As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
A.Â
"Oil-burning equipment" shall mean and consist of
burners, storage tanks (internal and external), piping, wiring, pumps,
blowers and all equipment and accessories connected thereto.
B.Â
"Oil burner" shall mean any device designed and arranged for the purpose of burning or preparing to burn fuel oil as specified in § 216-38C and having a tank or tanks with a total capacity of more than seven gallons connected thereto.
C.Â
"Fuel oil" shall mean any topped or distilled oil
having a flash point of not less than 100º F. closed cup. The
Pensky Martana Closed Cup Tester shall be authoritative and shall
be conducted in accordance with methods of tests as adopted by the
American Society for Testing and Materials.
A.Â
Before any oil-burning equipment is installed, a permit shall be obtained from the Fire Prevention Bureau. Application for such permit shall include a sketch showing plan and elevation of the proposed installation, showing tanks, piping and burner in their proper relation to lower floor, furnace and other pertinent objects. Specification must be in accordance with this Article VI. With the above application there shall be submitted, if required, a manufacturer's illustrated catalog and specification of the proposed equipment. Such application may be made by the owner of the property in which the installation is proposed to be made or by his duly authorized agent.
B.Â
The fee for a permit for the installation of any oil-burning
equipment, whether in new construction or in the replacement of another
heating device, shall be as stated in the following schedule:
Size of Tanks
|
Fee
| |
---|---|---|
100 to 550 gallons
|
$5
| |
Each additional 500 gallons
|
$2
| |
Replacement of fuel oil tank connected to an
oil burner
|
$12.50
|
No oil burner shall be installed which has not
been tested and approved by the National Board of Fire Underwriters
or other nationally recognized testing laboratories.
A.Â
Underground and overground tanks shall be constructed
in accordance with the requirements of the National Board of Fire
Underwriters as detailed below and shall bear their label of approval.
B.Â
Tanks shall be constructed of galvanized steel, open
hearth steel or wrought iron of a minimum gauge (U.S. Standard), depending
upon the capacity as given in the following tables; for liquids heavier
than 35º A.P.O., tanks may be of concrete.
UNDERGROUND AND ENCLOSED TANKS
| |||
---|---|---|---|
Capacity
(gallons)
|
Gauge
|
Minimum
Thickness of Materials
(lbs. per sq. ft.)
| |
1 to 285
|
16 gauge
|
2.50
| |
286 to 560
|
14 gauge
|
3.125
| |
561 to 1,100
|
12 gauge
|
4.375
| |
1,101 to 4,000
|
7 gauge
|
4.375
| |
4,001 to 12,000 1/4 inch
|
10.00
| ||
1,201 to 20,000 5/16 inch
|
12.50
| ||
20,001 to 30,000 3/8 inch
|
15.00
|
INSIDE UNENCLOSED TANKS
| ||
---|---|---|
Capacity
(gallons)
|
Gauge
| |
7 to 180
181 to 275
|
14 gauge
16 gauge
|
C.Â
All joints shall be riveted and caulked, brazed, welded
or made tight by some equally satisfactory process. Tanks shall be
tight and sufficiently strong to bear without injury the most severe
strains to which they may be subjected in practice. Shells of tanks
shall be properly reinforced where connections shall be made through
the top of the tank above the liquid level, except in tanks having
a capacity of 275 gallons and less, where one connection not larger
than one-inch iron pipe size may be made in the bottom of the tank.
Unclosed inside storage or gravity tanks of 275 gallons capacity and
less may be provided with an additional one-inch opening from the
bottom of the tank for an approved key stem gate valve to aid in cleaning
the tanks.
D.Â
Tanks for systems under pressure shall be designed
for six times the maximum working pressure and be tested and proven
tight at twice the maximum working pressure; maximum working pressure
shall not exceed 50 pounds per square inch. Tanks shall be provided
with a reliable pressure gauge and automatic relief valve piped to
discharge outside of the buildings.
E.Â
Underground tanks shall be thoroughly coated on the
outside with asphaltum or other suitable rust-resisting material.
F.Â
Inside and above ground tanks and auxiliary tanks
shall be coated with a good quality rust-resisting paint.
A.Â
Outside tanks.
(1)Â
Tanks shall be buried with tops not less than two
feet below the surface of the ground and below the level of any piping
to which the tanks may be connected except that in lieu of the two-foot
cover, tanks may be buried under 12 inches of earth and a cover of
reinforced concrete at least six inches in thickness, which shall
extend at least one foot beyond the outline of the tank in all directions;
concrete slabs to be set on firm, well-tamped earth foundation. Tanks
shall be securely anchored or weighted in place to prevent floating
where any substantial danger of floor conditions exist in the opinion
of the Fire Inspector. Tanks shall be placed upon a solid base to
be approved by the Fire Inspector.
(2)Â
Any tanks installed under the driveway shall be covered
underground with the top of the tank not less than two feet below
the surface of the ground or to which a cover of reinforced concrete
at least six inches in thickness shall be provided and extend at least
one foot beyond the outside of the excavation in all directions.
(3)Â
Where a tank cannot be entirely buried, it shall be
covered with earth to a depth of at least two feet, and sloped on
all sides, slopes to be not less than 3 to 1. Such tanks shall be
surrounded by a properly sealed concrete dike of at least six inches
in thickness, the height of the dike to be as approved by the Fire
Inspector. Such cases shall also be subject to such other requirements
as may be deemed necessary by the Fire Inspector.
(4)Â
If tanks cannot be set below the level of all piping
to which it is connected, satisfactory arrangements shall be provided
to prevent siphoning or gravity flow in case of accidents to piping.
(5)Â
No storage tank shall be located under the sidewalk
or elsewhere outside the property line, except by special permission
from the Borough Council.
(6)Â
Outside storage tanks above ground shall not be used
or installed, except by special permission of the Fire Prevention
Bureau as to location and capacity.
B.Â
Inside underground tanks.
(1)Â
When buried underneath a building, the tanks shall
be buried with top of tanks not less than two feet below the level
of the floor. The floor immediately above the tanks shall be reinforced
concrete at least nine inches in thickness (for tanks of 1,500 gallons
or less, four inches in thickness) or some other type of construction
of equivalent strength and fire resistance, extending at least one
foot beyond the outline of tanks in all directions, and provided with
ample means of support independent of any tank. All provisions applying
to outdoor underground tanks shall apply to inside underground tanks
except as provided above.
(2)Â
The gross capacity of tanks shall not exceed 5,000
gallons. For use of greater capacity, permission shall be obtained
from the Fire Prevention Bureau.
C.Â
Inside storage tanks.
(1)Â
Tanks shall not be located above the lowest story
cellar or basement of building.
(2)Â
Tanks shall be located below the level of any piping
to which they may be connected, or if this is impracticable, satisfactory
arrangements shall be made to prevent siphoning or gravity flow in
case of accident to the equipment or piping. Note: For small installations
where pipe lines are one inch or less, provisions which will break
the siphon at time of fire such as an air inlet held closed with fusible
metal located at top of bend, may be acceptable. Weighted foob vales
enlarged pipe section on discharge side of siphon, or air inlets at
top bends controlled by pump pressure, are provisions which may be
acceptable in any size piping, depending upon the elevation of the
tank, and upon specific approval of the inspection department having
jurisdiction.
(3)Â
Steel tanks in units of not over 275 gallons capacity
each, having aggregate capacity not in excess of 550 gallons, may
be installed without enclosure.
(4)Â
When two two-hundred-seventy-five-gallon tanks are
installed in the basement, they may be connected with a three-way
valve so as to permit gravity flow from but one tank at a time.
(5)Â
Steel tanks except as permitted above shall be placed
in an enclosure of dimensions six inches greater on all sides than
the outside dimensions of the tank. The walls of the enclosure shall
be constructed of reinforced concrete not less than eight inches in
thickness or of masonry 12 inches in thickness. The walls shall be
bonded to floor and carried to a height not less than one foot above
the tank and the space between the tank and the walls and the roof
of the enclosure shall be completely filled with sand or well-tamped
earth. The enclosure shall be roofed over with reinforced concrete
or equivalent construction not less than five inches in thickness.
(6)Â
If located within a building, tanks shall not be within
10 feet, measured horizontally from the boiler.
All storage tanks shall have an open or automatically
operated galvanized iron vent pipe of ample size to prevent abnormal
pressures in case of fire or when filling. In no case shall this be
less than one-and-one-fourth-inch iron pipe size. The lower end of
the vent pipe shall extend through the top of the tank for a distance
of not less than one inch. The vent pipe shall extend from the tank
to a point outside the building three feet above the level of the
highest reservoir from which the tank may be filled measured vertically
or horizontally from any window or other building opening. Outer end
of the vent pipe, unless automatically operated, shall be provided
with a return bend or weatherproof hood.
The filling pipe shall in all cases terminate
outside of the building and shall be as remote as possible from the
doorways or other building openings.
No glass gauges or any gauges, the breaking
of which will permit oil to escape from the tank, shall be used. Test
wells shall not be located within buildings and shall be closed tight
with a metal cover or cap when not in use.
All pumps, whether manually or automatically
operated, shall be of an approved type with check valves located as
close to pumps as practicable and shall be rigidly fastened in place.
A.Â
Standard full-weight wrought iron, steel or brass
pipe with substantial fittings or approved brass or copper tubing
with approved fittings shall be used and shall be carefully protected
against mechanical injury in a manner satisfactory to authorities
having jurisdiction. In all piping systems, proper allowance shall
be made for expansion and contraction, jarring and vibration.
B.Â
Brass or copper tubing, where permitted, shall have
a wall thickness of not less than .049 inch for small sizes and correspondingly
heavier where necessary.
C.Â
Supply pipe shall be not less than 1/4 inch in diameter,
iron pipe size, and when oil is pumped to burner, return pipes shall
be at least the same size.
D.Â
Pipe connections to tanks shall be suitably reinforced
and proper allowance made for expansion and contraction, jarring and
vibration.
E.Â
Openings for pipes through masonry walls below the
ground level shall be made oil-tight and securely packed with flexible
material.
F.Â
All connections shall be made perfectly tight with
well fitted joints. Unions shall be used at burners to facilitate
removal. All unions shall be of approved type, having conically fused
ground joints.
G.Â
Piping shall be run as directly as possible and in
case of pumping systems, so laid that if practicable the pipes are
pitched back towards the storage tanks without traps.
H.Â
Systems under pressure shall be designed for six times
the working pressure and installation, when completed, shall be tested
and proven tight at twice the maximum working pressure.
A.Â
Two readily accessible fusible valves shall be provided
near each burner and also close to the auxiliary tank in the pipe
line to burners.
B.Â
Control valves shall be of approved type provided
with stuffing box of liberal size. Valve shall be designed to close
against the supply and to prevent withdrawal of steam by continued
operation of the hand wheel. The use of packing affected by oil or
heat is prohibited.
A.Â
Automatically operated oil burners shall be equipped
with an automatic device to shut off the burner in the event of undue
pressure or low water in a steam boiler or overheating within a hot
water boiler or warm air furnace. All steam boilers to be equipped
with low water cut off.
B.Â
Electrical wiring used in connection with oil-burning
equipment shall be installed in accordance with the National Electric
Code. Certificate is required.
C.Â
No oil burner shall be installed in any boiler or
heater until such boiler or heater has been inspected by the oil burner
installer and found safe for such installation.
D.Â
All boiler or furnace rooms shall be provided with
adequate ventilation to assure continuous and complete combustion.
In no case shall the area of ventilation be less than the free area
of the chimney.
E.Â
Previous to the installation of the burner, the ash
door of the furnace shall be permanently removed or bottom ventilation
otherwise provided to prevent the accumulation of vapors within the
ash pit unless burner is of type which mechanically purges ash pit.
F.Â
A printed copy of the rules and instructions of the
manufacturer shall be conspicuously posted near the oil burner.
G.Â
Dampers which may entirely close the chimney intake
are prohibited. No damper area shall be greater than 80% of the internal
cross section area of the uptake.
H.Â
No oil burner shall be installed in any boiler or
heater unless the boiler or heater is connected with a chimney having
sufficient draft at all times to ensure the safe operation of the
burner. All new chimneys shall have an approved flue lining.
I.Â
An electric control switch or remote control switch
shall be placed in hall or other room leading to door to cellar or
basement stairway and install switch over burner. Such switch shall
be in addition to a knife switch in the cellar at meter board.
A.Â
Clearance from boilers and furnaces. The clear distance
between a hot air furnace, hot-water or low-pressure steam boiler
and combustible material, including plaster or combustible base, shall
not be less than four feet at the top or front, and not less than
three feet at the sides and rear, provided that when the appliance
is encased in brick or has an incombustible protective covering, not
less than 1 1/2 inches thick, such distance may be three feet at the
top and two feet at the sides and rear.
B.Â
Smoke pipes. The smoke pipe shall not pass through
any combustible partition. The clear distance between a smoke pipe
or metal breeching and combustible material or construction, including
plaster on combustible base, shall not be less than 18 inches, provided
that the clearance may be reduced to nine inches when the smoke pipe
or breeching is protected with not less than one inch of asbestos
or equivalent protection, or such combustible material or construction
is protected by sheet metal or equivalent covering placed at least
one inch from the surface to be protected and extending the full length
of the smoke pipe and not less than 12 inches beyond it on both sides.
A.Â
The owner or lessee, or agent of either, or the architect,
engineer or builder employed by him shall give reasonable notice to
the Fire Prevention Bureau Inspector before covering tanks and piping
and also when the work is completed.
B.Â
Whenever the Fire Prevention Bureau Inspector shall
have reason, because of the emanation of smoke or odor from any building
or for any other reason whatever, to believe that any oil burner apparatus
therein is not functioning properly, it shall be his duty to make
or cause to be made by his duly authorized representative an inspection
of the apparatus, and it shall be the duty of the person in possession
of any premises, upon request, to admit the Fire Prevention Bureau
Inspector or his representative into the building at any reasonable
hour for the purpose of making such inspection.
(1)Â
Whenever the Fire Prevention Bureau Inspector or his
representative shall, upon such inspection, find any such apparatus
to be functioning imperfectly, whether because of inadequate ventilation
to assure continuous and complete combustion, broken, defective or
ill-adjusted parts, or because of the use of a grade of fuel to which
the apparatus is not adapted or adjusted, it shall be his duty to
advise the owner or occupant of the building just what should be done
by way of repair, renewal of parts or adjustment of parts, or otherwise,
or changing the grade of the fuel, to make the apparatus function
properly and at the same time notify such owner to do, within 48 hours
thereafter, that which is so required to be done to ensure the safe
and effective operation of the apparatus. This subsection shall apply
to old or new installations.
(2)Â
The refusal of the owner or occupant of any building
to permit the Fire Prevention Bureau Inspector or his duly authorized
representative to make an inspection of such building at a reasonable
hour, or his refusal or neglect to obey any such order as shall be
served as aforesaid, as a result of such inspection, shall constitute
a violation of this section.
C.Â
The Fire Prevention Bureau Inspector shall render
a monthly report to the Fire Prevention Bureau, stating that he has
inspected the oil burner application presented to him, and the approval
or rejection of the installation.
A.Â
Any person or corporation, either as owner, contractor, builder or architect, or any agent, trustee, director, officer or employee of any person or corporation, and any and all persons who shall violate or authorize a violation of or assist in the violation of any provision of this Article VI or fail to comply with any of its requirements shall for each and every violation be subject to the penalty as stated in Chapter 1, Article III, § 1-17.
B.Â
An existing violation shall constitute a separate
offense every 24 hours it is permitted to exist.
A.Â
Place permit and inspection card at burner to be inspected.
B.Â
No 50 gallon drums or more of kerosene shall be permitted
within 10 feet from any building. All discharge valves shall be locked
type and locked at all times.
C.Â
Five gallons of kerosene are permitted in homes if
stored in approved safety can.
D.Â
All exposed tubing to be cemented or pipe encased.
E.Â
All fees shall be paid to Secretary or duly authorized
collector approved by Fire Prevention Bureau.
F.Â
A fee of $0.25 will be charged for a copy of the Borough
ordinance controlling oil burners.
G.Â
Any electrical or mechanical fuel burning appliance
shall require a permit and inspection.
H.Â
To change or replace any oil burner or tank installation
in any form, a permit and fee of $5 is required.
A.Â
The fee for stand pipes, per riser computed on the
basis of pipe width, as follows:
Pipe Width
|
Fee
| |
---|---|---|
Up to 2 1/2 inches
|
$30
| |
Over 2 1/2 inches to 4 inches
|
$60
| |
Over 4 inches to 6 inches
|
$100
| |
Over 6 inches
|
$150
|
B.Â
The fee for sprinkler systems shall be computed on
the basis of the number of sprinkler heads as follows:
Number of Sprinkler Heads
|
Fee
| |
---|---|---|
1 to 25 heads
|
$25
| |
26 to 75 heads
|
$50
| |
76 to 100 heads
|
$75
| |
101 or more heads
|
$150
| |
Mutual fire alarm system
|
$25
| |
Automatic fire alarm system
|
$100
|
C.Â
The fees for other fire protection equipment:
Type of System
|
Fee
| |
---|---|---|
Dry chemical systems
|
$40 up to 30 pounds of agent, plus $0.50 for
each additional pound
| |
Carbon dioxide systems
|
$0.25 for each additional pound
| |
Halon systems
|
$40 up to 10 pounds of agent, plus $1 for each
additional pound
| |
Foam systems
|
$25 per 100 gallons of foam; $25 minimum fee
|
D.Â
The fee for a permit to install a fuel oil tank in
connection with residential buildings shall be:
Number of Families
|
Fee
| |
---|---|---|
1 through 3 families
|
$15
| |
4 through 60 families
|
$25
| |
61 through 160 families
|
$50 additional
| |
In excess of 161 families
|
$100 additional
|