Different Water Sources for Fire Protection Systems

One factor unites all water-based fire suppression systems: a need for water. These systems won't work correctly without access to a sufficient water supply. When choosing a water supply, make sure it is dependable, automated when necessary, and has enough volume and pressure to fulfill system demands. This blog post will go through the many possibilities for supplying a water-based fire prevention system.

Availability of Public Water Supply

This often connects to a water main at the street level and is referred to as a "waterworks system." A municipal or private water business may manage or run them.

Only if the volume exceeds peak demand as determined by a water flow test or other permitted technique is a connection to a public water supply allowed. Additionally, the pressure must be greater than the peak demand, although that may be done by adding a fire pump.

The water supply that was tested ought to be an accurate representation of what may be on hand in the event of a fire (in other words, at times of highest demand on the waterworks system and at times of the lowest demand on the waterworks system). This is important since the availability of public water may vary greatly from season to season and even within a 24-hour period. These may also be impacted by conditions like ice in the winter, drought, or disruptions brought on by floods. As a way to save water, several towns are also reducing supplied system pressure. Without accounting for variations in the water supply, a system's design runs the risk of under-pressurizing or over pressurizing the system.

Tanks

Tanks used to store water are used to resupply water-based fire suppression systems. Water tanks may be utilized in a variety of situations, but they are most often employed when a sufficient supply of water is either unavailable or unreliable. Gravity, suction, and pressure tanks are just a few of the several kinds of tanks that may be utilized as a source of water.

Reclaimed or Recycled Water

Due to a rise in interest in environmentally friendly and sustainable water consumption as well as changes in weather patterns that cause droughts, there is growing interest in utilizing recycled or reclaimed water as a viable water source for fire defense systems, such as sprinkler systems. To make sure that any materials, chemicals, or pollutants in the water won't harm the sprinkler system's components it encounters, the source of the water and the treatment procedure (if any) must be examined.

Suction Tank

On the ground or below, suction tanks are installed. As a result, they do not employ elevation as their main method of raising pressure. Typically, suction tanks provide water to a fire pump, which increases pressure. Below-grade tanks need special attention since they must either have a vertical turbine pump or a pump that is situated below the tank.

Stress Tank

Under pressure, water and air are both contained in pressure tanks. The pressured air pushes the water out of the tank when a system is activated. As a result, there has to be enough air to release the water from the tank at the required pace. Because they are normally no more than 10,000 gallons, pressure tanks are seldom utilized (37,850 liters).

Gravity Tank

Elevated water tanks called gravity tanks use gravity to create pressure. They may be used to provide water to a fire pump or to generate the required pressure to run a fire suppression system on their own. Although they are often found in a dependable waterworks system, gravity tanks are seldom employed in private water sources.

River, lake, penstock, flume, and reservoir

Flumes, rivers, lakes, ponds, and penstocks are examples of naturally occurring sources. These types of water supply sources must be set properly to prevent silt and muck from entering the pipes of the fire prevention system. As a result, they must have two detachable screens or strainers on the water pipe intakes. It is also necessary to confirm their dependability and capacity to fulfill system demand, as well as to account for any possible seasonal variations. To provide the system with enough pressure, these naturally existing sources need to be put beside a fire pump. If using these kinds of water supply sources is being considered, the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) should be contacted.

Fuel Pump

Fire pumps are used in a few of the water sources covered above to raise pressure. It's crucial to realize that fire pumps can only produce the amount of water that is available in a particular source. Fire pumps are thus not a suitable source of water on their own. However, they can be required to improve a water supply's pressure such that it is acceptable. Visit our blog on fire pump types for more on the various fire pump kinds.

Reliable waterworks, water storage tanks, penstocks, flumes, rivers, ponds, lakes, or any combination of these are acceptable sources of water for a fire pump as long as the supply entering the fire pump has enough volume to fulfill the system demand.

"In summary, there are a variety of water supply choices. The sort of supply that is available will vary depending on the requirements of the system it is supporting and the building's location in relation to topography and geography."