PLUMBING DESIGN by the NUMBERS
Give Me a Boost!
James E. Stenqvist, CPD
A domestic water pressure-booster
system is required when the available
street water main pressure is not suf-
ficient to serve a building’s plumbing
fixtures and equipment. With the pleth-
ora of low- and ultra-low-flow fixtures
used today, a requirement of 30 pounds
per square inch at a flush valve is not
uncommon.
Pressure deficiencies can be due to a
number of dissimilar causes. A decrease
in water main pressure might occur
because of increased area population
or development or decreased distribu-
tion pressure due to aging water mains.
A backflow preventer on the incoming
water service might have been added
to the system. A service pipe might be
starting to leak and deteriorate, result-
ing in low flows and pressures. Large
flows being drawn from a system (such
as spikes due to process flow or high
peak demands) may result in reduced
pressure. The majority of high-rise
buildings generally requires a booster
system due to the elevation head loss
that a municipal water source does not
provide.
A booster system takes the existing
street pressure and adds to it to attain
the preferred system pressure. System
pressure refers to the pressure in the
piping manifold after the pressure
booster. It is expressed by the following
formula:
Suction pressure + Boost pressure –
Pump losses – Pressure-reducing
valve losses = System pressure
Suction pressure is the available
street pressure; boost pressure is the
required additional increase added to
the street pressure; pressure-reducing
valve losses are the pressure losses
through the pressure-reducing valves;
and pump losses are the losses through
the booster system piping.
A pressure-booster system design
requires the determination of the fol-
lowing variables:
• Flow (gallons per minute). The pres-
sure booster must provide adequate
flow under a wide range of demand
conditions.
50 Plumbing Systems & Design • May/June 2005
• Residual Pressure. This is the mini-
mum pressure required at the most
remote fixture in the plumbing
system (i.e., pressure at the highest
fixture).
• Static or Building Height. This is the
elevation of the most remote fixture
above the incoming supply main. It
can be determined by the number of
and distance between stories or from
architectural elevations.
• Supply or Suction Pressure. The
water service pressure available
from the local municipality must be
considered in the calculations. This
pressure should be taken after the
water meter and backflow preven-
tion device, as these devices can
reduce the incoming supply pressure
by as much as 15 psi.
• Losses. The friction loss calculation
should include losses within the
pressure-booster system itself, pres-
sure-reducing valves, and intercon-
necting piping in the package (typi-
cally about five psi).
When the pumps’ pressure and
system capacity differences have been
designed, it is essential to determine
the quantity, gpm flow rate, and horse-
power of the pumps and other appara-
tus that best suit the use. Normal water
demand is typically less than 20 percent
of peak demand (more than 70 percent
of the time). Due to this system char-
acteristic, a multiple-pump system or
a multiple-pump and hydropneumatic
tank system can diminish operating
expenses considerably. These systems
select the smallest suitable pump horse-
power to deliver the required normal
demand, with additional pumps utilized
when the demand rises toward the
peak flow rate.
Booster systems can be simple end-
suction pumps or more expensive mul-
tiple-pump systems with variable speed
controls. For a small system (below
approximately 150 gpm), two pumps
providing a percentage of the total flow
generally are considered acceptable
because the resultant horsepower will
be relatively small. For large systems,
consider three-pump installations for
greater reliability and to reduce each
pump’s horsepower. For systems with
extremely variable demands, consider
using additional pumps. End-suction
pumps normally are used in small and
low-head installations, while multiple-
pump units can be used for large
capacity requirements. End-suction
pumps can be mounted vertically for
a compact design and provide eco-
nomical equipment packages. Split-case
pumps are utilized on most medium- to
high-flow applications requiring low
to medium heads. These pumps are
heavy duty and offer extended product
life. However, these units require more
space than end-suction pumps.
Systems are available in the following
most common configurations:
• simplex, in which one pump pro-
duces all flow and pressure;
• duplex, in which the system flow
usually is split between two pumps,
equally or unequally;
• triplex, in which the system flow
usually is split among three pumps,
equally or unequally; and
• quadraplex, in which large system
flows are split among four pumps,
typically unequally.
It is important to consider alternate
staging scenarios. Make certain that you
have exhausted all possible capacity
splits. You may find that the total brake
horsepower required on an unequal
split (33/67%, 20/80%, 20/40/40%,
10/45/45%) may be less than an equal
split (50/50%, 65/65%, 33/33/33%,
50/50/50%).
When designing for redundancy,
overdesigning or including a safety
factor is discouraged. With a multiple-
pump design, you can make the best
use of the pumping power and still
have redundancy. For example, instead
of using a 65/65 percent capacity split,
which adds unnecessary capacity to the
system when the lead pump runs, add
15 percent redundancy to the design
load and suggest a 33/67 percent split
where cost effective. The redundancy
still is built into the system; however,
 PLUMBING DESIGN by the NUMBERS
the smaller pump likely will run most valves are installed elsewhere in the adjacent to the booster skid. ■
of the time. Consider variable-frequency system. References
drives for large systems to allow con- You must install a hydropneumatic Armstrong Pumps Pressure Booster
stant pressure regulation without the tank in systems that do not have a System Designer’s Handbook. Arm-
need for pressure-reducing valves. continuous flow, so most projects will strong Pumps.
For most applications, pressure-regu- require a tank. The tank does not keep
lating valves are needed to maintain a up with the load; the pumps do. The
steady system pressure. Pressure-regu- tank maintains pressure and accom-
lating valves compensate for variations modates small demands, allowing the James Stenqvist, CPD,
in suction pressure, pump performance pumps to be shut down and not con- is the former president
curve characteristics, and pressure tinuously run. The tank provides low of ASPE’s Connecticut
Chapter. To comment
variations due to pump sequencing. system demand and maintains system
on this article, or for
Consider check valves in lieu of pres- pressure while the pumps are off, pre- more information,
sure-regulating valves when the suction venting pump short-cycling, reducing contact articles@
pressure is constant (i.e., suction from pump wear, and providing energy sav- psdmagazine.org.
a reservoir or tank), the pumps are of ings. Hydropneumatic tanks or draw- This article is meant to provide some basic
equal size and their performance curves down tanks can be remote mounted at guidelines. Always check all relevant codes
are relatively flat, or pressure-regulating the top of the building or field installed and resources for a particular project.

❑ Checklist for Booster Pump Installation Sequencing Devices

❑ Flow switch
Before You Begin System Components ❑ Pressure switch
❑ Determine applicable codes. ❑ Pump and motor unit (starter and ❑ Current sensing relay
❑ Ensure the pump is absolutely disconnect)
required. ❑ Pressure-reducing valve Controls
❑ Perform initial calculations. ❑ Pipe and fittings ❑ Main disconnect switch
❑ Space-proof and locate the pump. ❑ Strainer ❑ Power transformers
❑ Determine incoming water sizes, ❑ Controls ❑ Panel protection circuits
locations, and pressures. ❑ Shutoff valves ❑ Pump selection and shunting circuits
❑ Incorporate plans for future expan- ❑ Hydropneumatic tank ❑ Alternator switches
sion. ❑ Housekeeping pad ❑ Pump run indicators and motor con-
tactors
Verify Design Parameters Sizing Requirements
❑ Design conditions (dynamic head, ❑ Current sensing transformers and
❑ Static head or building height control relays
flow requirements, etc.)
❑ Friction losses ❑ Minimum run timer
❑ Suction pressure from water source
❑ Pressure required at furthest point ❑ Aquastats and solenoid valves
❑ Building height
❑ Minimum suction pressure ❑ High and low suction pressure
❑ Pump type (end suction, vertical
❑ Pump capacity (gallons per minute) warnings
inline, vertical multistage, vertical
turbine, constant speed, variable ❑ Total dynamic head ❑ Pump protection circuits and alarms
speed) ❑ Pressure-reducing valve losses ❑ Remote communication signaling
❑ Electrical characteristics (120, 208, System Manifold ❑ Explosion-proof controls (if environ-
240, or 480 volts) ❑ Cast iron, flanged ment is hazardous)
❑ Friction losses through pipe and fit- ❑ Type K copper ❑ Enclosure type (NEMA 3R, 4X, etc.)
tings
❑ Type L copper Alarms
❑ Pressure required at top of building ❑ High system pressure
❑ Schedule 40, galvanized steel
❑ Emergency or standby power for the ❑ Low system pressure
❑ Type 304, stainless steel
pumps
❑ High suction pressure
❑ Ground fault electrical protection Drawdown Storage Tanks
❑ Remote mounted ❑ Low suction level shutdown
❑ Skid mounted ❑ Motor overload
❑ Adjacent mounted
Publisher’s Note: ASPE and PSD do not directly or indirectly endorse products or manufacturers. Material present in this magazine is for furthering the technical interests of plumbing engineers, designers, contractors, and
other interested professionals. From time to time a product may be mentioned, or an article or the material from a professional or specialist from a product manufacturer may be presented.
The presentation of this type of material is in no way an endorsement of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers or of Plumbing Systems & Design magazine. The material has been reviewed by PSD professionals who provide
technical editing services to the Society and is deemed to be of sufficient or significant interest to the plumbing industry and profession.

May/June 2005 • Plumbing Systems & Design 51