A jockey pump maintains pressure in a fire sprinkler system to prevent the fire pump from running all the time and to prevent damage to the system. It consists of a pump, motor, and controller, and can be either centrifugal or regenerative turbine. Government guidelines exist for installation and maintenance.
A jockey pump, or pressure maintenance pump, is a small piece of equipment that works in conjunction with a fire pump as part of a fire sprinkler system. It is designed to keep the pressure in the system elevated to a specific level when the system is not in use, so that the fire pump does not have to run all the time and the system does not turn on randomly. It can also help prevent damage to the system when a fire occurs and water flows in the pipes. These devices consist of a three-part assembly. In many places, there are government guidelines and recommendations for installing these devices to make sure they are working properly.
How does it work?
To understand how a jockey pump works, it is important to understand how a fire extinguishing system works. Sprinkler systems consist of pipes with pressurized water in them and heads designed to open when they reach a certain temperature. When the heads open, the water pressure in the pipes decreases, as water rushes out of them. When this happens, a large device called a fire pump starts sending more water through the pipes so the system can continue to put out the fire.
The purpose of the jockey pump is to keep the water pressure in the pipes within a specific range when there isn’t a fire, so sprinklers don’t shut down randomly. As the pipes leak, over time, the water pressure in them automatically decreases. The jockey pump detects this and then refills them up to normal pressure. If a fire occurs and the pressure drops dramatically, the jockey pump will not be able to keep up and the pressure drop will trigger the large fire pump to start sending water.
Second, this pump prevents sprinkler systems from being damaged when the fire pump starts sending water. If a system does not have a jockey pump to keep it pressurized, it may have relatively low pressure. When your fire pump starts sending high pressure water through your hoses, the sudden change in pressure can damage or destroy your system.
montage
All jockey pumps consist of a pump, motor and controller. The two main types of pumps available are centrifugal and regenerative turbine pumps. Both have their pros and cons: the centrifugal type is often less energy efficient, but needs less maintenance than a regenerative turbine type. Similarly, a regenerative turbine pump can create a lot of pressure with very little power, but it can make the system over pressurized and need a lot of maintenance. Which type is best for a system also depends on the size of the system, with centrifugal pumps often preferred for smaller systems, as they sometimes create less pressure.
The type of motor used also largely depends on the size of the plant. The two main choices for jockey pump motors are single-phase and three-phase. Both work largely the same, although single-phase motors are generally used for smaller, low-pressure systems as they are not as powerful. The controllers can also be single-phase or three-phase and differ mainly in the complexity of their assembly.
Requirements
Many places have government standards for installing and maintaining jockey pumps. In the United States, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines are the standard. These include things like the recommended horsepower for a jockey pump in relation to the size of a system, how long it can take to repressurize the system, and the pressure it needs to maintain.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
