Defined Fire Pumps ?

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I work for a consulting Eng. firm performing site surveys in NYC. We have been finding many instances where a fire pump, is already installed (either AC or DC), and in many cases is not fed from a service switch but rather a distribution switchboard. Some of these Pumps are manually operated, with an MCC but not automatic operation during an emergency. Is there a clear definition for Fire Pumps - are all fire safety motors considered fire pumps, or is it just for motors that can be automatically activiated?

Matt, NYC
 
Re: Defined Fire Pumps ?

I think the reference that could assist you best would be the NFPA 20 - Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection.
 
Re: Defined Fire Pumps ?

This is not an NEC issue. The NEC only covers the wiring to a fire pump. The AHJ - fire marshall or building offical makes the call on when its a fire pump. NFPA 20 goes into a lot more depth on fire pumps than the NEC. The NEC Article 695 on fire pumps has only been in the NEC since 1996.
 
Re: Defined Fire Pumps ?

Thanks for the feedback. For clarity, many of these pumps are referred to as sprinkler booster pumps, or tank re-fill pumps. What is really confusing is we are converting many existing DC systems with rectifiers, and are not sure whether we are compliant to keep the F.P. on a switchboard. If not, then we would probably have to supply these F.P.s from a dedicated rectifier.

MBN
 
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