A.Y. McDonald DuraMAC IQ1000 Triplex Variable Speed Booster Pump

The DuraMAC IQ1000 Vertical Multistage Variable Speed Triplex Booster System changes motor speed with the demand of the system, which saves energy over traditional constant speed booster systems. It is simple, versatile and reliable, with easy set-up installation.

Each pump runs on its own Yaskawa iQpump 1000 drive, whose software and internal PLC protect the drive, pump, motor and system. Stainless steel pump, energy-efficient NEMA TEFC motors, 4 in flanged stainless steel manifolds and a 304 stainless steel base.

Typical applications: commercial buildings, apartment buildings, schools, light industrial and process water, and irrigation where pressure has to hold steady as demand changes.

Three pumps carry triple the single-pump flow at the same pressure, and hold more pressure at the flow the building draws. At 150 GPM the 17062V160Y Duplex adds 29 psi; this 17062V240Y Triplex adds 53 psi at the same flow, and carries the flow out to 240 GPM (A.Y. McDonald’s published duplex and triplex charts).

Lead-lag control alternates pump starts for equal run time, and a backup system transducer keeps the set running with a pump or drive out of service.

The figures below are the pressure this system adds at full speed, all pumps running. That is what a pump curve measures — the impeller does not know what pressure is already on its inlet. The drive holds lower pressures by running slower, so the curve is the ceiling at each flow.

Models · 240 GPM

Models · 360 and 420 GPM

Source: Baker Water Systems DuraMAC Booster Pumps catalog, rev 3/26, pp. 249–254 and 261–268. Minimum tank, motor frame and PEI from A.Y. McDonald’s technical information pages. — = no PEI published for that model.

Pressure added in PSI, all three pumps running, by system flow · 240 GPM models

Pressure added in PSI, all three pumps running, by system flow · 360 and 420 GPM models

Drawing from a tank or cistern — nothing arrives with pressure, so what the pump adds is what you get. Read the table straight through at the flow the building needs.

Fed by a city main — the pump adds on top of what already arrives, and the drive holds the set point you program. Incoming pressure turns into extra flow at the same set point.

Size to the published curve. This is where the pump turns the most electricity into water pressure. Ask for more flow than it can deliver at your setting and it runs at full speed continuously, which is where motors and seals wear out. Sizing a booster to the building rather than to the headline numbers is what makes it last.

Zero flow is the shut-off point — a ceiling, not a working point; the zero-flow column shows the published model boost. Figures are 60 Hz US data at full speed, digitized from the published curves in the Baker Water Systems DuraMAC Booster Pumps catalog, rev 3/26, p. 254, and rounded down. A.Y. McDonald publishes no efficiency curve for these models, so no best operating range is stated. Bold = the last point on that model’s curve, its max flow; — = beyond it. Voltage builds of the same model (-1, -3, -34) run on the same curve. Points left out to keep the tables readable: 60 GPM on the 360 and 420 GPM models table. The full curves are in the image gallery. Feet of head = PSI × 2.31.

• Variable speed control speeds up and slows down with demand, holding a constant pressure.
• Factory set point 50 psi, easily changed in the field.
• Date and time stamp for all faults, real time clock and password-protected parameter settings.
• No Flow Mode puts the pump to sleep during no-flow conditions.
• Low Suction Alarm stops the pump if the incoming water supply is interrupted.
• Internal monitors stop the pump if a pipe breaks or demand exceeds capability.
• Live Zero protects the pump if the transducer cable is broken or damaged.
• Lead-lag control alternates pump starts for equal run time on every pump.
• Backup system transducer for pump and drive redundancy.

Parts in contact with the water, per the Baker Water Systems DuraMAC Booster Pumps catalog, rev 3/26.

Seals, impellers, drive components and other service parts for these systems are listed on DuraMAC Booster Pump Parts — IQ1000, by part number.