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Hydraulics Calculator

Pump discharge pressure worked the way the standard works it — nozzle first, back to the pump. Every coefficient, nozzle pressure and appliance loss on this page is Orem’s.

PUMP
PDP psi
Flowing gpm
Net pump psi
Nozzle reaction lb

Total lay from the pump to the nozzle.

5 psi per floor above the 1st · 0.5 psi per foot.

From the hydrant. Net pump pressure is PDP minus this.

Combined flow decides whether a small appliance counts 10 psi or 0.

Worked out — start at the nozzle

Pump discharge pressure

Formula — C×Q²×L

Friction loss by coefficient.

Field method

The drill-ground shortcut.

Friction loss per 100 ft — the standard’s own table

HoseGPMFieldC×Q²×L
1-3/4"1603040
2-1/2"2651614
3"30097.2
5"1,000108 *

One discrepancy in the source. The printed table shows .08 in the 5″ C×Q²×L column. That is the coefficient repeated, not a pressure — C·Q²·L at 1,000 gpm is 0.08 × 10² × 1 = 8 psi, which is what this page uses. Worth raising with the training committee.

Nozzles

NozzleTypeGPMNP psi
7/8" tipSmooth bore — hand line16050
15/16" tipSmooth bore — hand line18550
1" tipSmooth bore — hand line20050
1-1/8" tipSmooth bore — hand line26550
1-3/16" tipSmooth bore — hand line30050
1-1/4" tipSmooth bore — hand line32550
1-3/8" tipSmooth bore — master stream50080
1-1/2" tipSmooth bore — master stream60080
1-3/4" tipSmooth bore — master stream80080
2" tipSmooth bore — master stream1,00080
TFT Mid-Matic BlueFog150100
Elkhart Select-O-MaticFog200100
Elkhart Chief XDFog16050

Orem rates the Chief XD at 50 psi, not 100. It is a fixed-gallonage nozzle and pumping it at fog pressure would badly over-pressurize it.

Coefficients & appliance loss

HoseCoefficientApplianceLoss
1"150None
1-3/4"15.5Wye · gated wye · siamese · reducer10 / 0
2-1/2"2Deck gun · ground monitor25
3"0.8Aerial master stream — pre-plumbed (T33)25
5"0.08Playpipe (Tiller 33)15
Standpipe25
Rapid Attack Monitor10

Training reference only. Every value is transcribed from the OFD Apparatus Driver/Operator Hydraulic Calculation Standards. Elevation follows that standard — geographical 0.5 psi per foot, structural 5 psi per floor above the first, sub-level a gain subtracted from the PDP. Verify against the current standard and your own rig before pumping.