Thursday, March 29, 2007

WHAT'S HOT!

The first National Fire Protection Association standard for automatic sprinklers was published in 1896 and contained paragraphs on steam and rotary fire pumps.

Early fire pumps were only secondary supplies for sprinklers, standpipes, and hydrants and were started manually. Today, fire pumps have greatly increased in number and in applications - many are the major or only water supply, and almost all are started automatically. Early pumps usually took suction by lift from standing or flowing water supplies because the famed National Standard Steam Fire Pump and rotary types suited that service. Ascendancy of the centrifugal pump resulted in positive head supply to horizontal shaft pumps from public water supplies and aboveground tanks. Later, vertical shaft turbine-type pumps were lowered into wells or into wet pits supplied from ponds or other belowground sources of water.

Gasoline engine-driven pumps first appeared in this standard in 1913. From an early status of relative unreliability and of supplementary use only, first spark-ignited gasoline engines and then compression ignition diesels have steadily developed engine-driven pumps to a place alongside electric-driven units for total reliability. Fire protection now calls for larger pumps, higher pressures, and more varied units for a wide range of systems protecting both life and property. Hydraulically calculated and designed sprinkler and special fire protection systems have changed concepts of water supply completely. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org.

VERTICAL INLINE FIRE PUMPS

A-C Fire Pumps Systems® has introduced new 1250/1500 GPM vertical in-line fire pumps to complement its existing Series 1580 pumps. Series 1580 is designed for commercial, industrial and institutional applications, and includes capacities from 35 to 1500 GPM, and pressure ranges from 40 to 165 PSI. The Series 1580 pump features superior performance with quality construction, as well as compact design, requiring up to 30 percent less space. It is also suitable for retrofit applications with limited space for a pump room. Easily installed, it is available in a wide range of sizes. Customers can locate the A-C Fire Pump Systems distributor closest to them by visiting the company's Web site at

Circle Card No. 068 or visit www.nfpa.org/product-info-journal

ROTARY GEAR PUMPS

Edwards High Performance Rotary Gear Pumps are a low flow, high head design capable of running dry, due to the non-contacting rotor design. They have replaceable casing liners and stainless steel shafts for low cost maintenance and long life. Edwards High Performance Rotary Gear Pumps are available in Bronze, Stainless Steel or DI/ Bronze. No one has supplied more foam pumps to the industry than Edwards. This kind of reliability is critical to the operation of a fire protection system and the lives and property it protects. Our experience in the design and application of mist and foam systems will help you achieve your desired results

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