[HISTORY: Adopted City of Norwalk Common Council 5-14-1957; effective 5-25-1957.]
The following words or terms, as used in this chapter; shall
for the purpose of this chapter have the meanings respectively ascribed
to them in this section:
Any liquid used as fuel and having a flash point not less
than 110° F. The Pensky-Martens closed-cup tester shall be authoritative.
The test shall be made in accordance with the methods of test adopted
by the American Society of Testing Materials.
Any device for burning fuel oils, as defined in this chapter,
as a substitute for other fuels, in stream, hot water, hot air or
other beaters heated in the cellar, basement or elsewhere in any building,
for the sole purpose of furnishing warmth within such building.
No person shall install, or cause to be installed, any fuel-oil
heating system or apparatus until application has been made in, and
a written permit authorizing such installation secured from, the Building
Inspector.[1]
Application forms for the permit required by the preceding section
may be secured at the office of the Building Inspector.
Permits under this chapter shall be issued for only such systems
as have been found by examination and test to be reasonably safeguarded
from damage in life or property by fire or explosion. The Building
Inspector shall accept as prima facie evidence of such compliance
the use of oil-burning equipments tested and listed by Underwriter's
Laboratories or other competent laboratory.
Fuel oil heating systems shall be installed under the regulations
and recommendations of the National Board of Fire Underwriters on
oil-burning equipment, and the National Electrical Code, this chapter
and any other ordinances or rule or regulations of the city relating
to the same.
No person shall keep, store or use oil in any building in connection
with fuel-oil heating apparatus in an amount in excess of 10 gallons
thereof, except in accordance with the following sections of this
chapter, nor unless a permit has been obtained from the Building Inspector.
Oil for use in connection with fuel-oil heating apparatus shall
be kept or stored in tight tanks, constructed of galvanized steel,
basic open-hearth steel or wrought iron of a minimum gauge United
States standard, as follows:
|
Capacity in gallons
|
Gauge
|
|---|---|
|
1 to 285
|
14
|
|
286 to 560
|
12
|
|
561 to 1,100
|
10
|
|
1,101 to 4,000
|
3/16-inch
|
|
4,000 to 12,000
|
1/4-inch
|
|
12,001 to 20,000
|
5/16-inch
|
|
20,001 to 30,000
|
3/8-inch
|
Tanks containing fuel oil for heating systems shall be located
as provided in the following sections.
A.Â
Underground tanks shall be buried with their 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, such tank may be buried under 12 inches of earth and a cover
of reinforced concrete at least one foot beyond the outline of the
tank in all directions. Such concrete slab shall be set on a firm,
well tamped, earth foundation. Underground tanks shall be securely
anchored or weighted in place to prevent floating, where condition,
warrant.
B.Â
If such 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 accident to piping.
C.Â
When buried underneath a building, the tank shall be buried with
top of tank not less than two feet below the level of the floor. The
floor immediately above such tank shall be of reinforced concrete
of at least six 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 the tank in all directions and provided
with ample means of support, independent of the tank.
Where tanks are located inside of buildings, no tank shall be
located above the lowest storage cellar or basement of the building.
Each tank shall be located below the level of any piping to which
it may be connected or, if this is impracticable, satisfactory arrangements
shall be made to prevent siphoning of the gravity flow in case of
accident to the equipment or piping.
A.Â
Tanks located inside of buildings shall be set on a firm foundation,
designed to carry the load.
Steel tanks in units of not over 275 gallons' capacity
each, having an aggregate capacity not in excess of 550 gallons, may
be installed without enclosures. Except as permitted above, tanks
shall be completely enclosed with eight inches of reinforced concrete
on 12 inches of other masonry, with at least a six-inch space on the
sides between the tank and the concrete filled with sand or well-tampered
earth, and with 12 inches of said on top of the tank, either between
the tank and the concrete slab or above the concrete slab. When more
than one storage tank is installed, such tanks shall be connected
with the main feed pipe line leading to the burner through a manually-operated
three-way valve so that not more than one tank can in any way discharge
its contents at one time.
Storage inside buildings shall in no case exceed a total of
5,000 gallons.
All fuel-oil tanks shall have a filler pipe which extends from
the tank to a point outside the building near the grade of the surrounding
land. Such pipe shall be convenient for filling the tank and shall
be kept properly capped when not in use. Such tanks shall also have
a vent pipe of not less than 1Â 1/4 inches in diameter extending
from the tank to the outside, air and terminating in a goose-neck,
pointed downward, six feet or more from the surface of the ground.
All fuel-oil tanks located in the cellar or basement of any
building above the level of the cellar floor shall be placed not less
than seven feet from any open fire or flame.
Auxiliary supply tanks may be of the gravity or pressure type
if suitable automatic safeguards to prevent abnormal discharge of
oil at the burner are provided. No such gravity tank shall have a
capacity of more than 275 gallons. The capacity of pressure tanks
shall be restricted to 60 gallons.
A.Â
Auxiliary tanks shall be filled by pumping from storage tanks.
B.Â
Tanks shall be provided with an overflow connection draining to the
storage tank. Such overflow pipe shall be not less than one size larger
than the supply pipe from the pump.
C.Â
The overflow pipe of an auxiliary, gravity tank shall not be provided
with valves or obstructions; but the overflow pipe of an auxiliary
pressure tank shall be provided with interconnected valves or other
means for automatically venting the tank when filling.
A.Â
Oil pumps used in filling auxiliary tank from the main storage tank
shall be of an approved type, secure against leaks, and with check
valves located as close to the pump as convenient. Such pumps shall
be rigidly fastened in place.
B.Â
Automatic pumps which are not as integral part of the oil burner
shall be of an approved type, preferably provided with automatic means
for preventing continuous discharge of oil in case of pipe breakage.
Standard, full-weight, wrought-iron, steel, brass or copper
pipe or tubing, with substantial fittings, shall be used and shall
be carefully protected against mechanical injury in a manner satisfactory
to the inspection department having jurisdiction. In all piping systems
proper allowance shall be made for expansion and contraction and for
jarring and vibration.
A.Â
All piping shall be separated from electric wires which are not enclosed
in approved conduits, raceways or armored cable, by some continuous
and firmly fixed nonconductor, creating a permanent separation, as
provided in the National Electrical Code.
Supply pipe shall be not less than 1/4 inch in diameter, iron-pipe
size, and when oil is pumped to the burner, return pipes shall be
at least the same size.
Pipe connections to tanks shall be suitably reinforced, and
proper allowance shall be made for expansion and contraction and for
jarring and vibration.
Openings for pipes through masonry walls below the ground level
shall be made oiltight and shall be securely packed with flexible
material.
All connections shall be made perfectly tight with well-fitted
joints. Unions shall be used as burners to facilitate removal. All
unions, shall be of an approved type, having conically faced joint,
and obviating the use of packing and gaskets.
Piping shall be run as directly as possible. In case of pumping
systems it shall be laid so that, if practicable, the pipes are pitched
back toward the storage tank without traps.
Systems under pressure shall be designed for six times the working
pressure. Installations, when complete, shall be tested and proven
tight at twice the maximum working pressure.
Readily accessible valves shall be provided near each burner
and also close to the auxiliary tank in the pipe line to such burners.
Control valves shall be of an approved type and shall be provided
with a stuffing box of liberal size containing a removable capped
gland designed to compress the packing against the valve stem and
arranged so as to facilitate removal. Such valves shall be designed
to close against the supply and to prevent withdrawl by stem by continued
operation of the hand wheel. The use of parking affected by the oil
heat is prohibited.
A.Â
Means for remote control of the flow of oil to the burner should
be provided for use in emergency, and a sign indicating its purpose
shall be located at the control device.
B.Â
A switch in the motor circuit may serve this purpose for an electrically
driven equipment, or a quick-closing value in the oil supply, arranged
to be operated from a safe location, preferably outside the building,
may be used.
If from any cause whatsoever, the gas pilot light or the oil
flame of a fuel-oil burner should become extinguished, no attempt
should be made to relight the pilot light for at least 15 minutes
or while any white vapor or smoke is visible in the fire box.
The use of acetylene, or any other gas possessing a wider range
of explosibility in mixture with air than coal gas, water gas, or
oil gas, is prohibited for use in the gas pilot of a fuel-oil heating
system.
A.Â
All pipes used in fuel-oil heating installations shall be of standard,
full-weight brass, copper, galvanized iron or steel, with suitable
brass or galvanized malleable iron or steel fittings. No rubber or
other packages shall be used. If unions are used, at least one face
must be of brass with close-fitting conical joints. Litharge and glycerin,
shellac or other suitable material shall be used on pipe joints. Such
piping shall run under the cellar wherever possible and shall be protected
from injury.
B.Â
In all steam installations Tan approved low-water cutoff shall be
installed to prevent the continued operation of oil-burning equipment
with the water below the danger line.
All fuel-oil heating apparatus shall be installed and operated
in accordance with the foregoing regulations of this chapter and with
the rules and directions of the manufacturers thereof, which rules
shall be consistent with this chapter and approved by the Building
Inspector.
A printed copy of the rules and regulations of the manufactures
shall be furnished with each installation of fuel-oil heating apparatus.
A printed copy of the rules and regulations of the manufacturers
shall be conspicuously posted under glass and frame near the apparatus,
and the permit authorizing such installation and maintenance shall
likewise be displayed.
