A North Sydney office block was undergoing a major refurbishment and required complete replacement of the existing outdated fire pump located on the 21st floor. With limited access to the pump plant room and an after-hours schedule, what new configuration provided a solution?
"The first challenge we faced involved the design requirements of the pumpset. The existing single NSW Ordinance 70 11kW combined diesel/electric pumpset was located within an extremely small area and rested upon unevenly spaced elevated concrete beams. Fitting two, larger 30kW pumpsets with additional pipework in the same area was going to prove a real challenge," said Mr Petrocco.
To overcome these limits, the Kelair team began producing a series of 3D designs of the space. This allowed them to trial different configurations to maximise their design and produce the most effective layout for the pumpset installation.
Impressive Heights
The next major challenge involved logistics, with the pumpsets being located on the 21st floor of the complex.
"The only access for personnel to the site was limited to two flights of narrow stairs leading up to level 21 from the level below. Because of this, the pumpsets and their associated pipework had to be stripped down into manageable components that could be transported individually via a goods lift to the 20th floor.
"We then used a specialised lifting frame to hoist all large components to level 21 via a concrete access hatch. The same hatch was used to remove the existing pumpset from the site," said Mr Petrocco.
After hours
The third and final challenge of the upgrade involved noise levels and timing, with works forced to be completed after hours and during the night.
"As there was a large, multinational head office located on the 20th floor, noise and personnel access to level 21 was also limited during standard work hours.
"Because of this, our team had to schedule works to weekends or after hours to get the job done.
"At Kelair Pumps Australia, we pride ourselves on our flexible and efficient servicing team, and it was this that enabled us to work around these requirements to reduce any disturbance to site tenants.
"The upgrade was successfully completed in a timely manner, with the client very pleased with the result," said Mr Petrocco.
Diesel Hydrant Pumpsets in-stock
Kelair Pumps Australia now has AS2941-2008 Diesel Hydrant Pumpsets available in-stock. With each set ready off-the-shelf, lead times are fast and result in significant cost savings to all Kelair clients.
For more information on to purchase a Kelair Diesel Hydrant Pumpset, please contact Rolando Petrocco on 0415 553 700 (NSW division) or contact your local office on 1300 789 466.
