From spec sheet to AHJ sign-off: we size and source the controller, coordinate with the electrician and sprinkler contractor, set the unit, configure the PLC, and run the full acceptance test. Electric or diesel: one team, both architectures, no handoff between scoping and commissioning.
Every new fire pump installation in Georgia lands somewhere on the same matrix: electric or diesel driver, paired with a controller from one of a handful of manufacturers, sometimes fronted by a transfer switch, sometimes a VFD, almost always with a jockey pump alongside. We install across the full matrix, and we install the same lines we service every day.
A clean installation starts with the service entrance. Fire pump controllers are designed for a direct service-entrance feed; the disconnect ahead of the controller must be locked in the ON position and labeled "Fire Pump Disconnect" with minimum 1" letters per NEC 695. That disconnect (fused, non-fused, or non-field-adjustable circuit breaker) must be sized to handle locked-rotor current indefinitely, calculated as 6× the motor full-load amps plus the sum of any other connected loads.
Field-adjustable circuit breakers are not permitted to feed power to a fire pump controller (NFPA 20 9.2.3.4.1 and NEC 695.4(2)(d)). We catch this on plan review and again in the field. It's one of the most common reasons an otherwise complete install fails AHJ inspection.
Power conductors are sized at 125% of motor full-load amps per NEC 695 and Table 430.250. Electric fire pump controller lugs are sized for copper; aluminum runs may not fit the supplied terminations, so we spec copper from the start. Diesel pump wiring uses stranded copper. Solid core is not permitted because it can't tolerate engine vibration. Splices are never made inside the controller; if a junction is required, it's made in a separate box outside the enclosure.
Conduit selection is governed by NFPA 20 and NFPA 25 along with NEC 695: rigid metallic conduit, EMT, Type MI cable, liquidtight flexible metallic, or liquidtight flexible nonmetallic. Rigid PVC is permitted only for grounding circuits inside the pump room, never for power circuits. Enclosures are matched to environment: NEMA 2 for typical indoor pump rooms, NEMA 12 for jockey controllers in dusty rooms, and NEMA 3R, 4, or 4X where the controller is exposed to weather, washdown, or corrosive atmosphere.
Acceptance testing is where the install gets proven. NFPA 20 and NFPA 25 set the bar, and we run the full sequence with the AHJ on site. The pump must start six times manually and six times automatically, with each start running a minimum of five minutes. The pump must operate at minimum, rated, and peak loads without overheating any component (NFPA 20 14.2.6.2.1). On any installation with an automatic transfer switch, the voltage drop during the transition to emergency power must not exceed 15% of rated voltage (NEC 695.7(A)). Undersized generators are the most common reason this point fails.
Required personnel on acceptance day: the AHJ, a factory representative for the fire pump, a factory representative for the controller, a factory representative for the diesel engine where applicable, and the installing fire sprinkler contractor. We coordinate the schedule so everyone shows up the same day and the test runs in one pass. Mechanically, we verify the casing relief valve is discharging water at churn so the pump doesn't overheat at no-flow, and that packing glands are dripping at least one drip per second to keep the packing cool. Suction pressure, discharge pressure, motor speed, voltage, and current are recorded at every flow point.
Your electrician handles the wiring and conduit per NEC. We handle the controller spec, controller sourcing, PLC configuration, transfer-switch programming where applicable, the AHJ submittal packet, and the acceptance test itself. The two scopes meet at the controller terminals. We're happy to coordinate directly with whichever electrician you've already retained.
Lead time on the controller itself is usually four to eight weeks from order. On-site work depends on the project: a controller swap can be a few days, a full skid install runs longer. Acceptance day is typically one full day with all factory representatives present, including the AHJ.
Yes. Same crew, both architectures. We're not an electric shop that subs out the diesel side or vice versa, and that matters most on combined installations where the electric primary and diesel backup have to be commissioned together.
We'll dispatch a technician as fast as we can while we plan the bigger project.
