Fire Pump House versus Fire Pump Room?

6/4/2019

Without the context of a specific project or problem, when would you recommend creating a separate, detached fire pump house versus a fire pump room inside a building?

Is is purely a risk perspective? Do you recommend fire pump houses only when a pump is feeding multiple buildings, or a campus?

I've only had a few projects that used a fire pump house, and it has generally been in retrofit situations or when the pump is next to a water storage tank. In either case the pump house overall cost more than it would have should the fire pump room been within the building (even despite the simple construction of the pump house). Just curious on getting another perspective.

Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe

3 Comments

PETEY PABLO

6/4/2019 10:49:05 am

When it's infeasible or difficult to obtain a fire-rated separation for pump room walls, you can use a detached pump house at 50 ft. from the building instead. NFPA 20 §4.12.1.1.2.

Outdoor pump houses are favored for diesel engines.

*Joe, I couldn't help myself.

Joe Meyer

6/5/2019 06:20:16 am

Agreed Pete(y). Diesel driven pumps' host of exhaust and ventilation requirements make a pump house an attractive option.

We've only used pump houses where the pump is next to a water storage tank or when it is feeding multiple buildings. Otherwise there is typically a cost efficiency with including the pump room within the footprint of a building.

9/5/2019 11:10:42 pm

Hi Petey,

In my opinion, either the case is OK as long as it considered Extra Hazard !! and provided with Sprinkler system.

All industrial facility, in most cases, these are locate separate/dedicated buildings/Room and other location, can take a call depend of space available.

If if dedicated, it's more safety and reliable but costly.

Free Signup

Subscribe and learn something new each day:

Community

Thank You to Our Top September Contributors!

1. Amr
2. MDS
3. SK
4. SR
5. Anon.

6. Nic
7. PJD
8. Brenton
9. Sean
10. Franck

Your Post

The Toolkit

Sprinkler Designer or Engineer?

Get all of our tools, including the Sprinkler Database, Friction Loss Calculator, Fire Pump Analyzer and more:

FREE 30-DAY TRIAL

GET THE TOOLKIT

Filters

Exam Prep

2019 PE Prep Guide
(Available Now!)

PE Prep Series
(Available Now!)

Current Leaderboard
(Click to enlarge)

PE Problems

Visit July-October for daily Fire Protection PE Exam sample questions.

Solutions are posted the day after posting.

Comment with your solutions, questions or clarifications.

Please note that questions posted are unofficial and in accordance with NCEES rules are intended to be similar to actual exam questions, not actual exam questions themselves.

RSS Feed

Home - About - Blog - Contact - Exam Prep - Store

Copyright © 2019 MeyerFire, LLC
The views, opinions, and information found on this site represent solely the author shown and do not represent the opinions of any other party, nor does the presented material assume responsibility for its use. Fire protection and life safety systems constitute a critical component for public health and safety and you should consult with a licensed professional for proper design and code adherence. Some (not all) outbound links on this website, such as Amazon links, are affiliate-based where we receive a commission for orders placed elsewhere.