PINETOWN-based Natal Pump Services manufactured several containerised hydrant, ASIB and NFPA fire pump rooms during 2018.
That’s according to General Manager Richard Gatlish, who added these containerised pump rooms had been cleverly packaged to make the best use of space.
“Excellent ventilation” was achieved by installing “generous louvered splats to allow cool air in at ground level and then a ‘whirlybird’ or two is built into the roof (depending on heat loading requirements) to ensure that the heat escapes.”
Additionally, said Gatlish, a pitched roof is fitted over the container roof to ensure that there is no direct sunlight on the container roof and to channel air over the container roof. The diesel engine exhaust is completely lagged and ducted out of the pump room in such a way to reduce the heat radiated into the pump room to a minimum.
He said these customised container pump rooms are cheaper and quicker to build than a permanent brick, mortar and concrete structure.
“More importantly, the pump room becomes a movable asset and allows the tenant to take their fire set with them should they move premises at any time; or move pump rooms around between different sites based on changing requirements.”
He said two of the recently supplied units were placed inside buildings. “This may seem counter-intuitive. Why would we build a costly, fully imported NFPA pump set in one of our container pump rooms and then place it inside a building?
“Well, here they don’t have to worry about the additional pitched roof and whirlybirds but still have a movable asset that allows the tenant to take their fire set with them should they move at any time.”
Gatlish said the same principle could apply to the locally manufactured Hydrant and ASIB pump sets that the company builds into containerised pump rooms.