Fire Pump vs. Jockey Pump vs. Sprinkler Booster Pump

[Tainted]

An electrician told me that a jockey pump must be treated like a fire pump according to New York City Electrical Code. He pointed out a code section in the New York City Electrical code section 695.2 and it says that a fire pump is considered a sprinkler booster pump. The electrician then told me that a sprinkler booster pump is a jockey pump.

My question is:

what is the difference between a sprinkler booster pump and a jockey pump? Are they the same thing? In my opinion I don't think a sprinkler booster pump (aka fire pump) is a jockey pump. Does that section 695.2 imply that a jockey pump is considered a fire pump?

 

[don_resqcapt19]

An electrician told me that a jockey pump must be treated like a fire pump according to New York City Electrical Code. He pointed out a code section in the New York City Electrical code section 695.2 and it says that a fire pump is considered a sprinkler booster pump. The electrician then told me that a sprinkler booster pump is a jockey pump.

My question is:

what is the difference between a sprinkler booster pump and a jockey pump? Are they the same thing? In my opinion I don't think a sprinkler booster pump (aka fire pump) is a jockey pump. Does that section 695.2 imply that a jockey pump is considered a fire pump?

I have never heard the term sprinkler booster pump. The jockey pump maintains the system pressure when no sprinkler heads are open and is not a fire pump. 695.1(B)(2) says that jockey pumps are not covered by Article 695. The wiring for the pressure maintenance pump (jockey pump) is covered by Article 430, however 695.3(A) permits the fire pump power supply to also supply the jockey pump.

A quick search of NFPA 20, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection did not find the term booster pump.

 

[Tainted]

I have never heard the term sprinkler booster pump. The jockey pump maintains the system pressure when no sprinkler heads are open and is not a fire pump. 695.1(B)(2) says that jockey pumps are not covered by Article 695. The wiring for the pressure maintenance pump (jockey pump) is covered by Article 430, however 695.3(A) permits the fire pump power supply to also supply the jockey pump.

A quick search of NFPA 20, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection did not find the term booster pump.

Exactly my interpretation. but I really need to know the difference between sprinkler booster pump and jockey pump since NYC electrical code mentions it.

 

[augie47]

Kauffman Fire Safety and a couple of others equate a "fire sprinkler booster pump" with a "Fire Pump"

 

[Tainted]

Kauffman Fire Safety and a couple of others equate a "fire sprinkler booster pump" with a "Fire Pump"

so does NYC electrical code but is the booster pump also considered a jockey pump? Need to know the difference between jockey pump and booster pump

 

[Hv&Lv]

Jockey- keeps the system pressurized when no water runs as noted above.

Booster is for flow and pressure and works in concert with the fire pump. Put a booster pump where there could be a pressure loss for some reason during a fire.

Should be the same as the fire pump since it serves to aid the fire pump

 

[Tainted]

Jockey- keeps the system pressurized when no water runs as noted above.

Booster is for flow and pressure and works in concert with the fire pump. Put a booster pump where there could be a pressure loss for some reason during a fire.

Should be the same as the fire pump since it serves to aid the fire pump

That makes more sense. In summary fire pump needs the booster pump but it doesn’t need the jockey pump. Guess the electrician who was arguing with me was wrong calling the jockey pump a sprinkler booster pump.

 

[topgone]

Exactly my interpretation. but I really need to know the difference between sprinkler booster pump and jockey pump since NYC electrical code mentions it.

The narrative for the fire pump operations is necessary to understand how things behave. The pump that is running 27/7 will be the jockey pump. As mentioned above, it supplies the necessary power to maintain positive pressure on the fire water lines. When a fire occurs, the pressure on the lines will drop as the sprinklers/ fire hydrants open. The main fire pump latches in as it is controlled by a pressure switch monitoring the line pressure. In a way, the main fire pump "boosts" the pressure on the fire hydrant/ sprinkler lines as the jockey pump does not have the capacity to deliver the fire-quenching water (as the water demand increases abruptly, the discharge pressure on the jockey pump also drops)!
Automatic pressure control will cut off the main fire pump if the pressure exceeds the cut-off setting (lesser water usage/ demand) and the jockey pump takes over. However, the fire section is just as happy to keep manual control of the main fire pump after the pump ran on a pressure drop (manual cut-off of the main fire pump, auto-run on pressure drop).

 

[don_resqcapt19]

The narrative for the fire pump operations is necessary to understand how things behave. The pump that is running 27/7 will be the jockey pump. As mentioned above, it supplies the necessary power to maintain positive pressure on the fire water lines. When a fire occurs, the pressure on the lines will drop as the sprinklers/ fire hydrants open. The main fire pump latches in as it is controlled by a pressure switch monitoring the line pressure. In a way, the main fire pump "boosts" the pressure on the fire hydrant/ sprinkler lines as the jockey pump does not have the capacity to deliver the fire-quenching water (as the water demand increases abruptly, the discharge pressure on the jockey pump also drops)!
Automatic pressure control will cut off the main fire pump if the pressure exceeds the cut-off setting (lesser water usage/ demand) and the jockey pump takes over. However, the fire section is just as happy to keep manual control of the main fire pump after the pump ran on a pressure drop (manual cut-off of the main fire pump, auto-run on pressure drop).

If the jockey pump is running 24/7, there are serious problems with the fire sprinkler piping system.

 

[topgone]

If the jockey pump is running 24/7, there are serious problems with the fire sprinkler piping system.

The main fire pump could be as big as 265HP, 2,000 GPM while the pressure-maintaining jockey will be just 30HP/ 45 GPM. By design, the jockey pump is run to maintain pressure. It is not that the line pressure stays static because there will always be small leaks. The pump itself allows for some leakage at its seals to provide lubrication to the seals. I was thinking like that when I was a newbie. Also, cycling may not be an option, it will reduce the useful life of the starter in terms of the wear and tear to the starter contacts. I've learned these from my mentor, who always tells me to design and install and forget!

 

[don_resqcapt19]

The main fire pump could be as big as 265HP, 2,000 GPM while the pressure-maintaining jockey will be just 30HP/ 45 GPM. By design, the jockey pump is run to maintain pressure. It is not that the line pressure stays static because there will always be small leaks. The pump itself allows for some leakage at its seals to provide lubrication to the seals. I was thinking like that when I was a newbie. Also, cycling may not be an option, it will reduce the useful life of the starter in terms of the wear and tear to the starter contacts. I've learned these from my mentor, who always tells me to design and install and forget!

I have worked on a number of systems of that size and the jockey pump has never run continuously. It has always cycled off and on based on pressure.
At the plant that I often work at, with well over a mile of underground fire water distribution, not counting the sprinkler piping in the 8 production buildings, they started looking for leaks when the jockey pump was cycling at less than 10 minutes between starts. There were times with smaller undergound leaks, the jockey pump did run continuously, but went back to cycling as soon as the leak had been repaired. There were other times when the underground leak was large enough that the pressure dropped enough to start the fire pump, but those leaks in the underground were much easier to locate than the smaller ones. This system was designed to not only support the sprinkler system but also support 1.5" and 2.5" hand lines directly from the fire hydrants without an engine, so the maintained pressure is 150 PSI. That permitted them to supply the 100 PSI required for combination nozzles on the hand lines even after accounting for the friction loss in the hose lines that were preconnected at the hydrant stations.

 

[gadfly56]

I have worked on a number of systems of that size and the jockey pump has never run continuously. It has always cycled off and on based on pressure.
At the plant that I often work at, with well over a mile of underground fire water distribution, not counting the sprinkler piping in the 8 production buildings, they started looking for leaks when the jockey pump was cycling at less than 10 minutes between starts. There were times with smaller undergound leaks, the jockey pump did run continuously, but went back to cycling as soon as the leak had been repaired. There were other times when the underground leak was large enough that the pressure dropped enough to start the fire pump, but those leaks in the underground were much easier to locate than the smaller ones. This system was designed to not only support the sprinkler system but also support 1.5" and 2.5" hand lines directly from the fire hydrants without an engine, so the maintained pressure is 150 PSI. That permitted them to supply the 100 PSI required for combination nozzles on the hand lines even after accounting for the friction loss in the hose lines that were preconnected at the hydrant stations.

Jockey pumps are designed to maintain system pressure in the presence of "normal" leaks. We never design them to handle handlines or standpipes. NFPA 20 requires that the main fire pump kick on when flow equal to the smallest rated sprinkler is present. For light hazard areas, that might be a sprinkler with a K-factor of 5.6 and a minimum output of 22.5 gal/min and a pressure drop of 16 psi. That flow is way below the required allowance for handlines which might be 250 to 500 gal/min.

 

[topgone]

Jockey pumps are designed to maintain system pressure in the presence of "normal" leaks. We never design them to handle handlines or standpipes. NFPA 20 requires that the main fire pump kick on when flow equal to the smallest rated sprinkler is present. For light hazard areas, that might be a sprinkler with a K-factor of 5.6 and a minimum output of 22.5 gal/min and a pressure drop of 16 psi. That flow is way below the required allowance for handlines which might be 250 to 500 gal/min.

To add, if the facility in question is a private one, NFPA 24 allows leaks provided leaks are within the permitted limits. We have reviewed our fire protection system and we do have minimal leaks.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Jockey pumps are designed to maintain system pressure in the presence of "normal" leaks. We never design them to handle handlines or standpipes. NFPA 20 requires that the main fire pump kick on when flow equal to the smallest rated sprinkler is present. For light hazard areas, that might be a sprinkler with a K-factor of 5.6 and a minimum output of 22.5 gal/min and a pressure drop of 16 psi. That flow is way below the required allowance for handlines which might be 250 to 500 gal/min.

I did not say that the jockey pump would handle the handlines, I just said the system designed pressure that is maintained by the jockey pump is 150 PSI to support handlines with out an engine at the hydrant.

As far as NFPA 20 requiring the main pump to kick on with the opening of a single head, I know (from experience, when one of my guys hit a head with a lift and opened it) that this system does not do that. Was not aware that it is required to do that.

 

[JoeStillman]

A jockey pump does not pump water into a sprinkler - just the pipe upstream of it. The Sprinkler Booster Pump is whichever one pumps water through a sprinkler head. Pressure maintenance pumps (i.e. jockey pumps) are not sized for the full flow of a sprinkler. The Sprinkler Booster Pump is.

The sprinkler system will still work if the jockey pump is off for a while, so it's not as vital as the booster pump. The jockey pump is permitted to, but not required to be connected to the fire pump service.

 

[gadfly56]

I did not say that the jockey pump would handle the handlines, I just said the system designed pressure that is maintained by the jockey pump is 150 PSI to support handlines with out an engine at the hydrant.

As far as NFPA 20 requiring the main pump to kick on with the opening of a single head, I know (from experience, when one of my guys hit a head with a lift and opened it) that this system does not do that. Was not aware that it is required to do that.

Yes, one of the purposes is to maintain the design pressure.

4.25* Pressure Maintenance (Jockey or Make-Up) Pumps.
4.25.1 Pressure maintenance pumps shall not be required to
be listed. Pressure maintenance pumps shall be approved.
4.25.1.1* The pressure maintenance pump shall be sized to
replenish the fire protection system pressure due to allowable
leakage and normal drops in pressure.
4.25.2 Pressure maintenance pumps shall have rated capaci-
ties not less than any normal leakage rate.
4.25.3 Pressure maintenance pumps shall have discharge
pressure sufficient to maintain the desired fire protection sys-
tem pressure.

And now I have to withdraw the claim about the fire pump activating on the opening of a single sprinkler. That correctly refers to the system flow switch triggering an alarm on the fire alarm panel. I concede that it's possible for a system design to include a pump that will carry the discharge of a single sprinkler, but it would probably be way larger than needed.