This site houses both an Aurora inline fire pump rated at 500 gallons a minute 75 psi with a 30 horse power across the line control and a triplex variable speed domestic water booster system. Both fit conveniently into a single 15 x 20 feet room. Together the pumps provide all domestic water and fire protection. The domestic water booster systems drive by Yaskawa IQPump 1000 drives which we have found to be extremely reliable and second to none when it comes to reduction of sound and ease of programming. This project is over 10 years old and we are proud to call the installing contractor a long time customer.
We received a phone call from the plumbing contractor at One World Trade Center to provide temporary water for the building during construction. This comprised a triplex variable speed system for domestic water and a duplex set of pumps to be used during testing and filtering of the HVAC systems. The second set of pumps was on the 54th floor which received water from the basement pumps to the top of the house. We purchased these pumps from a packager. Unfortunately, the triplex domestic system in the basement had two large electrical explosions which occurred where the electrical wire from the submersible motor passes through the external stainless steel pipe or can. We learned from the problems of this project and this was the last system of this type that we ever sold or recommended and subsequently, we have severed relations with the pump packager. We learned from the experience and, for the past four years, we have provided over 400 of our new systems manufactured and supplied by Aurora,Ebara,Carver,AMT and Gorman-Rupp, without a single issue similar to what occurred at One World Trade Center. While we try to satisfy our customers, there are times when issues arise, such as during this project. However, we are continually searching for better ways to meet our customers’ needs and to correct problems from the past. This project proved to be instrumental in our growth as a company as we ventured into partnerships with other packaged pump companies.
This project consisted of a packaged duplex Aurora fire pump system containing one electric pump with 100% redundancy provided by a diesel driven Aurora fire pump. Both the electric and diesel engines provide 350 horse power. The pumps are capable of flowing 3500 gallons per minute. The entire system was engineered by Aurora in-house engineers complete with heat, ventilation, lighting, a 2 hour rated fire wall, and across the line 480 volt three phase control panel. This system shows that solid state soft start is not required on a majority of systems.
Of note, I learned something new from this project with regard to control panels. While I would normally recommend soft start for a motor of this size, this project proved to me that it is not always necessary. Even if a solid state is specified it will still need to be tested using an across the line pull handle every month. If engineers could keep this in mind, they could save owners a lot of space and money,being as they could just sepcify across the line, instead of Solid State soft start controllers.
This was a very nice project in Flushing Queens where we were able to provide a duplex variable speed domestic water booster to the NYC Licensed Plumber,the system comprised of Yaskawa IQ Pump 1000 drives and Aurora 341 close coupled end suction pumps to supply residents with water for all of their needs. In addition, we provided a Torna-Tech controller with an automatic transfer switch to send electricity to the fire pump panel during a power outage if the fire pump is called to run due to a fire.
This is a very simple triplex variable speed booster system that the contractor purchased from us and installed utilizing Yaskawa IQ Pump 1000 drives and Aurora 341 close coupled end suction pumps to boost the water pressure throughout the building complex. The engineer required that the pumps be located outdoors with lighting and heat which was easily attained using a Hot Box. The customer allowed us to keep the controls simple and the only option was to provide a set of contacts for a tie in with the fire pump system. If the fire pump calls to run, our pumps shut down so that the fire pumps will get all of the water to fight the fire.
When the engineers for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey called us, they were looking to replace all the fire pumps which service the entire airport. They were building a brand new structure to house all five fire pumps. This new structure is beautifully designed with glass walls, which visually showcase the pumps in all of their mechanical glory. Many of the photographs that you see on this website were taken at LaGuardia Airport. The project consisted of five 3500 gpm pumps, three were diesel and two electric. All are set on a simple pressure switch system. As pressure falls 10 psi from the jockey pump set point, pump number one starts and so on until all pumps are running and the required flow is attained. All pumps are Aurora single stage horizontal split case fire pumps. The two electric pumps require 500 horsepower motor which are started using medium voltage across the line starters provided by Joslyn-Clark. The three diesel pumps are driven by Detroit Diesel two stroke engines.
While there are numerous pumps in a building this size, Callaghan Pumps has had the pleasure of supplying pumps for a few small projects at this site. Our dealings have included supplying boiler feed/return pumps, recommending service work on existing fire pump control panels, and supplying a replacement of a jockey pump for the fire pump system. No matter what the project, it is always exciting to work in a building of such historical significance.
When 450 Lexington Ave in New York City had issues with its existing triplex domestic water booster system, Joe Petro, a top engineer at Concessi Engineers, was called in to examine the system. Joe looked at the system which had three horizontal multistage constant speed pumps from a well known competitor. After assessing the situation, Joe called in Callaghan Pump and Controls recognizing that its variable speed pumps that we represent would be a viable solution to the existing problem. The problem with the previous booster system was that it either ran at full speed or was off. When the building’s water demand was very low, the pumps had a ten minute minimum run timer, which boiled the water, causing premature failure of the mechanical seals. To make matters worse, the pumps had a minimum flow requirement of 20 gallons per minute. Both of these issues were handled with a “bandaid” known as a solenoid valve which dumped water to a drain wasting water and the pump’s energy. The solution was to replace the system with higher efficiency pumps and variable speed drives controlling premium efficient motors.
Callaghan Pump and Controls supplied the pumps to replace the old system with a triplex equal split 150 hp triplex variable speed system similar to our Quantumflo VMS system. With the help of Eamon Devlin of Kinturk Contracting, the system was moved into place in under 4 hours and Par Plumbing piped out the system Its compact design allowed the system to be installed behind the existing system in a space of 36″ x 72″. When startup and testing was complete the old 72″ x 121″ system was removed and discarded. Not only did the owner pick up valuable NYC real estate in the mechanical room, but hearing protection was no longer necessary as the old system sounded like a jet airplane running and the new system with vfd’s sounded more like an electric car. The unexpected surprise benefit of the system was a reduction to the electric bill of $2,470.00 a month. As it turns out, the owner gained all around: more space, less noise , and less expenditures.
We were initially called because the tank fill system at 780 3rd Avenue was in need of overhaul. The first call had us trying a new system for which we were a distributor. In this first effort, we supplied systems which had the pump and motor horizontally contained in a stainless steel casing which appears to be a pipe. While this system looks amazing at first glance, it turns out to be a service nightmare. The problem is that the electrical wiring has to pass through the stainless steel casing and through a waterproof connection to attach to the motor. That waterproof connection made at the pump factory in Debary, Fl, unfortunately, turned out not to be as waterproof as advertised. Callaghan Pump broke ties with the manufacturer when we, coincidentally, had similar problems with a pump at One World Trade Center. The owner contracted a plumber to replace the original recommended pumps at 780 3rd Avenue with vertical multi-stage pumps. These pumps have proven to be much more reliable and service friendly.
This project was fun in so many ways. First, it was the largest construction site at the time in NYC. Second, everything that was done for the first tower was duplicated for the second tower, which doubled the fun. The main point of interest was the size of the project with each pump being constructed to move 200 gallons of water per minute 1000 feet. This may have been one of the first projects to use stainless steel pipes for domestic water instead of copper primarily due to the high cost of copper. The sheer footprint required 7 duplex sump pumps for water drainage, 2 for sewage, 2 large duplex tank fill systems. Now for the fun part– our tank fill systems for this project consisted of horizontally mounted multi-staged segmented ring pumps (sometimes referred to as pancake pumps). We provided ductile iron pump casings and a high grade stainless investment cast CD4MCU impellers and diffusers. Our competitor had quoted cast iron bronze fitted pumps. With the difference in construction materials on these pumps alone, the expectation would have been that our pumps would have been at least 2 or 4 times the cost of our competitor’s. The truth is our pumps were twice as expensive but when the quote went out, our competitor’s price was three times as expensive as ours because we pass the savings onto our customers. Our competitor thought they were locked in with the contractor and added tremendous amounts of profit to the project, it but when it came down to it the owner could not ignore a 2 million dollar savings.
