Long-Shaft Fire Pumps and Submersible Fire Pumps: Which One?

When the fire water sits below ground level, in a well, a sunken tank or a reservoir, an ordinary end-suction fire pump has to lift it, and suction lift is exactly where a pump is least reliable. Both pumps on this page avoid that problem by putting the impellers in the water. The difference is where the motor goes.

	Long-shaft fire pump	Submersible fire pump
Motor	On the surface, driving a long shaft	In the water, joined to the pump
Pump end	In the water	In the water
Access for service	Motor easy to reach; pump end needs lifting	Whole unit is lifted out
Pump house	Needed for the motor	Only for the control panel
Best when	Deep water source with a pump room above	Little space at the top, or no pump room

What the photo shows

These are long-shaft deep well pumps at the works, in the red paint usual for fire service equipment. You can see the parts that go down the well, the column sections and the bowl assembly with its stages, and the discharge head that sits on top.

Questions to settle before ordering

• Flow and pressure required by the fire system design
• Depth from the pump base to the lowest water level, which sets the column length
• Power supply, and whether a standby drive is required
• Which fire code applies to your project. Tell us, and we will discuss what the pump must meet