Understanding Fire Pump Curves inside of Inspect Point

A fire pump curve is a graphical representation of a fire pump’s performance characteristics—how much pressure it can deliver at various flow rates.

Inspect Point automatically generates fire pump performance curves as part of the Annual Fire Pump Inspection Report, helping you visualize pump behavior over time and ensure NFPA 25 compliance. No manual plotting is required—curves are built from inspection and asset detail information.

Types of Fire Pump Curves Generated

If the necessary data has been entered, up to four curves are automatically plotted on the inspection report:

1. Current Performance Curve - Driven off of this year’s flow test results entered by the technician in the field during the annual inspection—This information can only be added in the field during the inspection.
2. Manufacturing Curve - Driven off of the fire pump details stored at the building's asset level. This can be added in the backend or in the field, and only needs to be added once.
3. Previous Year Curve - Driven off the flow test results collected during the previous annual fire pump inspection.
4. 5% Degradation Curve - Plots a line 5% below the manufacturer’s performance, as a benchmark for identifying degradation.

How are Fire Pump Curves Generated? 

Curves are generated automatically based on the information given by the technician during the annual fire pump inspection. It's important to note that Inspect Point does not calculate total flow—this must be entered manually by the technician.

1. Performance Curve - To generate the Current Year Performance Curve, the following fields must be filled out by the technician in the field:
   • 0% Churn - Suction, Discharge, and Total Flow at 0%
   • 50% (Optional) - Suction, Discharge, and Total Flow at 50%
   • 100% Rated Pressure - Suction, Discharge, and Total Flow at 100%
   • 150% Overload - Suction, Discharge, and Total Flow at 150% 
      
2. Manufacturing Curve - To generate the Manufacturing Curve, the following inputs must be added to the fire pump details, via the backend or field:
   • Rated GPM - Pump’s rated flow
   • Rated Pressure - Pressure at 100% flow
   • Rated 0 Pressure - Churn pressure (0% flow)
   • Rated 150 Pressure - Pressure at 150% flow 

Pump Curve Report Notes: 

• The report includes a legend with color-coded curve types for clarity.
• If required information is missing, curves will not display.
• The X-axis on the graph = Total Flow
• The Y-axis = Net Pressure (Discharge - Suction)
• Technicians can preview curves during the inspection in the field 
  Related Article: