heat, which it does within minutes in a closed casing turning at rated speed. (11.3.9)

11.4 Flow Test Arrangement

11.4.1 A means of flow testing the pump at 150 percent of rated flow without discharging into the served system shall be provided as indicated in the datasheet.
Flow Test Arrangementselect
Hose valve test header
Flow meter in a closed loop returning to the suction supply
Flow meter discharging to drain or to a tank
Hose valve test header and flow meter
NOTE A hose valve header discharges the test flow to atmosphere outside the building and is the arrangement that both NFPA 20 and NFPA 25 treat as the reference, because the flow is measured at the nozzles by pitot gauge and the water leaves the system; it needs a location outdoors that can take the flow and a test crew to handle the hose. A flow meter in a closed loop returns the water to the suction and conserves it, which decides the question on a tank supply or where there is nowhere to discharge, at the cost of a meter that has to be calibrated and of a test that proves the meter rather than the pump unless the loop is periodically checked against a header or a discharge to atmosphere. A meter discharging to drain measures real flow leaving the system and suits a site with a storm system that can receive it. Providing both lets routine tests run on the meter and the periodic verification run on the header. (11.4.2)
11.4.3 Where a hose valve test header is selected, the number of 2-1/2 in. hose valves on the header shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Test Header Hose Valvesrange
Not less than
123468121620
Derived — the pump rated flow per the NFPA 20 table of hose valve header sizes (by default)
11.4.4 The hose valve header shall be listed, shall be located as indicated on the fire protection plans where the discharge does not endanger persons, vehicles, or landscaping and does not freeze on the ground, and shall be connected to the discharge piping between the check valve and the discharge control valve through a listed indicating control valve, supervised open, and a check valve where NFPA 20 requires one.
11.4.5 The hose valves shall be listed angle hose valves with caps and chains, with the hose coupling thread the fire department of jurisdiction carries, as confirmed under Common Work Results Fire SuppressionCommon Work Results for Fire SuppressionResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/common-work-results-fire-suppression.
11.4.6 Where a flow meter is selected, the meter shall be listed for fire pump service, sized for not less than 175 percent of rated flow, installed with the straight pipe upstream and downstream that its listing requires, and furnished with a calibration certificate dated not more than 12 months before the field acceptance test.
11.4.7 Where a flow meter in a closed loop is selected, the loop shall return to the suction supply at a point and in an arrangement NFPA 20 permits, and the arrangement shall also provide a means of discharging to atmosphere for the periodic test NFPA 25 requires at the interval it states.
11.4.8 The test header piping and the flow meter loop shall be drained after every test, and the piping shall be arranged to drain to the floor drain or to the exterior without trapping water where it could freeze.

11.5 Gauges, Air Release, and Circulation Relief

11.5.1 A horizontal split-case pump shall be furnished with an automatic air release valve at the highest point of the casing, listed or furnished by the pump manufacturer for the purpose, discharging to the floor drain, so that air in the casing is released before the pump reaches speed.
11.5.2 A pump with its casing below the suction supply level shall have a manual air vent at the highest point of the casing where the manufacturer's construction does not vent through the discharge.
11.5.3 Pressure gauges shall be liquid-filled or of a construction that damps pressure pulses, not less than 3-1/2 in. dial, with a range not less than twice the pressure they read in normal operation, and each shall have a gauge valve and a snubber.
NOTE The automatic air release valve on the pump casing is furnished under this standard as part of the pump trim, and the air release and vacuum valves furnished for process pipelines under Air Release And Vacuum ValvesAir Release and Vacuum ValvesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/air-release-and-vacuum-valves are a different product built to a different standard. (11.5.4)

12 Power Supply for Electric Fire Pumps

12.1 Power Source Arrangement

12.1.1 Requirements in this section apply where the driver type selected is an electric motor.
12.1.2 The power source arrangement for the fire pump shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Fire Pump Power Source Arrangementselect
Single utility service connection, reliable per NFPA 20
Dedicated feeder from a utility service, reliable per NFPA 20
Two utility services through a listed fire pump power transfer switch
Utility service and an on-site standby generator through a listed fire pump power transfer switch
On-site power production facility as the sole source
NOTE NFPA 70 Article 695 admits a single source only where NFPA 20 finds it reliable, and the reliability test is a judgment the Engineer of Record makes with the utility's outage history and the Authority Having Jurisdiction's concurrence, which is why the field carries no default. A single utility connection or a dedicated feeder from the service is the simplest arrangement and the one most low-rise buildings on a strong utility use. Two utility services, where the utility can provide them from separate substations, give an alternate source without a generator; a utility source backed by a generator is the arrangement of most high-rise and institutional buildings, where the generator already exists for other life safety loads and is sized to start the pump; an on-site power production facility as the sole source is the arrangement of a site without a utility. (12.1.3)
12.1.4 The reliability evaluation on which the power source arrangement rests shall be documented in accordance with NFPA 20 and submitted with the action submittals, and the electrical one-line diagram submitted under this standard shall show the arrangement selected.
12.1.5 Where the arrangement includes an alternate source, the transfer between sources shall be made as indicated in the datasheet.
Fire Pump Power Transfer Switch Arrangementradio
● Combination fire pump controller and power transfer switch, listed as one unit
○ Separate power transfer switch listed for fire pump service
NOTE A combination unit is furnished under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers as one listed assembly, with the transfer switch, the controller, and the isolating switch in one enclosure, which is the arrangement on most installations because it puts the transfer logic and the controller's supervision in one listing. A separate transfer switch listed for fire pump service is furnished under Automatic Transfer SwitchesAutomatic Transfer SwitchesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/automatic-transfer-switches and is selected where the alternate source serves the fire pump through switchgear the electrical design already has, or where the controller and the transfer switch are procured from different suppliers; it is not a general-purpose transfer switch, since Article 695 requires the switch to be listed for fire pump service. (12.1.6)
12.1.7 Where an on-site generator is the alternate source, the generator shall be furnished under GeneratorsEngine GeneratorsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/generators with capacity to start and run the fire pump motor at its locked-rotor current in addition to every other load connected at the time of the start, and the classification of the fire pump load and the generator capacity shall be established under Emergency And Standby PowerEmergency and Standby Power SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/emergency-and-standby-power.
12.1.8 Where an on-site generator is the alternate source, no overcurrent protection in the generator circuit to the fire pump shall be sized to open on the locked-rotor current of the fire pump motor, as NFPA 70 Article 695 requires.

12.2 Feeder Routing and Protection

12.2.1 The feeder requirements in this article apply where the driver type selected is an electric motor.
12.2.2 The fire pump feeder from each source to the controller shall be dedicated to the fire pump and its accessory equipment, shall be connected ahead of the building service disconnecting means or at the location NFPA 70 Article 695 permits for the source, and shall be routed outside the building or protected within it by one of the methods Article 695 permits, as indicated on the electrical one-line diagram.
12.2.3 The feeder conductors shall be sized for not less than 125 percent of the sum of the fire pump motor and jockey pump motor full-load currents plus the accessory equipment, as NFPA 70 Article 695 requires, and shall be furnished under Conductors And CablesConductors and CablesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/conductors-and-cables in raceway under Raceways And ConduitRaceways and ConduitResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/raceways-and-conduit.
12.2.4 The overcurrent protective device in the fire pump feeder shall be sized to carry the locked-rotor current of the fire pump motor and the jockey pump motor and the full-load current of the accessory equipment indefinitely, and the device setting shall be shown on the one-line diagram.
12.2.5 Where a disconnecting means is installed ahead of the fire pump controller, it shall be the disconnecting means NFPA 70 Article 695 permits for the arrangement, supervised in the closed position, lockable, and marked as the fire pump disconnecting means in the words Article 695 requires.
NOTE The fire pump feeder is designed backwards from every other feeder in the building: the conductors are sized to carry the motor, the overcurrent device is sized to let the motor stall without tripping, and the routing is chosen so that a fire in the building does not open the circuit before the pump has finished its work. A feeder designed to ordinary motor branch circuit rules, with a breaker that protects the conductors, is the single most common Article 695 violation, and it leaves the building with a fire pump that trips on the start that matters. (12.2.6)
12.2.7 The voltage at the controller line terminals shall not drop below the limit NFPA 70 Article 695 sets while the motor starts, and shall not drop below the limit it sets while the motor runs at 115 percent of full-load current, with the calculation submitted with the one-line diagram.
12.2.8 Where the pump room is in a building other than the building the pump serves, or on a campus with a shared service, the arrangement shall comply with the multibuilding provisions of NFPA 70 Article 695.

13 Supervisory Signals

13.1 The fire pump assembly shall provide the supervisory signals indicated in the datasheet, each as a dry contact at the fire pump controller or at the device that originates it, for connection to the fire alarm system under Fire Alarm SystemsFire Alarm SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-alarm-systems.
Supervisory Signals Transmitted to the Fire Alarm Systemcheckbox
☑ Fire pump running
☑ Loss of phase at the controller line terminals
☑ Phase reversal at the controller line terminals
☑ Controller connected to the alternate source
☑ Engine running
☑ Controller main switch in off or manual position
☑ Trouble on the controller or the engine
☑ Low fuel level in the engine fuel tank
☑ Low pump room temperature
☑ Low water level in the suction tank or break tank
☐ Low suction pressure
☐ Relief valve discharging
☐ Jockey pump running
NOTE The signals the fire pump controller originates are produced by the controller under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers, and this standard decides which signals the assembly sends and furnishes the devices outside the controller that originate the rest: the room temperature switch, the tank level switch, the suction pressure switch, and the relief valve flow switch. (13.2)
13.3 Signals that are not applicable to the driver type selected shall be omitted from the connection schedule without changing the signals required for the driver type furnished.
NOTE NFPA 20 requires the pump running, loss of phase, phase reversal, and alternate source signals for an electric motor controller, and the engine running, main switch off or manual, and controller or engine trouble signals for a diesel engine controller, and it requires a low temperature signal where the pump room is not supervised and a low water level signal where the supply is a tank; the remaining signals in the datasheet are selected where the Owner's monitoring or the insurer asks for them. (13.4)
13.5 Where the pump room is not attended, each signal shall be transmitted to a constantly attended location or to a supervising station, as NFPA 20 and NFPA 72 require, through the fire alarm system.
13.6 The pump room temperature switch shall be set to signal at the room temperature this standard requires, and the fuel level switch shall be set to signal at two-thirds of tank capacity.
13.7 The wiring from each contact to the fire alarm monitoring module shall be installed under Fire Alarm SystemsFire Alarm SystemsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-alarm-systems as a supervised initiating device circuit, and the contact shall be identified on the submittal schedule and at the controller terminal.

14 Fire Pump Room

14.1 Room Location and Fire Separation

14.1.1 The fire pump shall be installed in the location indicated in the datasheet.
Fire Pump Locationradio
● Dedicated room inside the protected building
○ Detached pump house
○ Outdoors in a listed packaged fire pump enclosure
NOTE A room inside the building is the location on most projects because the suction main, the electrical service, and the served risers are all there, and the room is heated and protected by the building. A detached pump house separates the pump from a fire in the building and is the arrangement for a campus, an industrial site, or a tank supply remote from the building, at the cost of a heated structure and an exterior feeder route. A listed packaged enclosure delivers the pump, driver, controller, piping, and heating as one factory assembly set on a pad outdoors, which shortens the field work and suits a site without a building to put the pump in; it is heated, ventilated, and rated as the room would be. (14.1.2)
14.1.3 The fire pump room shall be located as indicated on the fire protection plans, with access to the room from the exterior or through a protected passageway as NFPA 20 requires for the building height.
14.1.4 The fire pump room shall be separated from the rest of the building by construction of the fire-resistance rating indicated in the datasheet.
Pump Room Fire-Resistance Ratingselect
2-hour fire-resistance-rated construction
1-hour fire-resistance-rated construction
Not rated, pump room separated from the protected building by the distance NFPA 20 requires
Derived — NFPA 20 Chapter 4 applied to whether the building is a high-rise and to whether the pump room is in the protected building, in a separate building, or in a listed outdoor enclosure (by default)
NOTE NFPA 20 requires a 2-hour separation for a pump room in a high-rise building and a 1-hour separation or a stated separation distance from the building for other buildings, and the rating follows from the building rather than from a choice, so the field is derived. The point of the separation is that the pump keeps running through a fire in the building it protects, which is also why the access route to the room is protected and the room has nothing in it that is not part of the fire protection system. (14.1.5)
14.1.6 The pump room shall contain no equipment, storage, or occupancy other than the fire pump assembly, its controller, the jockey pump, the fuel tank, and the fire protection equipment NFPA 20 permits in the room.
14.1.7 Penetrations of the pump room enclosure shall be firestopped under FirestoppingFirestoppingResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/firestopping to the rating of the enclosure.

14.2 Room Heating and Ventilation

14.2.1 The pump room shall be maintained at not less than the temperature indicated in the datasheet by heating that does not depend on the fire pump or its power source.
Pump Room Maintained Temperaturerange
Not less than
°F
40506070
14.2.2 Where the driver is a diesel engine, the pump room shall be maintained at not less than the temperature the engine manufacturer requires for a start without the jacket water heater, or at 40°F with the jacket water heater this standard requires, whichever the engine listing requires.
NOTE NFPA 20 sets 40°F as the floor for every pump room because water-filled piping and a wet pump freeze below it, and a diesel engine room is held warmer only where the engine listing requires it; the jacket water heater carries the engine's own starting temperature, so the room is heated for the water, not the engine. A room on an exterior wall in a climate whose Site Ambient Temperature MinimumSite Ambient Temperature MinimumParameterEach project supplies its own value.site-ambient-temperature-minimum is well below freezing needs a heater sized for the design day and a low temperature signal, since the fire pump itself produces no heat until it runs. (14.2.3)
14.2.4 The pump room shall be ventilated as indicated in the datasheet.
Pump Room Ventilationselect
Gravity louvers with no fan
Exhaust fan with a gravity intake louver
Ducted radiator discharge with motorized intake and discharge louvers
NOTE An electric motor pump room needs only enough air to carry away the motor heat during a run, which gravity louvers provide; a diesel engine with heat exchanger cooling adds combustion air, which an exhaust fan or a larger gravity opening provides; and a radiator-cooled engine moves its full cooling air flow through the room, which needs a ducted radiator discharge and motorized louvers at both ends that open on engine start. The driver and its cooling decide the ventilation, which is why the field carries no default. (14.2.5)
14.2.6 Where the driver is a diesel engine, the ventilation openings shall deliver the combustion air and the cooling air the engine manufacturer requires at the highest pump room temperature, with the openings sized and located as indicated on the pump room plan and elevations.
14.2.7 Motorized louvers and dampers in pump room ventilation openings shall open on engine start from the engine starting batteries or shall fail open on loss of power, and shall not depend on the building electrical system to open.
14.2.8 Ventilation openings shall be screened against vermin and arranged so that the exhaust termination does not discharge toward the intake.

14.3 Drainage, Lighting, and Access

14.3.1 The pump room floor shall drain to a floor drain sized to receive the circulation relief flow, the packing drip, the heat exchanger cooling water discharge, and the main relief valve discharge where it is piped to drain, with the floor sloped to the drain, as indicated on the pump room plan.
14.3.2 The pump room shall be provided with normal lighting and with emergency lighting under the egress lighting standard adopted for the project, so that the controller, the gauges, and the engine instrument panel can be read with the normal supply off.
14.3.3 Clearances around the pump, the driver, the controller, and the jockey pump shall be not less than the manufacturer's published maintenance clearances and the working space NFPA 70 requires at the controller, and the room shall provide a route by which the pump, the driver, and the fuel tank can be removed and replaced without demolition.
14.3.4 The pump room shall be provided with a means of lifting the pump and driver for maintenance where the assembly weight exceeds what can be handled by hand, as indicated on the pump room plan.
14.3.5 Where the pump room is below grade or where the floor drain cannot discharge by gravity, a sump pump under Sump And Sewage PumpsSump and Sewage PumpsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/sump-and-sewage-pumps shall be provided, served from a circuit that remains energized when the fire pump runs on its alternate source.

14.4 Seismic Restraint

14.4.1 The fire pump, driver, jockey pump, fuel tank, batteries, and the suction and discharge piping shall be anchored and braced in accordance with ASCE/SEI 7 for Seismic Design CategorySeismic Design CategoryParameterEach project supplies its own value.seismic-design-category under Vibration Isolation And Seismic RestraintVibration Isolation and Seismic RestraintResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/vibration-isolation-and-seismic-restraint, with the fire pump assembly treated as a designated seismic system with the component importance factor ASCE/SEI 7 assigns to fire protection equipment.
14.4.2 Where ASCE/SEI 7 requires special certification of the fire pump assembly for the seismic design category and importance factor, the manufacturer's certification by shake-table testing or experience data shall be submitted with the action submittals, and the assembly shall be installed with the anchorage the certification was obtained on.
14.4.3 Flexible couplings shall be provided in the suction and discharge piping at the pump and at the pump room wall where Fire Protection PipingFire Protection Piping and SpecialtiesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-protection-piping requires them for the seismic design category.
NOTE The fire pump is required to function after the design earthquake rather than merely to stay on its pad, which is the difference between anchorage and certification; in the higher seismic design categories the manufacturer has to show that a pump that has been shaken still starts and reaches its curve. (14.4.4)

15 Installation

15.1 Foundation and Grouting

15.1.1 The pump and driver shall be set on a concrete pad furnished under Concrete PadsConcrete Equipment PadsResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/concrete-pads, of a mass and plan dimension not less than the pump manufacturer requires and raised above the pump room floor by not less than the height that standard sets for a pump pad.
15.1.2 The baseplate shall be leveled on the pad, anchored with the anchor bolts the manufacturer specifies, and grouted with non-shrink grout under Non Shrink GroutNon-Shrink GroutResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/non-shrink-grout so that the grout fills the baseplate cavity without voids.
15.1.3 The pump and driver shall not be operated, and the piping shall not be connected, until the grout has reached the strength the grout manufacturer publishes for load.
15.1.4 A vertical turbine pump shall be set on a sole plate grouted to the pit or well cover, level within the tolerance the manufacturer publishes, with the discharge head bolted to the sole plate.

15.2 Alignment and Piping Connections

15.2.1 The coupling alignment of a horizontal pump and driver shall be checked after the baseplate is grouted and again after the suction and discharge piping are connected, and shall be within the tolerance the coupling manufacturer publishes before the pump is first run.
15.2.2 The suction and discharge piping shall be supported independently of the pump so that no piping load is carried by the pump flanges, and a flange that cannot be bolted up without springing the pipe shall be corrected in the piping rather than at the pump.
15.2.3 A final alignment check shall be made with the pump and driver at operating temperature after the field acceptance test, and the readings shall be recorded in the closeout submittals.
NOTE Pipe strain is the most common cause of a fire pump that vibrated on the factory stand within limits and vibrates in the field beyond them, and it enters at the moment the discharge flange is drawn up to a pipe that was cut a quarter inch short. (15.2.4)
15.2.5 Every valve in the suction and discharge piping that is required to be open shall be supervised open under Fire Protection PipingFire Protection Piping and SpecialtiesResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-protection-piping, and every such valve shall be tagged with its normal position.
15.2.6 The pump, the driver, the jockey pump, the controller, and each valve in the pump room shall be identified under Mechanical IdentificationMechanical IdentificationResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/mechanical-identification, and a sign at the pump room door shall identify the room as the fire pump room.

15.3 Connection to an Existing System

15.3.1 Where the fire pump is added to an existing fire protection system, the Contractor shall confirm before the pump is installed that the existing piping and components downstream of the discharge are rated for the discharge pressure at churn, that the existing suction main delivers the required suction pressure at 150 percent of rated flow, and that the existing fire alarm system has capacity for the supervisory signals this standard requires.
15.3.2 Where any existing component is rated below the discharge pressure at churn, the Engineer of Record shall direct either a main relief valve, a replacement of the component, or a change in the pump selection before the pump is installed.
NOTE The pressure a new fire pump adds is applied to every joint and device in the existing system at every start, and an existing system built for a public main at 65 psi has fittings, valves, and alarm devices whose ratings were never checked against 200 psi; the check before installation is what keeps the acceptance test from becoming a leak survey. (15.3.3)

16 Testing

16.1 Factory Test

16.1.1 Each fire pump shall be tested at the factory at rated speed from shutoff through 150 percent of rated flow in accordance with ANSI/HI 14.6 at the acceptance grade the pump's listing requires, and the certified curve of the pump shipped shall be furnished by serial number.
16.1.2 The pump casing shall be hydrostatically tested at the factory at the pressure the listing requires for the rating.
16.1.3 Where the contract documents require a witnessed factory test, the Contractor shall give the Engineer of Record and the Owner notice not less than 10 working days before the test and shall bear the cost of a retest where the pump fails to meet its curve.
NOTE The factory test proves the pump; the field test proves the installation. A pump that fails to meet its curve in the field but met it at the factory has a suction problem, a speed problem, or a gauge problem, and the certified curve is what lets the test crew tell which. (16.1.4)

16.2 Field Hydrostatic Test

16.2.1 The suction and discharge piping in the pump room shall be hydrostatically tested for 2 hours with no leakage and no drop in pressure at the test pressure indicated in the datasheet, with the pump isolated from the test by its suction and discharge control valves.
Pump Room Piping Hydrostatic Test Pressurerange
Not less than
psi
200650
Derived — 200 psi, or 50 psi above the discharge pressure at churn, whichever is greater, per NFPA 20 (by default)
16.2.2 Components whose rating is below the test pressure shall be isolated or removed before the test and reinstalled after it.
16.2.3 Piping that leaks under test shall be repaired by remaking the joint, and the portion shall be retested at the Contractor's expense.

16.3 Field Acceptance Test

16.3.1 The fire pump assembly shall be field tested in accordance with NFPA 20 Chapter 14 after the suction supply is in service, the fuel tank is filled, the power supply is complete, and the controller has been started up under Fire Pump ControllersFire Pump ControllersResolves to the current adopted revision.sync/fire-pump-controllers.
16.3.2 The test shall flow the pump at churn, at rated flow, and at 150 percent of rated flow, with suction pressure, discharge pressure, flow, speed, and, for an electric motor, voltage and current on each phase recorded at each point, and the net pressure at each point shall meet or exceed the certified factory curve corrected for the speed at which the test is run.
16.3.3 The test shall include not less than six automatic starts and six manual starts, with the pump run for not less than the duration NFPA 20 requires on each start, and shall include the alternate source transfer, the phase failure, and the phase reversal tests NFPA 20 requires for the driver and the arrangement furnished.
16.3.4 Every supervisory signal this standard requires shall be initiated at the originating device and verified at the fire alarm control unit and at the supervising station where one receives it.
16.3.5 The pressure switch settings, the relief valve settings, and the jockey pump operation shall be verified during the test, and the pressure maintenance shall be observed with the system closed for not less than the period required to demonstrate that the jockey holds the system without a fire pump start.
16.3.6 The flow measurement methods permitted at the field acceptance test shall be as indicated in the datasheet.
Permitted Flow Measurement Methodscheckbox
Any of:
☑ Pitot gauge on hose streams through listed nozzles at the test header
☑ Calibrated flow meter
16.3.7 Every gauge and meter used at the field acceptance test shall carry a calibration certificate dated not more than 12 months before the test.
16.3.8 The field acceptance test shall be witnessed by the parties indicated in the datasheet.
Field Acceptance Test Witnessescheckbox
☑ Authority Having Jurisdiction
☑ Pump manufacturer's representative
☐ Engine manufacturer's representative
☐ Engineer of Record
☐ Owner's representative
☐ Insurance carrier representative
☐ Commissioning authority
16.3.9 The Contractor shall schedule the field acceptance test with each witness not less than 10 working days before the test and shall furnish the hose, nozzles, pitot gauge, and instruments the test requires.
16.3.10 A pump that fails to meet the certified curve at any point shall be corrected and retested at the Contractor's expense, and a failure attributable to the suction supply shall be reported to the Engineer of Record before any correction to the pump is made.
NOTE The 150 percent point is where a field test fails when it fails, because that is where the suction pressure is lowest, the motor is at its highest load, and the engine is at its lowest margin after the altitude deduction; a pump that meets rated flow and falls short at 150 percent is usually telling the crew about the supply rather than about itself. (16.3.11)

16.4 Periodic Testing Under NFPA 25

16.4.1 The Contractor shall include in the operation and maintenance manual the NFPA 25 inspection, testing, and maintenance schedule for the assembly, including the weekly no-flow test of a diesel-driven pump and the monthly or weekly no-flow test of an electric-driven pump at the interval NFPA 25 sets for the arrangement, the annual flow test at churn, rated, and 150 percent of rated flow, the battery, fuel, and cooling water maintenance for a diesel engine, and the calibration interval for the test gauges.
16.4.2 A tag stating the weekly and annual test requirements and the date of the acceptance test shall be attached at the controller.
16.4.3 The Contractor shall demonstrate the weekly test procedure to the Owner's maintenance staff at the field acceptance test and shall record the demonstration in the closeout submittals.

17 Delivery, Storage, and Handling

17.1 The fire pump assembly shall be delivered after the pump room is enclosed, the pad is cured, and the room is secured, and shall be moved into the room by the route shown on the reviewed layout drawing.
17.2 The pump and driver shall be stored indoors in a dry location, on the baseplate, with the flanges covered, the bearings protected as the manufacturer directs, and the shaft rotated by hand at the interval the manufacturer directs to keep the bearings from brinelling.
17.3 Diesel engine starting batteries shall be delivered dry or shall be charged within the period the battery manufacturer allows between delivery and charging, and shall not be stored in the pump room before the chargers are energized.
17.4 Materials damaged in transit, storage, or handling shall be replaced rather than repaired unless the Engineer of Record accepts a specific repair in writing.
NOTE A fire pump set in an unfinished room is the pump that arrives at acceptance with grout dust in the packing, a bent gauge, and a motor that was used as a step; delivering it after the room is secure costs a few weeks of schedule and saves the acceptance test. (17.5)

18 Warranty

18.1 The Contractor shall warrant the fire pump, the driver, the jockey pump, the jockey pump controller, and the pump room piping and trim furnished under this standard against defects in materials and workmanship for the period indicated in the datasheet, measured from the date of acceptance.
Fire Pump Assembly Warranty Periodrange
Not less than
years
1235
18.2 Where the pump, driver, or engine manufacturer's warranty is longer than the period in the datasheet, the Contractor shall assign that warranty to the Owner, and the longer period shall govern for that component.
18.3 Where the contract documents state a longer warranty period than the datasheet, the longer period shall govern.
18.4 The warranty shall state which components are wear items subject to replacement under NFPA 25 maintenance and which are covered for the full period, and shall not exclude a failure that occurs during a test NFPA 25 requires.
18.5 Work performed under this warranty shall itself be warranted for a full new term equal to the original period measured from the date the correction is completed, or for the remainder of the original period, whichever ends later.
18.6 A warranty repair that takes the fire pump out of service shall be performed under the impairment procedure of NFPA 25, with the Authority Having Jurisdiction and the Owner's insurer notified as that procedure requires, at no cost to the Owner.

19 Spare Parts

19.1 The Contractor shall deliver the spare parts indicated in the datasheet to the Owner before the assembly is accepted, packaged in labeled containers, and shall obtain a signed receipt for them.
Spare Parts to Be Furnishedcheckbox
☑ One set of packing or one mechanical seal for the fire pump
☐ One set of wear rings for the fire pump
☑ One set of suction and discharge gaskets
☐ One set of fuel, oil, and air filters for the engine
☐ One set of belts and hoses for the engine
☑ One pressure gauge of each range installed
☐ One set of packing or one mechanical seal for the jockey pump
☐ One pressure switch for the jockey pump controller
19.2 Spare parts shall be the same make and model as the installed items and shall be delivered in their original unopened packaging.
19.3 The operation and maintenance manual shall state the shelf life of each spare part and the interval at which the engine filters and the batteries are replaced under NFPA 25 maintenance.

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