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Red Seal Sprinkler Fitter study materials
Red Seal Sprinkler Fitter study resources

Red Seal Sprinkler Fitter: Fire Pumps, Tanks and Water Supply Equipment

Red Seal Sprinkler Fitter · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Fire Pumps, Tanks and Water Supply Equipment

What the exam tests

This domain tests fire pump and water supply equipment: NFPA 20 pump performance, controllers, jockey pumps, test headers, suction conditions, tanks and refill. Expect questions on rated, churn and overload points.

Core rules and concepts

  • Rated point. A pump has a rated flow and rated pressure, such as 1000 gpm at 100 psi. The pump must meet the rated point in the test.
  • Churn. At zero flow, shutoff pressure must not exceed 140 percent of rated pressure. A pump rated at 100 psi may churn up to 140 psi.
  • Overload point. At 150 percent of rated flow, pressure must be at least 65 percent of rated pressure. For a 100 psi pump, that is at least 65 psi at 1500 gpm.
  • Jockey pump. The jockey maintains pressure and is set below the main pump start pressure so it does not trip the main pump for small leaks.
  • Controller. The controller starts the pump automatically and manually and monitors power, phase and alarms. Weekly and annual tests follow NFPA 25.
  • Suction. Ensure adequate net positive suction head and a suction pipe sized to avoid excessive loss. Vortexing and air entrainment can damage the pump.
  • Tanks. NFPA 22 covers water tanks; capacity, refill rate, freeze protection and low-water alarms matter.
  • Test header. Provide a test header and hose valves sized for the pump flow so the pump can be tested without flowing the sprinkler system.

Worked example

A pump is rated 1000 gpm at 100 psi. At churn, the maximum allowed pressure is 140 psi. At 1500 gpm, the minimum allowed pressure is 65 psi. After a flow test, the pump shows 135 psi at churn and 70 psi at 1500 gpm. Both points are acceptable. If the 1500 gpm reading were 60 psi, the pump would fail the NFPA 20 overload requirement and would need investigation or replacement.

Traps that cost marks

  • Confusing 140 percent churn with 150 percent overload.
  • Setting the jockey pump above the main pump start pressure.
  • Testing the pump through the sprinkler system instead of the test header.
  • Ignoring suction losses and NPSH.