Types of Fire Pumps for Sale

Modern fire suppression systems rely on high-quality pumps to send water with the force and volume needed to prevent or extinguish flames. These pumps are located, usually silently, in the basements and bottom stories of high-rise buildings where the water supply needs to be boosted to get enough pressure up to the sprinkler system. This article will review the different types of fire pumps for sale that are available to design engineers.

Designed to provide the highest level of performance, these portable workhorses blow away so-called ‘high-pressure’ sump, dredging or waste/trash pumps that some try to pass off as fire pumps. They offer a hard-anodized pump body, stainless steel hardware and bronze impellers for durability, efficiency and low maintenance. They also feature a quick release pump clamp that provides rapid equipment downtime, making them ideal for busy firefighting operations.

Vertical turbine pumps are centrifugal, and the only type allowed by NFPA 20, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection that can start with negative suction pressure or take water under a lift condition (either above or below grade). They come in a wide range of capacities and pressures and can be used with both diesel and electric drivers.

Multistage multiport pumps have a single driver — either an electric motor or a diesel engine — connected to multiple impellers in series inside a single casing. Each impeller has its own discharge outlet, and each port is designed to deliver a specific pressure at a certain floor or zone in the building.