Gas and oil burner emergency switch placement.

[darekelec]

Does anybody know the rules for placement of gas and oil burner emergency switch? The one with red wall plate.
It's not in the nec. Rules are probably different in every village but maybe there is a general rule.
Thank you.

 

[iwire]

Honestly I have never seen a written requirement for this switch for gas fired units.

As far as oil fired units it has to be away from burner on the way to it. Typically we have basements so the oil burner shutdown switch is at the top of the stairs on the wall.

The rules are in the mechanical or fuel oil codes.

 

[dkidd]

ASME CSD-1

A manually operated remote shutdown switch or circuit
breaker shall be located just outside the boiler room
door and marked for easy identification. Consideration
should be given to the type and location of the switch
to safeguard against tampering. If the boiler room door
is on the building exterior, the switch should be located
just inside the door. If there is more than one door to
the boiler room, there should be a switch located at
each door.

 

[PetrosA]

This came up for me too on a recent job, and I didn't have an answer. The situation is a boiler room with multiple gas heaters in a multifamily building. The concern was whether switches were required and if so, how to keep residents from using them to shut off their own or neighbors' units. I passed responsibility off to the guys who were there servicing the equipment, but I'm still curious how that works in a multifamily building with common access to the basement and those switches.

 

[iwire]

ASME CSD-1

A manually operated remote shutdown switch or circuit
breaker shall be located just outside the boiler room
door and marked for easy identification. Consideration
should be given to the type and location of the switch
to safeguard against tampering. If the boiler room door
is on the building exterior, the switch should be located
just inside the door. If there is more than one door to
the boiler room, there should be a switch located at
each door.

We need more context.

Is that only commercial or is it all?

Does it apply only to oil fired units or all units?

Does it apply to heating systems or just water heaters?

 

[kwired]

We need more context.

Is that only commercial or is it all?

Does it apply only to oil fired units or all units?

Does it apply to heating systems or just water heaters?

I think it is for boilers, over a certain capacity no matter what the source of fuel is. I had to install some of these on nat gas fired boilers in a school. It was required by boiler inspector and I had the mechanical guys tell me where to put them - as the location was more less their code to follow. One boiler room had two entrances and we needed a switch near each entrance.

 

[gadfly56]

This came up for me too on a recent job, and I didn't have an answer. The situation is a boiler room with multiple gas heaters in a multifamily building. The concern was whether switches were required and if so, how to keep residents from using them to shut off their own or neighbors' units. I passed responsibility off to the guys who were there servicing the equipment, but I'm still curious how that works in a multifamily building with common access to the basement and those switches.

Absent any other guidance, I'd set up the switch to do all the units. That way you can't harass your neigbor unless you like sitting in the cold as well.

 

[iwire]

I think it is for boilers, over a certain capacity no matter what the source of fuel is. I had to install some of these on nat gas fired boilers in a school. It was required by boiler inspector and I had the mechanical guys tell me where to put them - as the location was more less their code to follow. One boiler room had two entrances and we needed a switch near each entrance.

That is my point, we don't know. I agree with you that posted code section probably applies to boilers of a certain size as ASME deals with pressure vessels.

But what about a furnace?

Or a small home boiler etc.

 

[gadfly56]

That is my point, we don't know. I agree with you that posted code section probably applies to boilers of a certain size as ASME deals with pressure vessels.

But what about a furnace?

Or a small home boiler etc.

FWIW, I have had both oil and natural gas fired home heating. Both had emergency shut offs. The oil unit had one local to the boiler as well as one at the head of the stairs. My parents house, built around 1961, has a shut off for the natural gas furnace.

 

[kwired]

That is my point, we don't know. I agree with you that posted code section probably applies to boilers of a certain size as ASME deals with pressure vessels.

But what about a furnace?

Or a small home boiler etc.

Probably covered by a different code. I have never had to install such switches for anything but boilers. But I am also in a location where such inspections don't happen for single family dwellings. State Fire Marshal inspects most of these applications in other then single family dwellings, but most generally if not a public access building it will not be inspected either. Electrical inspections are a different ballgame and different entity, but NEC is the only code being inspected with those.

Small home boiler may be covered by same code, but may not be large enough capacity to meet requirements for needing the E stop switch.

 

[iwire]

FWIW, I have had both oil and natural gas fired home heating. Both had emergency shut offs. The oil unit had one local to the boiler as well as one at the head of the stairs. My parents house, built around 1961, has a shut off for the natural gas furnace.

And I have installed them for gas furnaces per request of the wiring inspector.

However while I have seen the written requirements in my area for oil fired units I have never seen a similar written requirement for gas units.

My impression was it was just a tradition more than a true adopted requirement.

I would be happy* if someone could show me a I am wrong here.



(*OK, maybe not happy but not surprised or upset )

 

[iwire]

Probably covered by a different code.

:slaphead::slaphead::slaphead::slaphead::slaphead:





I am hopping we could get to the code that fits the OP.

 

[kwired]

And I have installed them for gas furnaces per request of the wiring inspector.

However while I have seen the written requirements in my area for oil fired units I have never seen a similar written requirement for gas units.

My impression was it was just a tradition more than a true adopted requirement.

I would be happy* if someone could show me a I am wrong here.



(*OK, maybe not happy but not surprised or upset )

And like the old saying goes on this site - give me a code reference:happyyes:

If wiring inspector is only responsible for enforcing NEC, then NEC has no such requirements. It should be someone inspecting to mechanical codes that enforces the presence of such a switch and what it controls, the EI can still cite violations if the wiring of it doesn't comply with NEC though.

 

[kwired]

:slaphead::slaphead::slaphead::slaphead::slaphead:





I am hopping we could get to the code that fits the OP.

If you have some boiler installation buddies ask them. They hopefully know or they probably are not doing so well with business. If we were having this convesation about a year ago I could have asked the guys on the project I was working on an I bet they could have told me - they seemed pretty sharp on such things, and boilers is most of what they did.

 

[iwire]

If you have some boiler installation buddies ask them.

Buddies?

As in real life friends? I am on the Internet far to much for that. :weeping:













Kidding, I have some good friends, no dwelling unit HVAC guys though.

 

[iwire]

And like the old saying goes on this site - give me a code reference:happyyes:

Not worth the fight. It cost very little and being in one of 'those' cities it was the prudent thing to do. :roll:

 

[kwired]

Buddies?

As in real life friends? I am on the Internet far to much for that. :weeping:
















Kidding, I have some good friends, no dwelling unit HVAC guys though.

Well I guess they wouldn't have to be friends, you just need to somehow trust that they are giving you accurate info

 

[RICK NAPIER]

I don't know if this will help but since your just over the border from New Jersey here is an amendment to the IMC in the NJ Uniform Construction Code.

v. Add new section 301.16, Safety devices and controls, as follows:
"Oil burners, other than oil stoves with integral tanks, shall be provided with means for manually
stopping the flow of oil to the burner. Such device or devices shall be placed in a readily accessible
location a minimum of 10 feet from the burner. For electrically driven equipment, an identified switch
in the burner supply circuit shall be provided at the entrance to the room or area where the appliance
is located or, for equipment located in basements, the switch is required to be located at the top of
stairs leading to the basement. An identifiable valve in the oil supply line, operable from a location a
minimum of 10 feet from the burner shall be used for other than electrically driven or controlled
equipment."

This would only apply to NJ

 

[gadfly56]

I don't know if this will help but since your just over the border from New Jersey here is an amendment to the IMC in the NJ Uniform Construction Code.

v. Add new section 301.16, Safety devices and controls, as follows:
"Oil burners, other than oil stoves with integral tanks, shall be provided with means for manually
stopping the flow of oil to the burner. Such device or devices shall be placed in a readily accessible
location a minimum of 10 feet from the burner. For electrically driven equipment, an identified switch
in the burner supply circuit shall be provided at the entrance to the room or area where the appliance
is located or, for equipment located in basements, the switch is required to be located at the top of
stairs leading to the basement. An identifiable valve in the oil supply line, operable from a location a
minimum of 10 feet from the burner shall be used for other than electrically driven or controlled
equipment."

This would only apply to NJ

Rick, thanks for digging that out. I was going through the on-line codes and I missed that part.

 

[edlee]

And I have installed them for gas furnaces per request of the wiring inspector.

However while I have seen the written requirements in my area for oil fired units I have never seen a similar written requirement for gas units.

My impression was it was just a tradition more than a true adopted requirement.

I would be happy* if someone could show me a I am wrong here.



(*OK, maybe not happy but not surprised or upset )

You're in Massachusetts? Come on, you know the wiring inspector can request it, but he can't require it :happyno:

And while I can't cite a code reference, my understanding about the fire code in this state is that any oil-burner requires a safety shutoff switch in a different room from the burner, so in a typical single-family that would be top of the cellar stairs facing into the finished living space. And it is not a requirement for gas burners.