1 Scope
NOTE This standard covers the selection, performance, construction, controls, installation, disinfection, testing, and start-up of packaged domestic water pressure-booster pump systems that raise the available potable water pressure to serve fixtures and equipment that the incoming supply cannot reach. (1.1)
NOTE The work extends from the suction (inlet) manifold connection downstream of the building service and its backflow protection, through the pumps, the discharge manifold, the hydropneumatic tank, the controls, and the system sensors, to the discharge connection to the building domestic water distribution. (1.2)
NOTE A booster system exists because the available supply pressure is not enough to deliver the code-required minimum residual pressure and flow at the highest and most demanding fixtures. (1.3)
NOTE A municipal main may hold 50 psi at the street, but by the time that pressure climbs ten floors and overcomes pipe friction at peak demand, the top-floor flushometers can be below the 15 psi they require to operate; the booster makes up the difference. (1.4)
NOTE Because the booster sits between the public main and the entire building, two failures define its risk: a booster that pulls the city main below its minimum residual pressure endangers the public supply and can induce backflow, and a booster that fails with no redundancy leaves the upper building without water. (1.5)
NOTE The pump selection follows directly from the design flow, the boosted pressure, and the available suction pressure, so those three quantities are established first and the remaining requirements follow from them. (1.6)
2 Referenced Standards
2.1Materials, equipment, and installation shall comply with the latest adopted edition of the following standards and codes unless a specific year is cited elsewhere in the contract documents.
| Standard |
Title |
| IPC |
International Plumbing Code (Chapter 6 — Water Supply and Distribution; Section 606.5.5 Low-pressure cutoff on booster pumps; Appendix E water pipe sizing) |
| UPC |
Uniform Plumbing Code (Chapter 6 — Water Supply and Distribution; water pressure booster provisions) |
| Safe Drinking Water Act, Section 1417 (Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act) |
Federal lead-content limit for potable water components |
| NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 |
Drinking Water System Components — Health Effects |
| NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 |
Drinking Water System Components — Lead Content (weighted-average lead ≤ 0.25%) |
| UL 778 |
Motor-Operated Water Pumps (submersible and nonsubmersible) |
| UL 508A |
Industrial Control Panels (pump control and VFD panels) |
| ANSI/HI 1.1-1.2 |
Rotodynamic Centrifugal Pumps — Nomenclature and Definitions |
| ANSI/HI 1.3 |
Rotodynamic Centrifugal Pumps for Design and Application |
| ANSI/HI 2.1-2.2 |
Rotodynamic Vertical Pumps — Nomenclature and Definitions (vertical multistage pumps) |
| ANSI/HI 9.6.1 |
Rotodynamic Pumps Guideline for NPSH Margin |
| ANSI/HI 14.6 |
Rotodynamic Pumps for Hydraulic Performance Acceptance Tests |
| NEC (NFPA 70) |
National Electrical Code — Article 430 (Motors) and Article 409 (Industrial Control Panels) |
| NEMA MG 1 |
Motors and Generators |
| AWWA C651 |
Disinfecting Water Mains (procedure adapted for the boosted potable system) |
| ASME BPVC Section VIII Div. 1 |
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (hydropneumatic tank where it exceeds the code pressure-vessel threshold) |
| ASME A13.1 |
Scheme for the Identification of Piping Systems |
2.2 Precedence
2.2.1Where the contract documents, the Authority Having Jurisdiction, or a referenced standard impose conflicting requirements, the more stringent requirement shall govern unless the Engineer of Record directs otherwise in writing.
2.2.2The adopted plumbing code shall take precedence over all other references on any matter the code directly addresses, including the suction low-pressure cutoff and the minimum delivered fixture pressure.
2.2.3Where the jurisdiction has adopted the UPC rather than the IPC, references to IPC chapter and section numbers shall be understood to mean the equivalent UPC provisions.
NOTE The Contractor shall confirm with the water purveyor any local rule governing direct connection of a booster pump to the public main, including any required minimum sustained suction pressure, before procuring equipment. (2.2.4)
3 Submittals
3.1 Action Submittals
3.1.1Contractor shall submit the following for the Engineer's review and comment before procurement or fabrication of the booster system.
- Pump product data for each pump, including the certified performance curve showing head versus flow, the design operating point (gpm at the boosted total head), the efficiency and NPSH-required (NPSHr) curves, the motor horsepower and electrical characteristics, and the UL 778 listing
- System performance data showing the packaged system curve, the number of pumps, the staging sequence, and the delivered pressure across the design flow range at the design minimum suction pressure
- Control panel and VFD data, including the multiplex configuration, the control mode (constant pressure or proportional), the UL 508A listing, the enclosure rating, the motor branch protection, and the alarm and BAS interface points
- Hydropneumatic (bladder) tank data, including the tank volume, the acceptance (drawdown) volume, the precharge pressure, the maximum working pressure, the bladder material with NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 certification, and the ASME stamp where required
- Skid and manifold data, including the suction and discharge manifold materials and sizes, the isolation and check valves per pump, the suction guide or strainer, and the pressure gauges and sensors
- Lead-free compliance documentation certifying all wetted components to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 and NSF/ANSI/CAN 372
- Low-suction-pressure protection data, including the low-suction cutoff device, its setpoint, and any pressure-sustaining valve provided to protect the public main
- Vibration isolation and seismic restraint data for the skid, coordinated with Vibration Isolation And Seismic Restraint
- Electrical and control wiring diagram showing pumps, VFDs, sensors, low-suction cutoff, alarms, the field power connection, and the BAS connection
☑ Pump product data with certified curve, operating point, and NPSHr
☐ Packaged system performance data (system curve, staging, delivered pressure)
☐ Control panel and VFD data (configuration, control mode, UL 508A, BAS points)
☐ Hydropneumatic tank data (volume, drawdown, precharge, NSF 61, ASME)
☐ Skid and manifold data (materials, valves, suction guide, gauges)
☐ Lead-free compliance documentation (NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 and 372)
☐ Low-suction-pressure protection data (cutoff setpoint, sustaining valve)
☐ Vibration isolation and seismic restraint data
☐ Electrical and control wiring diagram
3.1.2No substitution for specified equipment shall be procured until the substitution has been reviewed and accepted in writing.
3.1.3Work shall not proceed on the booster system until the corresponding submittals have been reviewed and returned.
3.2 Closeout Submittals
3.2.1Contractor shall provide the following at substantial completion before the booster system is accepted.
- Operation and maintenance manuals for the pumps, the control panel and VFDs, and the hydropneumatic tank, including the maintenance schedule, the recommended spare parts list, and troubleshooting guidance
- A field start-up and commissioning report signed by the manufacturer's representative, recording the measured suction pressure, the delivered discharge pressure across the demand range, the staging and de-staging sequence verification, the low-suction cutoff trip and reset test, the tank precharge as left, and the running amperage of each motor compared to nameplate
- A disinfection and bacteriological clearance record for the booster system per AWWA C651
- A record of the control setpoints as left at start-up, including the discharge pressure setpoint, the staging and de-staging thresholds, the no-flow shutdown threshold, and the low-suction cutoff and reset pressures
- As-built drawings showing the installed equipment location, the suction and discharge connection points, and any deviations from the contract documents
- Manufacturer warranty documentation for the pumps, the control panel, and the hydropneumatic tank
☑ Operation and maintenance manuals with spare parts list
☑ Field start-up and commissioning report (pressures, staging, low-suction trip) signed
☑ Disinfection and bacteriological clearance record (AWWA C651)
☑ Record of control setpoints as left at start-up
☑ As-built drawings with connection points and deviations
☑ Manufacturer warranty documentation
4 Quality Assurance
4.1 Listing and Rating
4.1.1Each pump and its motor shall be listed under UL 778 for potable water service.
4.1.2The control and VFD panel shall be listed under UL 508A and shall bear the listing mark.
4.1.3Each pump shall be rated and its performance curve certified in accordance with the applicable ANSI/HI standard, and the certified curve shall be furnished for the specific pump model.
4.1.4Unlisted pumps, motors, or control panels shall be rejected regardless of supplier documentation.
4.2 Lead-Free Compliance
4.2.1All wetted components of the booster system — pump bowls and impellers, manifolds, valves, fittings, the tank bladder and connection, and sensor wetted parts — shall be certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 for drinking water contact.
4.2.2All wetted components shall be certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 372, confirming that the weighted-average lead content of the wetted surface does not exceed 0.25 percent.
NOTE Lead-free certification under the federal Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act is a mandatory requirement and is not subject to project-level waiver, because the booster is in continuous contact with the potable supply serving the building. (4.2.3)
4.3 Factory Testing
4.3.1The packaged booster system shall be factory assembled, wired, and hydrostatically tested as a unit before shipment.
4.3.2The factory test shall include an operational run that verifies pump staging, the discharge pressure setpoint, and the low-suction cutoff function, and the test record shall be furnished with the submittals or at start-up.
4.4 Installer and Start-up Qualifications
4.4.1The booster system shall be installed by a licensed plumbing contractor, and the electrical connections shall be made by a licensed electrician.
4.4.2Start-up and commissioning shall be performed or witnessed by the manufacturer's factory-trained representative.
5 Environmental and Service Conditions
NOTE The pumps, controls, and tank shall be suitable for the temperature, humidity, and atmosphere of the space in which the booster system is installed, and shall be selected for the available suction pressure and the potable water temperature. (5.1)
Conditioned interior mechanical room (typical)
Unconditioned interior space (subject to freezing)
Below-grade or high-humidity space (corrosion considered)
5.1.1The booster system shall be installed in a conditioned space above the floor-drain flood level and shall not be located where a leak or failure would damage critical equipment below.
5.1.2Where the space is subject to freezing, the system, the tank, and the sensing lines shall be protected against freezing.
5.1.3The Contractor shall confirm the potable water temperature and the ambient temperature against the pump, motor, and VFD ratings before installation.
6.1 Available Suction Pressure
NOTE The available suction pressure is the single most important input to the booster design: the pump must add only the difference between the available pressure and the required boosted pressure, and the minimum suction pressure governs both pump selection and protection of the public main. (6.2)
Per drawings — purveyor flow test / civil drawings (deferred by default)
6.2.1The minimum available suction pressure shall be the residual pressure measured at the booster suction at the maximum instantaneous building demand, established from a current water purveyor flow test, not assumed.
NOTE The pump selection shall be based on the minimum suction pressure, so that the system delivers the required discharge pressure under the worst-case (lowest) supply condition. (6.2.2)
NOTE An overestimated suction pressure produces a booster that cannot deliver the required discharge pressure when the city pressure drops at peak demand, which is exactly when the boost is most needed. (6.2.3)
6.3 Design Flow and Boosted Pressure
NOTE Each booster system shall be selected to deliver the design peak flow at the required discharge pressure, with the operating point on the stable portion of the system curve. (6.4)
201000
20501002003005007501000
Per drawings — plumbing demand calculation (deferred by default)
40125
4050607080100125
Default: 70 psi
● Vertical multistage centrifugal (compact footprint, standard booster pump)
○ Horizontal multistage centrifugal
○ End-suction centrifugal (low-head, high-flow boost)
6.4.1The design peak flow shall be the calculated peak instantaneous demand of the served portion of the building, established by the fixture-unit (Hunter's curve) method or the engineered diversified demand, per the adopted plumbing code.
6.4.2The required discharge pressure shall be set to deliver, at the highest and most remote fixture, not less than the minimum flow pressure required by the adopted plumbing code — generally not less than 8 psi at flush-tank fixtures and not less than 15 psi at flushometer-valve fixtures — after accounting for static lift and friction loss to that fixture.
NOTE The boost added by the pumps shall be calculated as the required discharge pressure less the minimum available suction pressure, so the pumps are not oversized for head they do not need to add. (6.4.3)
6.4.4The pump operating point shall fall on the stable portion of the certified curve, away from shut-off head and away from the runout end of the curve.
6.4.5The NPSH available at the pump suction shall exceed the pump NPSH-required by the margin recommended in ANSI/HI 9.6.1 across the operating range.
6.5 Maximum System Pressure
6.5.1The system discharge pressure at no-flow or at maximum suction pressure shall not exceed 80 psi at any fixture, and where it would, a pressure-reducing station shall be provided downstream per Domestic Water Piping. NOTE Sustained static pressure above 80 psi at a fixture is prohibited by the adopted plumbing code and accelerates wear of valves, seals, and fixture trim; the combination of maximum suction pressure plus full boost shall be checked against this limit. (6.5.2)
7 Pump Configuration and Redundancy
NOTE A booster system has no gravity bypass, so the consequence of a single pump failure is determined entirely by the number of pumps and whether a standby is provided. (7.1)
○ Duplex — two pumps (each sized for full or 2/3 design flow)
● Triplex — three pumps (each sized for 1/2 design flow, N+1 standby)
○ Quadruplex — four pumps (large or critical systems, N+1 standby)
○ Simplex — single pump (small, non-critical, with bladder tank)
● N+1 — one standby pump in addition to those needed for design flow (critical and most commercial)
○ N — pumps sized to share design flow with no dedicated standby (non-critical)
7.1.1The pump configuration and redundancy basis shall be as indicated on the contract documents.
7.1.2Booster systems serving occupancies that cannot tolerate a water outage — hospitals, laboratories, high-rise residential, and any system designated critical — shall provide N+1 redundancy, with one standby pump in addition to the pumps required to meet the design flow.
7.1.3A multiplex system shall include automatic lead/lag/standby staging that brings pumps on and off in sequence as demand rises and falls so the system follows the load.
7.1.4The staging control shall alternate the lead pump on a scheduled or run-time basis so the pumps wear evenly and each pump is exercised regularly.
7.1.5On failure of a running pump, the control shall automatically start an available standby pump so the system maintains the discharge pressure setpoint.
NOTE Sizing each pump of a triplex or quadruplex system for a fraction of the design flow allows the system to match low demand with a single pump at high efficiency while still reaching design flow with the remaining pumps; a duplex with each pump at full flow is simpler but cannot turn down as far. (7.1.6)
8 Pump Construction
NOTE The pump wetted materials, the shaft seal, and the motor shall be selected for continuous potable water service and for variable-speed operation. (8.1)
● Type 304 stainless steel bowls and impellers (standard potable booster)
○ Type 316 stainless steel (aggressive or coastal water)
○ Bronze-fitted (where specified for compatibility)
● Mechanical seal (standard)
○ Cartridge mechanical seal (extended service life, simpler replacement)
8.1.1The pump bowls, impellers, and other wetted parts shall be of stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant material certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 and NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 for potable contact.
8.1.2Each pump shall be provided with a mechanical shaft seal rated for the pumped water temperature and the operating pressure.
8.1.3Each pump motor shall be sized so that it is not overloaded at any point on the operating curve, including the runout (low-head, high-flow) end where a single pump may operate when others are off.
8.1.4The motor shall be inverter-duty rated and shall comply with NEMA MG 1 so that its insulation system tolerates the VFD switching voltage over the service life of the system.
NOTE A pump motor that is sized only for the design operating point can be overloaded when it runs alone at low system pressure and high flow; the motor shall be non-overloading across the full curve. (8.1.5)
9 Control and Staging
9.1 Control Mode
● Constant discharge pressure (single setpoint maintained across all flows)
○ Proportional / zone control (setpoint reduced at low flow to save energy)
9.1.1The control shall maintain the discharge pressure by varying pump speed through the VFD and by staging pumps, in the control mode indicated.
9.1.2Constant-discharge-pressure control shall hold a fixed discharge pressure setpoint across the full flow range, and shall be used where the friction loss between the booster and the served fixtures is small or where a pressure-reducing station downstream sets fixture pressure.
9.1.3Proportional (zone) control may be used to reduce the discharge setpoint as flow decreases, compensating for the friction loss that disappears at low flow, where doing so still maintains the code-required minimum pressure at the most remote fixture.
NOTE Proportional control saves pumping energy by not boosting to full design pressure when low flow means little friction loss, but the reduced setpoint shall be verified to still satisfy the worst-case remote fixture, or low-flow fixtures on upper floors will be starved. (9.1.4)
9.2 Staging and De-staging
9.2.1The control shall stage additional pumps on when the lead pump reaches its speed and pressure limits and cannot maintain the setpoint, and shall de-stage pumps off as demand falls.
9.2.2Staging and de-staging thresholds shall be set with sufficient separation that pumps do not cycle on and off rapidly at a steady intermediate demand.
9.2.3The control shall include a minimum-run timer on each pump so that a staged pump runs long enough to avoid rapid cycling.
9.3 No-Flow Shutdown
NOTE At zero or near-zero demand a variable-speed booster cannot run a pump down to no flow without overheating it, so the system must either shut the pumps off and hold pressure with the tank or run a pump at a safe minimum. (9.4)
● No-flow shutdown — pumps stop and the hydropneumatic tank holds system pressure (standard VFD booster)
○ Continuous minimum-speed operation with thermal protection (where no-flow shutdown is not acceptable)
9.4.1The control shall detect a no-flow or low-flow condition and shall either stop the pumps and allow the hydropneumatic tank to maintain system pressure until demand resumes, or maintain a safe minimum pump speed with thermal protection.
9.4.2Where no-flow shutdown is used, the control shall restart the lead pump automatically when the system pressure falls to the restart threshold as the tank draws down.
NOTE Running a pump against a closed system at no flow converts the motor input into heat in the pumped water, which can boil and damage the pump; no-flow shutdown or a thermal-protection minimum-flow scheme is required, not optional. (9.4.3)
9.5 BAS Interface and Alarms
9.5.1The control panel shall provide volt-free (dry) contacts or a digital interface to the building automation system for, at minimum, common pump run, common alarm, low-suction cutoff, and high/low discharge pressure.
9.5.2The control shall annunciate, locally and to the BAS, a pump fault, a VFD fault, a low-suction cutoff trip, a high discharge pressure, and a low discharge pressure condition.
9.5.3The discharge pressure and suction pressure shall be displayed at the control panel.
10 Low-Suction Protection
NOTE The booster shall protect the public water main from being drawn below its minimum required residual pressure, because pulling the main into a vacuum risks collapsing the supply and inducing backflow of contaminants into the potable system. (10.1)
520
5810121520
Default: 10 psi
● Low-suction-pressure cutoff switch (stops pumps below setpoint, IPC 606.5.5)
○ Low-suction cutoff plus pressure-sustaining valve (modulates to hold suction pressure)
10.1.1A low-suction-pressure cutoff shall be installed that stops the booster pumps before the suction pressure falls low enough to create a vacuum on the suction side, in accordance with IPC Section 606.5.5 (or the equivalent UPC provision).
NOTE Where the booster pump is directly connected to the public water main, the low-suction cutoff shall be set and located so that the pressure on the suction side is not reduced below the minimum required by the adopted code at the point and within the distance the code specifies. (10.1.2)
10.1.3The low-suction cutoff shall automatically restart the pumps after the suction pressure recovers above a reset threshold set above the cutoff setpoint, so the system does not chatter on and off at the trip point.
10.1.4Where the purveyor requires the suction pressure to be sustained rather than simply cut off, a pressure-sustaining valve shall be provided on the suction side that modulates flow to hold the suction pressure at the required minimum.
NOTE A booster with no low-suction protection that pulls its source main into a vacuum is both a code violation and a public-health hazard, and it is the single most consequential omission in this scope. (10.1.5)
11 Hydropneumatic Tank
NOTE The hydropneumatic (bladder) tank holds a cushion of pressurized water so that the pumps can shut off at no flow, so that small leak or trickle demands are met without starting a pump, and so that the pumps do not start and stop rapidly at low demand. (11.1)
● Provided — bladder/diaphragm tank for no-flow shutdown and anti-short-cycle (standard VFD booster)
○ Not provided — continuous minimum-flow operation instead (where the manufacturer's package does not use a tank)
2 gal (small simplex / trickle make-up)
5 gal
10 gal
20 gal
35 gal
more than 35 gal (large drawdown requirement)
11.1.1Where the control uses no-flow shutdown, a hydropneumatic tank shall be provided, sized to hold sufficient drawdown that the system pressure does not fall to the restart threshold before the tank meets a small demand, so the pumps are not started for a trickle.
11.1.2The tank shall be the bladder or diaphragm type that separates the pressurized air charge from the potable water, and the bladder material shall be certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 for potable contact.
11.1.3The tank precharge (air) pressure shall be set per the manufacturer's instructions relative to the pump restart pressure, and the as-left precharge shall be recorded in the start-up report.
NOTE A tank precharge set wrong defeats the tank: too high and the tank holds little water and the pumps short-cycle anyway, too low and the bladder is over-stressed; the precharge shall be set to the manufacturer's value and verified at start-up. (11.1.4)
11.1.5The tank shall be rated for the maximum system working pressure, and where its size and pressure exceed the code pressure-vessel threshold it shall bear the ASME stamp.
12 Skid, Manifolds, and Valves
NOTE The pumps, manifolds, valves, tank, controls, and sensors shall be assembled on a common factory-fabricated skid so the system is delivered, set, and connected as a coordinated package. (12.1)
● Type 304 stainless steel (standard potable booster manifold)
○ Type 316 stainless steel (corrosive water or coastal environment)
○ Copper or copper alloy
12.1.1Each pump shall be provided with an isolation valve on its suction and an isolation valve and a check valve on its discharge, so that any pump can be isolated and removed while the remaining pumps stay in service.
12.1.2The discharge check valve of each pump shall prevent backflow through an idle pump from the discharge manifold, so a stopped or removed pump does not drain the manifold or back-drive its impeller.
12.1.3A suction guide or strainer shall be provided to protect the pumps from debris, sized so it does not impose an NPSH penalty that violates the required NPSH margin.
12.1.4The suction and discharge manifolds shall be sized for the full system flow at a velocity that does not produce excessive friction loss, and shall not be reduced below the pump connection size at the pump takeoffs.
12.1.5Pressure gauges shall be provided on the suction manifold and the discharge manifold, and the control pressure sensor shall be located to sense the controlled system pressure, not a local transient at a pump.
12.1.6All manifold and valve wetted materials shall be certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 and NSF/ANSI/CAN 372.
13 Electrical
NOTE Each pump motor and its VFD shall be served and protected in accordance with NEC Article 430, and the control panel shall comply with NEC Article 409 and be listed under UL 508A. (13.1)
NEMA 1 (dry interior mechanical room)
NEMA 12 (dust and dripping liquid)
NEMA 4X (washdown or corrosive / humid space)
208 V, 3-phase
230 V, 3-phase
460 V, 3-phase
208 V, 1-phase (small simplex/duplex only)
Per drawings — electrical one-line diagram
13.1.1Each pump motor shall be provided with branch-circuit protection, a disconnecting means, and motor overload protection in accordance with NEC Article 430.
13.1.2A disconnecting means for the booster system shall be provided as required by the NEC and located for safe servicing.
13.1.3Motors shall comply with NEMA MG 1 and shall be inverter-duty rated where driven by a VFD, so the motor insulation tolerates the drive's switching voltage.
13.1.4The control panel enclosure shall be rated for the environment in which it is installed.
13.1.6The booster system feeder and any standby-power connection shall be coordinated with the electrical scope, and a system serving an essential facility shall be connected to the emergency or standby power system where the building is provided with one.
14 Vibration Isolation and Seismic Restraint
NOTE The booster skid shall be isolated from the structure to limit the transmission of pump and motor vibration into the building, and shall be restrained against seismic forces where the building code requires it. (14.1)
14.1.2Flexible connectors shall be provided at the suction and discharge connections to the building piping so that pump vibration and minor movement are not transmitted into the rigid distribution piping.
NOTE Seismic restraint of the skid and the connected piping shall be provided where required by the adopted building code, and the isolators shall be the seismically rated type where restraint is required. (14.1.3)
14.1.4The equipment shall be set on a housekeeping pad of the size and height required for the isolators, the restraints, and service access.
15 Installation
15.1 General
15.1.1The Contractor shall set the booster skid level on the housekeeping pad and connect the suction and discharge to the building domestic water piping through the flexible connectors and isolation valves.
15.1.3Service clearances around the skid shall be maintained so that any pump, the control panel, and the tank can be serviced and removed without disturbing the others.
15.2 Coordination
15.2.1The Contractor shall coordinate the electrical feeder, the disconnect, the standby-power connection where required, and the BAS interface with the electrical and controls trades before rough-in.
15.2.2The Contractor shall coordinate the floor drain, the housekeeping pad, and the equipment access path with the architectural and structural drawings so the system can be installed and serviced in the space provided.
16 Disinfection, Testing, and Start-up
16.1 Disinfection
16.1.1The booster system and its connected new piping shall be disinfected and flushed in accordance with AWWA C651 before being placed in potable service.
16.1.2A bacteriological sample shall be taken after disinfection and flushing, and a passing result shall be obtained before the system serves potable water.
16.2 Hydrostatic and Operational Test
16.2.1The installed system and its connected piping shall be hydrostatically tested at the pressure required by the adopted plumbing code and shall hold the test pressure without leakage before the system is energized for service.
16.2.2Each pump shall be tested to confirm correct rotation, that it starts and stops on the control sequence, and that its running amperage does not exceed the motor nameplate.
16.2.3The staging and de-staging sequence shall be tested across the demand range to confirm pumps stage on and off in order and that the discharge pressure setpoint is maintained.
16.2.4The low-suction-pressure cutoff shall be tested by reducing the simulated or actual suction pressure to the setpoint and confirming the pumps stop, and by restoring pressure and confirming the pumps restart at the reset threshold.
16.2.5The no-flow shutdown shall be tested by closing system demand and confirming the pumps stop and the hydropneumatic tank holds pressure until the restart threshold, with no pump short-cycling.
16.3 Start-up and Adjustment
16.3.1The manufacturer's factory-trained representative shall perform or witness the start-up of the booster system.
16.3.2Start-up shall set and record the discharge pressure setpoint, the staging and de-staging thresholds, the no-flow restart threshold, the low-suction cutoff and reset pressures, and the tank precharge.
16.3.3Start-up shall verify the delivered pressure at the most remote and highest served fixture meets the code-required minimum flow pressure at design demand.
16.3.4The as-left setpoints, the measured pressures and amperages, and the confirmation of the low-suction cutoff and no-flow shutdown shall be recorded in the commissioning report and submitted as a closeout document.
17 Delivery, Storage, and Handling
17.1The booster system shall be delivered as a factory-assembled package in the manufacturer's protective packaging with identification and rating labels intact and legible.
17.2The pumps, control panel, and VFDs shall be stored indoors in a dry, conditioned location protected from moisture, dust, and physical damage until installed and energized.
17.3The hydropneumatic tank shall be stored protected from impact and from prolonged direct sunlight, and the bladder shall not be subjected to freezing.
NOTE Open suction and discharge connections shall be capped until the piping is connected, to keep construction debris and contaminants out of the potable wetted path. (17.4)
18 Warranty
1 year from substantial completion
2 years from substantial completion
18.1The Contractor shall warrant the booster system and its installation against defects in workmanship and against leakage and malfunction for the project warranty period following substantial completion.
18.2Manufacturer warranties for the pumps, the control panel, and the hydropneumatic tank shall be passed through to the Owner as part of the closeout documentation.
18.3Where a manufacturer warranty extends beyond the Contractor's installation warranty period, the Contractor shall assign and transfer the manufacturer warranty to the Owner at closeout.
NOTE A booster system that runs but was set with the wrong discharge pressure, an unverified low-suction cutoff, a mis-precharged tank, or a delivered pressure that does not satisfy the served fixtures shall be corrected at the Contractor's expense if the deficiency is discovered within the warranty period. (18.4)
19 Spare Parts
☑ One spare mechanical seal kit for each pump model installed
☑ One spare pressure sensor / transducer of each type installed
☐ One spare set of VFD cooling fans / filters
☐ Spare bladder for the hydropneumatic tank
19.1The Contractor shall deliver to the Owner the spare parts indicated, in the manufacturer's original packaging, with a parts list identifying each item by the equipment it serves.
19.2The spare parts list and the recommended replacement interval for wear items shall be included in the operation and maintenance manual.