Elevation Pressure Loss / Gain
Standpipe elevation pressure, both exact and by the 5-psi-per-floor rule of thumb.
Example
You enter
- Input mode floors
- Floors or feet 9
- Floor height (ft) 10
- Direction up
You get
- Exact (psi) 39.06
- Rule (psi) 45
Checked against published worked examples from: Hydrostatic head 0.434 psi/ft + IFSTA/NFPA 14 5-psi/floor rule.
Details, formula, and sources
ScopeStandpipe elevation pressure loss or gain shown both as the exact hydrostatic value (0.434 psi/ft) and the fire-ground 5-psi-per-floor rule of thumb, by floors or feet.
Formula or tableExact P = 0.434 * dH_ft; rule of thumb ~5 psi per floor (assumes 10-ft floors). Climbing is a loss, descending a gain.
Source and editionHydrostatic head 0.434 psi/ft (public); fire-ground 5-psi-per-floor approximation per IFSTA Pumping Apparatus Driver/Operator and the NFPA 14 design basis, by name.
Free accessNFPA 14 free read-only at nfpa.org/freeaccess; the hydrostatic constant is public.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed fire protection engineer govern.
API field namesmode, value, floor_height_ft, direction, exact_psi, rule_psi
- Floor height ~10 ft assumed by the 5-psi/floor rule; exact uses the entered heightNFPA 14 standpipe design basis