NYC Booster Pump vs. Fire Pump for Combination Standpipe Systems

[dkfire]

I have the exact same situation that came up in a previous thread regarding combination manual-wet standpipe systems in NYC.

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=279878

Basically, our building type requires a standpipe system based on floor area sizes (not a covered mall). It is a low-rise structure so manual-wet is the minimum requirement for the standpipe system. We are utilizing a combination sprinkler/standpipe system but require a pump to meet the sprinkler system demand only.

Since the pump is only required to meet the sprinkler system demand, we would like to call it a "sprinkler booster pump" in lieu of a "fire pump" so we can avoid the requirement for two separate water mains off two separate streets. However, there are questions as to whether or not a booster pump can technically feed into a combination sprinkler/standpipe system.

The only water supply requirement for a manual-wet standpipe system other than the FDC is a small connection for the purpose of keeping the pipe filled with water. Obviously, a booster pump will achieve this requirement and since the pump has a bypass, it will keep the standpipes filled even if the pump ever goes down.

Has anyone ever ran into this situation before in this jurisdiction? Can you have a combination manual-wet standpipe system supplied from a sprinkler booster pump with a single underground supply line in NYC? Or, will this "pump" need to meet all the "fire pump" requirements which includes two separate undergrounds from two separate streets?

 

[TravisMack]

No experience in NYC, but I have done this on several different projects not in NYC. It is still a UL Listed fire pump. But lets say the sprinkler demand is 300 gpm and the standpipe is 1000 gpm. I have put in a 300 gpm pump many times. You just upsize everything once you get to the point where the standpipes are.

Travis Mack
MFP Design, LLC

http://www.mfpdesign.com

"Follow" us at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/MFP-Design-LLC/92218417692

 

[dkfire]

Thanks. That is the frustrating part. There is physically no difference between a "fire pump" & a "booster pump". The only thing that differentiates them is which system they serve. A "fire pump" implies that there is an automatic-wet standpipe inside the building so FDNY doesn't need to pump in through the FDC to meet the standpipe demand. A "booster pump" implies a manual-wet standpipe which tells FDNY they do need to pump in through the FDC to meet the standpipe demand.

It truly is a matter of semantics but it can have huge repercussions on the basic requirements for the system (i.e., two underground lines from two city streets). In any other jurisdiction, a pump serving a fire system is a "fire pump" but that is not the case in NYC; for whatever reason the differentiate between a booster pump & fire pump.

I was hoping that someone with experience in NYC would be able to answer whether or not a "sprinkler booster pump" could supply a combination manual-wet standpipe system or not.

 

[TravisMack]

I think the frustrating part you are going to see is that NFPA 13 is going to reference NFPA 20 for pump purposes. In that case, you will have a UL listed fire pump.

Travis Mack
MFP Design, LLC

http://www.mfpdesign.com

"Follow" us at

https://www.facebook.com/pages/MFP-Design-LLC/92218417692

 

[MatthewJWillis]

Interesting the terminology.

I learned, and still say, A "Booster Pump" connects to a city supply.
A "Fire Pump" is fed from a tank.

Guess NYC has different meaning..

R/
Matt