Exercising your Fire Pump: A Simple but Lifesaving Fire Protection Step
Imagine if you did nothing but sit on the couch for a full month. Then, without warning, someone forces you get up and run a mile as fast as you can. You wouldn’t feel too good, would you? Well it’s the same with your fire pump! A fire pump that just sits in your pump room without doing anything will start to deteriorate over time, whether by parts settling, by environmental conditions or by accidental (or intentional!) tampering. If left alone too long, it may not be able to start immediately when it needs to (or may not work properly at all), costing you precious seconds and potentially costing you your home or building. In addition to regular Houston fire pump service, you should exercise your fire pump weekly.
How to Exercise a Fire Pump
Fortunately, exercising a fire pump is a fairly easy process. Different types of fire pumps require different testing periods:
- 10 minutes per week for electric fire pumps
- 30 minutes per week for diesel fire pumps
Exercising a fire pump doesn’t even need to be carried out by a fire protection specialist!
Exercising your fire pump involves inducing a drop in pressure to create a response similar to what would happen in a real fire. To do this, open up the test line. This will cause your system pressure to drop, much like if your sprinkler heads had opened. In response, your fire pump will kick on and start pumping water into the test line (don’t worry, this water won’t find its way into your building – it will drain outside).
Exercising your fire pump should be done every week (though you might be able to get away with doing it once a month). It should be performed as part of your regular fire pump maintenance plan, as a supplement to your annual professional fire pump inspections.
If you need fire pump inspection or maintenance in Houston, Texas, call Kauffman Co today!
