gas burner switches

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Pierre C Belarge said:
The reason for the oil burner to have a switch is to turn the oil pump off. A switch will not turn off the gas in a gas supplied burner.
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But it may shut off the gas valve supplying the burner.
 
donselectric said:
the cust pays
for it and i sleep better knowing i did a better
job and it dont take anymore time to do in reality
for me anyway....i'm old and slow.....:D
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This is exactly the problem.... customer paying for it, and thinking you did a better job... take no offense, but your not giving your customer a better job...
 
what if the problem is before the gas valve? I believe the only reason you need an oil emerg. switch is because of all the black smoke it would create if there indeed was a problem... This is really the only reason I can come up with....
 
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donselectric said:
thats why America is great
you have your opinion and i have mine
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I don't see where opinion matters much on this issue. It's not required by any codes and it does not provide any measure of safety.
 
But it would indeed help with safety...

But it would indeed help with safety...

peter d said:
I don't see where opinion matters much on this issue. It's not required by any codes and it does not provide any measure of safety.
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Sorry peter, I have to disagree with the "does not provide any measure of safety" point. :)

I grew up in Ohio and quite a few homes there had oil burners. The switch, especially at the top of the stairs, was there in the (admittedly unlikely) event that the burner failed to ignite and didn't shut down, thereby letting the burner pump to continue pumping oil into the firebox. My understanding is that the pump was the kind with two meshing gears, and if stopped the oil flow couldn't feed through by gravity.

I do recall one neighbor who experienced a failure and ended up with a fair-sized puddle of fuel oil on the floor. He was grateful to have that cutoff so he didn't have to try to wade through to get to the fusebox. (Yeah, it was a while back. )

And in the (again) rare event of some other failure of the furnace, either gas or oil, it would be prudent to have a quick shutoff accessable by the homeowner, who will probably be too panicked in an emergency to seek out the correct fuse/breaker.

I do recall reading in the '99 Code book that the emergency switch, when installed, was required to have the Red plate, (to make it distinct from the light switch?) but I don't think the switch itself was a requirement.

I'll try to look it up again.
 
This is from NFPA 54 National Fuel Gas Code
Appliances, Equipment and Accessory Installation
9.7.4 Continious Power.
All appliances using electrical contols shall have the controls connected into a permanently live electrical circuit-that is , one that is not controled by a light switch. Central heating appliances shall be provided with a seperate electric circuit.
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NFPA 54 9.7.3 says that the electrical circuit employed for operating the automatic main gas control valve, automatic pilot, ect...... or other electrical devices used with the appliances shall be in accordance with the wiring diagrams certified or approved by the original appliance manufacturer

I could not find where a switch is required by NFPA 54 , in fact one could argue that they do not want a switch in the circuit.

In NFPA 31 Standard for the Installation of Oil-Burning Equipment

It was easy to find where they want the switches

This is from NFPA FAQ
Where exactly must the switch governed by Paragraph 10.5.1.1 be located?

As stated, the switch must be located near the entrance of the room where the oil-fired appliance is located. The intent is that the switch be on the opposite side of the entrance from the appliance, so that the door need not be opened in an emergency situation to operate the switch. For the typical basement installation, the switch would be installed outside the door leading to the basement stairway. If the appliance is installed in a room in the basement, the switch could be installed outside the entrance door to the room.
This is from NFPA 31

10.5.1.1
For electrically powered appliances, the requirement of 10.5.1 shall be accomplished by an identified switch in the burner supply circuit, placed near the entrance to the room where the appliance is located.
10.5.1.2
For appliances that are not electrically powered, an identifiable valve in the oil supply line, operable from a location that can be reached without passing near the burner, shall be used.
10.5.2
An electrical service disconnect switch, arranged to stop and start the oil burner, shall be installed at the appliance. It shall be located so that it is within easy reach of the service technician for control of the oil burner while observing the flame.
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Again I could not find similar language in NFPA 54 National Fuel Gas Code
 
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MD
Thanks for those references. As I have already mentioned, requiring the switch on the oil burner makes good sense to me. Requiring the switch on gas burners does not make good sense to me, unless there is a way the switch will stop the gas from spewing, at which point it is still most likely a dangerous situation...
 
Around here, gas boiler switchplates are blue, and the old gas company, LILCO used to supply them. Their emergency service number and logo were printed on them.

(Good marketing tip for residential contractors.)
 
mxslick said:
Sorry peter, I have to disagree with the "does not provide any measure of safety" point. :)
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I think what we have here is a miscommunication. My comment was directed at installing the switches for gas burners, not oil. Sorry that I was not clear.

In my travels throughout the country, I have never seen any kind of remote switch for gas furnaces outside of the New England states. I know we are pretty stubborn up here, but surely there is something the rest of the country knows that we don't. ;)
 
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