Pumps

Wildland Fire Pump Calculator – Can My Pump Send It?

Quick Calculator to determine if your pump can get water from point A to point B. Uses calculations and math from S211 Water Pumps.

mark 3 pump diagram wildland fire

Can Pump Do It?

📘 IRPG 2025 – Water Delivery Information (Page 88)

🔹 Approximate Volume of Water per 100 Feet of Hose:

Hose DiameterGallons
¾ inch2 gal
1 inch4 gal
1½ inch9 gal
1¾ inch11 gal
2 inch16 gal
2½ inch25 gal

🔹 Nozzle Pressure Recommendations:

Nozzle TypePressure (PSI)
Straight Tip50–100
Fog Nozzle100
Adjustable Combo100

🔹 Friction Loss (Approximate per 100 ft at 15 GPM):

Hose SizeFriction Loss (PSI)
1½ inch1 PSI
1 inch5 PSI
¾ inch12 PSI

🔹 Elevation Pressure:

+0.5 PSI per foot gained
–0.5 PSI per foot lost

🔹 Pump Discharge Pressure (PDP):

PDP = Friction Loss (FL)
    + Elevation (E)
    + Nozzle Pressure (NP)
  

🔹 Example:

  • 300 ft of 1.5″ hose
  • 60 ft elevation gain
  • Fog nozzle (100 PSI)

FL: 3 sections × 1 PSI = 3 PSI
E: 60 ft × 0.5 = 30 PSI
NP: 100 PSI

Total PDP: 3 + 30 + 100 = 133 PSI

wildland pump diagram