In TS EN 12845+A2:2026, electric pump sets are covered in Clause 10.8. The A2 revision deleted many provisions in this clause and transferred the pump set itself to EN 17451: Clause 10.1 states that water supplies consisting of pumps shall conform to EN 17451 (EN p.57). The provisions remaining in Clause 10.8 are mainly on the supply, cabling, labelling and monitoring side. Source: TS EN 12845+A2:2026, Clause 10.8, EN p.64-65.
10.8.1 General
| Subclause | Provision | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 10.8.1.1 | The electricity supply system shall be available at all times | EN p.64 |
| 10.8.1.2 | Up to date documentation of the installation drawings, the main supply and transformer diagrams, the connections feeding the pump set control panel, and the motor, control, alarm circuits and signals is kept available in the sprinkler valve or pump compartment | EN p.64 |
| 10.8.1.3 | After starting, the pump set operates at its rated capacity within 15 seconds | EN p.64 |
10.8.2 Electricity supply
The supply to the pump set is dedicated to the use of the sprinkler system alone and is separate from all other connections. Where the electricity undertaking permits, the electricity supply to the pump control panel is taken from the incoming side of the main switch on the supply to the premises; where this is not permitted, it is taken by means of a connection from the main switch (EN p.64).
Immediately after this paragraph there is a "deleted text" marker in the text. The provisions that occupied this position in editions prior to A2 have been removed. Consequently, matters such as the type of fuse, for how many seconds a fuse must carry the starting current, and the presence or prohibition of overload protection are not in the A2:2026 text.
The remaining provisions are as follows:
- Only one load (switchgear, equipment, etc.) is connected to each power cable.
- Power cables are flame retardant and have a burning behaviour conforming to EN 60332 test type B or C.
- The conductor cross section is at least 2.5 mm² Cu.
- All cables required for the operation of the sprinkler system are selected and installed so that they continue to function in the event of fire.
Flame retardant cables may be used without any further requirement, provided that they are installed as follows (EN p.64):
- a) buried with a cover of at least 70 cm;
- b) in floors and walls made of non combustible material with adequate cover, for example with 10 cm cover in concrete;
- c) in sprinkler pump rooms; or
- d) in main electrical switchboard operating rooms, provided that the room is fitted with sprinklers or conforms to 5.1.2 c).
Otherwise, cables are installed as follows (EN p.64-65):
- e) as E 90 fire resistant cables which have been subjected to additional testing by the authorities and for which functionality on exposure to water and protection against mechanical damage have been ensured; in suspended ceiling voids conforming to 5.4 immediately below the structural ceiling, in enclosed shafts and ducts made of non combustible material, or on cable trays completely enclosed with non combustible material.
Where E 90 cables are used, they are installed in accordance with the relevant approval and approved fixings conforming to the installation instructions are used for each cable. Where sprinkler systems are supplied from two electricity power sources, the cables to the pump set shall be installed at least 3 m apart (EN p.65).
10.8.3 Main panel
- 10.8.3.1: the main panel of the premises is located in a fire compartment not used for any purpose other than electricity power supplies. The electrical connections at the main panel are arranged so that the supply to the pump set is not isolated when other services are isolated (EN p.65).
- 10.8.3.2: every switch on the power supply dedicated to the sprinkler pump set is labelled as follows: SPRINKLER PUMP MOTOR SUPPLY - NOT TO BE SWITCHED OFF IN THE EVENT OF FIRE. The letters on the sign are at least 10 mm high, white on a red background. The switch is locked against interference (EN p.65). The same label is repeated in Clause 18.2.6.3 (EN p.117).
10.8.4 Installation between the main panel and the electric pump set
The current to be used in calculating the correct cross section of the cable is determined by taking 150 % of the greatest possible full load current of the pump set (EN p.65).
Worked example (arithmetic only): for a pump set with a full load current of 120 A, the cable is sized for 120 × 1.50 = 180 A. The standard gives no table for calculating current from motor power; the full load current is taken from the motor nameplate and from the pump set manufacturer's data.
This clause is also followed by a "deleted text" marker in the text.
10.8.5 Monitoring of pump set operation
Clause 10.8.5.1 (EN p.65) requires the following four conditions to be monitored (see Annex I):
- power available to the motor and on all three phases in the case of alternating current;
- pump on demand;
- pump running;
- start failure.
Clause 10.8.5.2: all monitored conditions are indicated visually and separately in the pump room. Pump running and the fault alarm are in addition indicated audibly and visually at a location permanently attended by responsible personnel. This paragraph is also followed by a "deleted text" marker.
The standard gives no colour code or sound level (dB) for these indicators. A colour definition is given only for the panels of zoned installations, in Annex D.3.7 (EN p.137): green visual indicators showing that each monitored stop valve is in the correct operating position; audible devices and amber visual indicators showing that control valve sets or zone subsidiary stop valves are not fully open; audible devices and amber indicators showing that the static pressure in any supplying main header has fallen by 0.5 bar or more below the normal static pressure; audible devices and red visual indicators showing that water is flowing to the installation or to one or more zones.
Annex I, Table I.1: electric pump set alarm types (EN p.155)
| Alarm | Alarm type |
|---|---|
| On demand | B |
| Start failure | B |
| Running | A |
| Power not available | B |
Type A is a fire alarm and type B is a technical (fault) alarm.
Other provisions around the pump set
- Clause 10.2 (EN p.57): pump sets have compatible characteristic curves and can operate in parallel at all possible flow rates. Where two pumps are installed, each shall be able to deliver the specified flows and pressures independently. Where three pumps are installed, each pump shall be able to deliver at least 50 % of the specified flow at the specified pressure. Where a superior or duplicate water supply contains more than one pump, only one of them may be driven by an electric motor.
- Clause 10.3.3 (EN p.58): the pump set compartment is maintained at a minimum of 4 °C for electric sets.
- Clause 10.4 (EN p.58): the water supply temperature does not exceed 40 °C. Where submersible pump sets are used, the water temperature does not exceed 25 °C unless the suitability of the motor up to 40 °C is demonstrated.
- Clause 10.7.5.2 (EN p.63): the first pump set starts automatically before the pressure in the main header falls below 0.8p, where p is the closed valve pressure; with two pump sets the second starts before the pressure falls below 0.6p. Once started, the pump continues to run until it is stopped manually. In other words, the "manual stop only" provision is not in 10.8.5 but in 10.7.5.2.
- Clause 10.7.5.1 (EN p.63): two pressure switches are provided to start each pump set; the pipe to the switches is at least 15 mm and the switches are connected so that either of them will start the pump set.
- Clause 10.7.5.3 (EN p.64): arrangements are made to test the starting of the pump set by each pressure switch. Where there is an isolating valve in the connection between the main header and the pump set starting pressure switch, a check valve is fitted in parallel with that isolating valve so that a pressure drop in the main header is transmitted to the switch even when the isolating valve is closed.
- Clause 18.2.5.1 (EN p.116): a nameplate is fixed to each suction or booster pump; the plate gives the outlet pressure (bar) at the inlet condition and flow specified in Table 16, the corresponding rated speed and flow (l/min) and the maximum power absorbed at any flow at the relevant speed.
- Clause 20.3.2.6 (EN p.121): in the quarterly routine, secondary electricity supplies from diesel generators are checked for satisfactory operation.
Provisions not in the standard
The following topics do not appear in the text of Clause 10.8 of TS EN 12845+A2:2026:
- that fuses shall be of the HRC type or shall carry the starting current for a specified time;
- a prohibition on thermal or overload protection;
- a requirement for utilization category AC-3 for contactors (EN 60947-4 appears in the list of normative references, but no category is specified in 10.8);
- that the panel and the motor shall be in the same compartment;
- that the cable to the pump motor terminal block shall be in one piece;
- a lamp test button;
- the presence of an ammeter on the panel;
- the colour of the fault indicator or the decibel value of the audible signal.
Field note: these topics are still discussed on site, but when they are written into a specification the source cited should be EN 17451, the EN 60947 series or the pump set manufacturer's documentation; a reference to EN 12845 has nothing behind it for these provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Within how many seconds shall an EN 12845 electric pump set reach its rated capacity?
TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Clause 10.8.1.3 (EN p.64): the pump set shall be operating at its rated capacity within 15 seconds of starting. Clause 10.8.1.1 requires the electricity supply system to be available at all times, and 10.8.1.2 requires up to date documentation of the installation drawings, the main supply and transformer diagrams and the motor, control, alarm circuit and signal connections to be kept in the sprinkler valve or pump compartment.
On what current is the pump supply cable sized?
Clause 10.8.4 (EN p.65): the current to be used in calculating the correct cross section of the cable is determined by taking 150 % of the greatest possible full load current of the pump set. In addition, Clause 10.8.2 (EN p.64) requires a conductor cross section of at least 2.5 mm² Cu and requires cables to be flame retardant with burning behaviour conforming to EN 60332 test type B or C.
Which conditions are monitored at the pump panel?
Clause 10.8.5.1 (EN p.65) lists four conditions: power available to the motor (on all three phases in the case of alternating current), pump on demand, pump running, start failure. Clause 10.8.5.2 requires all monitored conditions to be indicated visually and separately in the pump room, and requires pump running and the fault alarm also to be indicated audibly and visually at a location permanently attended by responsible personnel.
What shall the label at the main switch look like?
Clause 10.8.3.2 (EN p.65): every switch on the power supply dedicated to the sprinkler pump set is labelled SPRINKLER PUMP MOTOR SUPPLY - NOT TO BE SWITCHED OFF IN THE EVENT OF FIRE. The letters on the sign are at least 10 mm high and white on a red background. The switch is locked to protect it against interference. Clause 18.2.6.3 repeats the same label.
Must the pump set panel and the motor be in the same compartment?
There is no such provision in TS EN 12845+A2:2026. Clause 10.8.5.2 governs where the monitored conditions are indicated, not the location of the panel relative to the motor. In Clause 10.3.1 the standard requires pump sets to be in a compartment with at least 60 minutes fire resistance not used for any purpose other than fire protection, and in Clause 10.8.3.1 it requires the main panel of the building to be in a fire compartment used only for electricity power supplies.
References
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Clauses 10.1, 10.2 (EN p.57)
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Clauses 10.3.3, 10.4 (EN p.58)
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Clauses 10.7.5.1, 10.7.5.2 (EN p.63)
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Clauses 10.7.5.3, 10.8.1.1, 10.8.1.2, 10.8.1.3, 10.8.2 (EN p.64)
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Clauses 10.8.3.1, 10.8.3.2, 10.8.4, 10.8.5.1, 10.8.5.2 (EN p.65)
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Clauses 18.2.5.1, 18.2.6.3 (EN p.116-117)
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Clause 20.3.2.6 (EN p.121)
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Annex D, Clause D.3.7 (EN p.137)
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Annex I, Table I.1 (EN p.155)
- TS EN 12845+A2:2026 Clause 2, Normative references (EN p.15)
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Download MEP Calc on the App StoreTS EN 12845+A2:2026 (EN 12845:2015+A2:2026) Fixed firefighting systems — Automatic sprinkler systems — Design, installation and maintenance; TS EN 12845-2:2025 (EN 12845-2:2024) ESFR and CMSA sprinkler systems. Every figure in this article is taken from the published standard text; clause, table and page references are listed under References. General information only, not a substitute for the standard or for a design review.