[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Pennsauken
3-13-1978 by Ord. No. 78-3 as Ch. 183 of the 1977 Code. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Fire prevention — See Ch. 162.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
Listed by the Underwriters' Laboratories of the National Board of
Fire Underwriters and the Chief of the Fire Department of the Township of
Pennsauken, or either of them.
Any device which provides the customer with year-round automatic
hot water requirements.
Any hydrocarbon oil refined and produced for use in oil heating equipment.
Any device used as a source of generating heat for heating hot water,
steam or warm air.
Any person licensed by the Township of Pennsauken to install, or
cause to be installed, or to service and repair any oil burner or oil-burning
equipment.
The basement or cellar and if there is no basement or cellar, the
first story.
The Oil Burner Inspector of the Township of Pennsauken or other person
designated by the Township Committee of the Township of Pennsauken as authorized
to approve sketches, grant permits, make inspections and otherwise assist
in the enforcement of this chapter.
Any mechanical device for burning any grade of fuel oil.
A required permit issued by the Oil Burner Inspector for installations
or replacement of oil-fired heating equipment as defined in this chapter.
Includes a natural person, partnership, corporation or association.
Whenever used in any clause prescribing or imposing a penalty, the term "person"
as applied to partnerships or associations shall mean the members of such
partnership or the members of such association and, as applied to corporations,
shall mean such corporation and the officers thereof.
A.
No person shall install or use oil burners or oil-burning
equipment relating thereto in the Township of Pennsauken except in conformity
with the standards, provisions and requirements provided in this chapter.
B.
Approved burners. Only approved oil burners listed as
standard by the Underwriters' Laboratories of the National Board of Fire Underwriters
or approved by the Oil Burner Inspector of the Township of Pennsauken shall
be installed.
C.
Permits. No oil-burning equipment shall be installed
until an application has been filed with a permit secured from the Oil Burner
Inspector. Such application shall set forth in detail the specific proposed
installation, based on the provisions hereinafter prescribed, and such application
shall be accompanied by plans showing the relative location of the building,
oil burner, storage tank and equipment. The permit must be displayed in a
conspicuous place on the front of the premises while the installation is being
made and shall remain there until removed by the Oil Burner Inspector.
D.
Sketches of locations. Before installing any oil-burning
equipment in any building, sketches showing the relative location of burners,
tanks and pumps must be submitted for the approval of the Oil Burner Inspector.
E.
Construction of tanks.
(1)
Underground tanks and tanks inside buildings shall bear
an Underwriters' label and shall be constructed of steel or wrought iron of
a minimum gauge (United States Standard) in accordance with the following
table:
|
Capacity
(gallon)
|
Minimum Thickness
| |
|---|---|---|
|
275
|
14 gauge
| |
|
276 - 550
|
12 gauge
| |
|
551 - 1,000
|
12 gauge
| |
|
1,001 - 4,000
|
7 gauge
| |
|
4,001 - 12,000
|
1/4 inch
| |
|
12,001 - 20,000
|
5/16 inch
| |
|
20,001 - 30,000
|
3/8 inch
|
(2)
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. The shells of tanks shall be properly reinforced
where connections are made.
(3)
All connections to underground tanks and tanks inside
buildings shall be made through the top of the tank above liquid level, except
that tanks of not over 275 gallons' capacity may have one bottom connection
for gravity feed.
F.
Tanks inside buildings. Oil supply tanks shall not be
located in buildings above the lowest story, cellar or basement, unless specifically
approved by the Oil Burner Inspector. In no case will oil supply tanks be
installed under cellar steps without extra precautions as approved by the
Oil Burner Inspector.
G.
No part of any storage tank shall be located within 10
feet of any fire, fireplace or open flame unless it is enclosed with brick,
cinder block or cement block and securely anchored to the ground. The wall
of any such enclosure must be carried at least six inches above the top of
the tank. Tanks shall be at least four inches from the enclosure wall.
H.
It shall be permissible to use a single-fill pipe and
a single vent for dual tank installation, provided that they are piped with
a fill line at least 1 1/2 inches in diameter and a vent line at least 1 1/4
inches in diameter, and piped in an approved manner. There shall be installed
in each tank an approved fuel supply gauge.
I.
Oil supply tanks located inside buildings shall not exceed
275 gallons' individual capacity, and not more than two such tanks with 550
gallons' aggregate capacity shall be used in one building, unless installed
in an enclosure or casing constructed as follows:
(1)
The wall of the enclosure shall be constructed of reinforced
concrete at least six inches thick or of brick at least eight inches thick
and shall be bonded to the floor.
(2)
The space between the tank and the enclosure shall be
completely filled with sand or well-tamped earth.
(3)
Where the floor or other construction immediately above
the tank is of fire-resistive construction capable of safely sustaining a
load of 150 pounds per square foot, the walls of the enclosure shall be carried
to a height not less than one foot above the tank and the space filled with
sand or well-tamped earth to the top; otherwise, the enclosure shall have
a top of reinforced concrete at least five inches thick or of an equivalent
construction.
J.
Storage tanks may be placed in a protective enclosure
having solid masonry walls not less than eight inches in thickness and of
dimensions not less than 15 inches greater on all sides than the outside dimensions
of the storage tank. The walls of the enclosure shall be carried to a height
not less than two feet above the top of the tank. A fireproof access door
shall be installed in the enclosure above the point where the enclosure has
a capacity equal to the tank, and for each additional 10 feet or fraction
thereof by which the longest inside dimensions of the enclosure exceeds 35
feet, an additional fireproof access door shall be similarly installed at
one or more intervals of not less than 10 feet. The ceiling above the tank
shall be either fireproof or of approved fire-retarding construction.
K.
Instead of an enclosure as above described, the tank
may be encased in reinforced concrete not less than four inches in thickness
applied directly to the tank so as to completely eliminate any air space.
L.
No tank to be used for storage of any liquid petroleum
product having a greater capacity than 300 gallons shall be installed or erected
above the ground without the specific approval of the Oil Burner Inspector.
A.
Installation of underground tanks. Underground tanks
shall be installed with the top of the tank below the level of all piping
to which the tank is connected to prevent the discharge of oil through a broken
pipe or connection by siphoning.
B.
Underground tanks shall be so buried as to have a cover
of earth not less than two feet thick or shall be covered with not less than
one foot of earth on top of which shall be placed a slab of reinforced concrete
not less than four inches thick. The slab shall be set on a firm, well-tamped
earth foundation and shall extend at least one foot beyond the tank in all
directions. Where tanks are buried underneath buildings, such a concrete slab
shall be provided in every instance.
C.
Where the basement or cellar is over 10 feet in depth
and the tank is within 15 feet of such basement, cellar, vault, pit, elevator
shaft, cesspool, sand trap or other excavation, tanks for other than residual
oils shall be set on a four-inch concrete slab and an eight-inch masonry wall
shall be placed around the tank and carried at least one foot above the tank
with the top of the tank no higher than two feet below the normal surface
of the ground. The enclosure shall be filled with clean earth or well-tamped
sand. In place of the above enclosure, the tank may be completely encased
in six inches of concrete.
D.
The enclosure or encasing of outside tanks shall not
be required for residual oil storage.
E.
Tanks buried under private driveways, roadways, alleys
or similar private ways must have a six-inch concrete slab on top extending
at least 12 inches from the outer edge of the tank, and all pipes leading
from such tanks must be similarly protected. If manholes are used, covers
shall be securely fastened or sealed in order to make access difficult by
unauthorized persons. No manhole shall be used for filling purposes. If more
than one tank is buried, each tank must have its own fill and vent pipe.
F.
Underground tanks must be kept at a minimum distance
of four feet from all outside or inside walls.
G.
When excavations are below the foundation, the edge of
the ditch must, as a safety precaution, be outside the sixty-degree line when
measured from the bottom of the foundation.
H.
Inside tanks shall be buried at least four feet from
the boiler and two feet below the floor. If the tank is within 15 feet of
any vault, pit, elevator shaft, cesspool, sand trap or other depression, the
top thereof must be no higher than the bottom of such vault, pit, elevator
shaft, cesspool, sand trap or other depression. The top of the tank must be
covered with solid concrete at least four inches thick. No openings to the
tank shall be permitted inside of any buildings. If manholes are used, they
are to be covered with a concrete or cast iron manhole cover sealed in place.
If more than one tank is installed, separate fill and vent lines are to be
used on each.
I.
All tanks buried inside of buildings shall be provided
with an approved measuring gauge or device.
J.
When the top of any underground tank is above any piping
to the burner, the suction line shall have a siphon leg consisting of a section
of pipe, at least three feet long, with a diameter of at least twice the diameter
of the said suction line.
A.
Storage tanks shall be equipped with an open vent arranged
to discharge to the open air. Vent openings and vent pipes shall be of ample
size to prevent abnormal pressure in the tank during filling, but not smaller
than 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Heavy oil (No. 5 and No. 6) storage tanks shall
have vent lines not smaller than two inches in diameter.
B.
Vent pipes shall be arranged to drain to the tank. The
lower end of the vent pipe shall not extend through the top of the tank for
a distance of more than one inch.
C.
The vent pipe shall terminate at a point outside of the
building. Outer ends of vent pipes shall be provided with a weatherproof hood
and shall terminate sufficiently above the ground to prevent their being obstructed
with snow and ice.
D.
All vents for basement fuel tanks shall be equipped with
an audible signaling device installed in such a manner as to prevent the overfilling
of the tank.
E.
Tank fill. Storage tanks shall be filled only through
fill pipes terminating outside of the building, and fill terminals shall be
closed by a tightly-fitting metal cap. No fill line shall be less than 1 1/2
inches in diameter. Residual oil (No. 5 and No. 6) storage tanks shall have
fill lines not less than three inches in diameter.
F.
Oil gauging. Gauging devices, such as liquid level indicators
or signals, shall be installed so that oil or vapor will not be discharged
into the building from the fuel supply system. Stick gauges on inside tanks
are prohibited.
G.
Piping. All piping shall be standard full-weight wrought
iron, steel or brass pipe with standard fittings or copper tubing with fittings,
except that approved flexible metal hose may be used for reducing the effects
of jarring and vibration or where rigid connections are impracticable. Such
flexible metal hose shall be used on industrial installations only and shall
be tested to twice the operating pressure.
H.
All fittings on suction and return lines shall be either
malleable or copper.
I.
Piping shall be rigidly secured in place and protected
from injury in a workmanlike manner. Pipe joints and connections shall be
made tight. Unions requiring gaskets or packing and left and right couplings
shall not be used on oil lines.
J.
Proper allowance shall be made for expansion, contraction,
jarring and vibration. Pipe lines other than tubing and test wells connected
to underground tanks shall be provided with swing joints arranged to permit
the tank to settle without impairing the efficiency of the pipe connections.
K.
Valves. Readily accessible shut-off valves of first quality
shall be installed in oil supply lines close to gravity tanks or gravity tank
enclosures.
A.
Oil burners shall be installed in a workmanlike manner
in accordance with the manual of instructions of the manufacturer unless such
instructions are inconsistent with this chapter.
B.
Boilers and furnaces shall be connected to flues having
sufficient draft to assure safe operation of the burner.
C.
Rooms in which oil burners are located shall be provided
with adequate ventilation to assure sufficient air supply for continuous complete
combustion of the oil.
D.
Oil pumps. Automatic pumps on domestic burner installations
not an integral part of the burner but supplying oil by gravity to a burner
or burners shall be arranged to stop automatically in case of total breakage
of the supply line to the burner.
E.
No vaporizing pot-type oil burners shall hereafter be
installed, regardless of whether or not they are approved by any nationally
recognized standard testing laboratory.
F.
Gun-type oil burners shall have the blast tube pitched
toward the combustion chamber in such a manner as to allow oil dripping from
the nozzle to drain and to be discharged into the said combustion chamber.
G.
Each fully automatic oil burner having a firing rate
of more than 10 gallons per hour and less than 35 gallons per hour shall be
equipped with a type of combustion safety control which shall shut off the
oil supply to the burner within 12 seconds after flame failure.
H.
Each fully automatic oil burner having a maximum firing
rate in excess of 35 gallons per hour shall be equipped with a type of combustion
safety control which shall cut off the oil supply to the burner within four
seconds after flame failure.
I.
Where a stack relay control is used, it shall be so installed
that it can be readily removed from the stack mounting flange for inspection
of the metallic element without disconnecting the wiring.
A.
All manually operated dampers shall be removed from the
heating unit or smoke pipe on oil-fired installations. An automatic draft
control or its equivalent shall be installed on all oil burner installations,
except where the equipment is so designated as to otherwise control the draft.
B.
Smoke pipes shall be securely fastened with at least
three sheet metal screws in each joint and smoke outlet of the heating equipment,
plus hangers of metal or wire from the joint or ceiling.
C.
Smoke pipes shall be of the size recommended by the manufacturer
of the heating unit.
D.
If the smoke pipe is within 18 inches of combustible
material, fireproofing consisting of minimum one-fourth-inch thick asbestos
millboard shall be installed with at least two inches of air space between
the millboard and the combustible materials and shall be extended a minimum
of 12 inches beyond the limits of such proximity, except where masonry walls
interfere. In no case may the smoke pipe be less than nine inches from the
combustible materials without extra precautions as approved by the Oil Burner
Inspector.
E.
Smoke pipes shall be cemented in the chimney using a
mixture of sand and cement.
A.
Electrical installation performed in connection with
oil-burning installations shall be in accordance with the National Electrical
Code, and every installation shall be inspected and approved by the Middle
Department Association of Fire Underwriters and an electrical certificate
shall be obtained and filed with the Oil Burner Inspector of the Township
of Pennsauken.
B.
No automatic oil burner shall be installed without a
master control switch located outside of the furnace room or at the nearest
entrance to the basement where the oil burner is installed, and such switch
shall be marked OIL BURNER EMERGENCY SWITCH.
C.
There shall be installed in the motor supply circuit
a disconnect switch placed in such close proximity to the oil burner that
the operator can start and stop said oil burner while adjusting or viewing
the fire.
D.
An oil burner used in connection with a hot water, steam
or warm air heating system shall be equipped with an approved automatic device
that will shut down the burner in the event of undue pressure in the steam
boiler or overheating within the hot water boiler or warm air furnace and
shall be so wired in the ungrounded circuit to the burner to directly disconnect
the burner circuit from its power supply in said emergency. In all cases where
an automatic oil burner is connected to a steam boiler, a low water cutoff
shall be installed and so wired in the ungrounded circuit to the oil burner
that the power supply to the oil burner will be automatically disconnected
in the event the water in the steam boiler becomes too low for safe operation.
A.
On all tanks inside of buildings, whether above the floor
or buried, no sounding or measuring device which must be open to the cellar
to ascertain the level of oil is permitted. On installations of this kind,
an approved gauge must be provided.
B.
No oil tank used in connection with an oil burner shall
be equipped with a glass gauge, the breaking of which will permit the oil
to escape from the tank.
C.
No oil shall be kept or used in any fuel oil burner which
emits an inflammable vapor below 135º F. to be ascertained by a standard
closed cup tester.
D.
The use of acetylene or any other gas possessing a wider
range of explosiveness in admixture with air than coal gas, water gas or oil
gas is prohibited for use in the gas pilot of an oil burner.
E.
On all burners that are using electric and gas connections,
tags bearing the following inscription must be attached to the electric or
gas meter: OIL BURNER ATTACHED, DO NOT SHUT OFF BEFORE NOTIFYING OCCUPANT,
BY ORDER OF THE CHIEF OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT OF THE TOWNSHIP OF PENNSAUKEN.
The background of these tags shall be red in color and the tag shall be not
less than two inches in width and four inches in length, printed on both sides.
F.
All installations are subject to the inspection of the
Oil Burner Inspector. When the installation is satisfactorily completed, it
shall be the duty of the Oil Burner Inspector to issue to the licensed installer
a certificate of approval on all oil burner installations for which a permit
has been issued.
A.
The following schedule of permit fees is hereby established:
(1)
For a light fuel oil installation, including one tank
of 275 gallons' capacity, the sum of $4.
(2)
For a light fuel oil installation, including two tanks
of 275 gallons' capacity, the sum of $7.50.
(3)
For a light fuel oil installation with tanks of a total
capacity of from 551 to 999 gallons inclusive, the sum of $10.
(4)
For all installations with tanks of a capacity of 1,000
gallons or more each, the sum of $20 for each tank.
B.
Payment of the installation fee entitles the applicant
to not more than three visits by the Oil Burner Inspector to any installation.
Responsibility for arranging the date and time of inspection shall rest with
the applicant. If more than three visits by the Oil Burner Inspector to any
installation are required, whether due to inability to gain admission or defective
installation, the applicant shall pay for each additional visit an additional
permit fee equal to 1/2 the regular permit fee for the installation.
A.
Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter
shall, upon conviction, be subject to one or more of the following: a fine
not exceeding $1,250 or imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding
90 days, or a period of community service not exceeding 90 days, in the discretion
of the Municipal Court Judge.
[Amended 9-12-1984 by Ord.
No. 84-26]
B.
Each violation of this chapter shall constitute a separate
and distinct offense, thereby subjecting the violator to a separate penalty
for each such violation. Each and every day that any violation continues shall
be considered a separate and specific violation of this chapter and not as
a continuing offense.
