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Village of Hempstead, NY
Nassau County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
FUEL OIL
Any liquid used as fuel and having a flash point not less than 115° F. The Pensky-Martens closed cup tester shall be authoritative. The test shall be made in accordance with the methods of testing adopted by the American Society for Testing and Materials.
OIL BURNER
Any device designed and arranged for the purpose of burning or preparing to burn fuel oil as specified herein and having a tank or container with a capacity for more than 20 gallons connected thereto.
OIL-BURNING EQUIPMENT
Oil burners and all equipment connected thereto, including internal and external supply or storage tanks, piping, wiring and all accessories.
It shall be unlawful for any person to install, permit the installation of or maintain any oil-burning equipment as defined in § 65-68 unless such equipment shall have been approved by the Plumbing Inspector.
A. 
Permit. It shall be unlawful for any person to install, permit the installation of or maintain any oil-burning equipment as defined in § 65-68 unless a permit for the installation of such oil-burning equipment shall have been obtained from the Building Department prior to such installation.
B. 
Application for permit. Application for an installation permit shall be made upon forms provided by the Building Department.
[Added 6-21-1983 by L.L. No. 6-1983]
All oil-burning equipment shall be installed only by a plumber licensed by the Village or a recognized, competent oil-burning equipment installer.
[Amended 6-21-1983 by L.L. No. 6-1983; 5-16-1995 by L.L. No. 3-1995]
A filing fee of $25 for each oil burner and each fuel oil storage tank shall be paid for the permit required in § 65-70.
The Plumbing Inspector may approve any oil burner listed by the Underwriters' Laboratories or any other nationally recognized inspection board or laboratory.
No plumbing work in connection with the installation or operation of oil burners or incidental thereto shall be performed by any person other than a plumber duly licensed by the Village.
Electrical installations used in connection with oil-burning equipment shall be subject to inspection by the Village and shall conform to the electrical standards and the building construction standards of the Village.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: For Electrical Standards, see Ch. 60; for Building Construction Administration, see Ch. 50.
A. 
Steel tanks.
(1) 
Material. Subject to the provisions of Subsection B hereafter, fuel oil tanks shall be constructed of galvanized steel or open-hearth steel of a minimum gauge (United States standard) of thickness depending on the capacity as given below:
Capacity
(gallons)
Thickness
1 to 1,100
10 gauge
1,101 to 4,000
3/16 inch
4,001 to 12,000
1/4 inch
(2) 
Construction. All joints shall be riveted and caulked, brazed, welded or made tight by some equally satisfactory process. Steel tanks shall be tight and sufficiently strong to bear without damage the most severe strains to which they may be subjected in practice. Shells of steel tanks shall be properly reinforced where connections are above the liquid level, except in steel tanks having a capacity of 275 gallons and less, where one connection of iron pipe not larger than one inch may be made in the bottom of the tank. Unenclosed inside storage or gravity steel tanks of 275 gallons' capacity and less may be provided with an additional one-inch opening in the bottom of the tank for an approved key system gate valve to aid in cleaning the tanks.
(3) 
Underground steel tanks. Underground steel tanks shall be thoroughly coated on the outside with tar, asphaltum or other suitable rust-resisting material, depending upon the condition of the soil in which they are placed.
(4) 
Inside, aboveground, auxiliary steel tanks. Inside and aboveground steel tanks and auxiliary steel tanks shall be coated with a good quality rust-resisting paint.
B. 
Non-steel tanks.
(1) 
Underground fuel oil tanks may also be built of materials other than steel, such as fiberglass, in accordance with Standard No. 31 National Fire Protection Association for the Installation of Oil Burning Equipment and upon approval of the Superintendent of the Building Department.
(2) 
Any tank installed pursuant to Subsection B(1) above shall be installed upon firm foundations having a six-inch minimum backfill bed, except that when fiberglass tanks are to be installed over rock, stone, shale, clay areas or in water, the backfill bed shall be so constructed to a minimum thickness of 12 inches.
(3) 
The depth of cover shall be not less than three feet nor more than seven feet of approved material, or not less than 18 inches of approved material plus six inches of reinforced concrete paving, or not less than 18 inches of approved material plus eight inches of asphaltic concrete paving. Whenever paving options are used to reduce the cover as hereinabove referred to, the pavement shall extend not less than one foot beyond the tank outline in all directions.
(4) 
Non-steel tanks shall be backfilled with approved backfill in such manner as to provide not less than 12 inches of backfill material between tank ribs and the side of the hole, between tank ends and the side of the hole and between tank ribs of adjacent tanks.
(5) 
Backfill bedding and backfill materials shall consist of any of the following:
(a) 
A naturally rounded free-flowing aggregate with a particle size not less than 1/8 inch nor more than 3/4 inch nor more than 3/4 inch in diameter.
(b) 
A free-flowing angular aggregate with a particle size not less than 1/8 inch nor more than 1/2 inch. Angular material may be either crushed stone or gravel meeting quality and soundness requirements of ASTM C-33.
(6) 
Cover materials shall consist of any of the following:
(a) 
A naturally rounded free-flowing aggregate with a particle size not less than 1/8 inch nor more than 3/4 inch in diameter.
(b) 
A free-flowing angular aggregate with a particle size not less than 1/8 inch nor more than 1/2 inch. Angular material may be either crushed stone or gravel meeting quality and soundness requirements of ASTM C-33.
(c) 
Clean, suitable backfill material free of rock, shale, topsoil, humus, root matter, stumps, spongy materials and any other objectionable material. Whenever clean, suitable backfill material is used as cover material, the required bedding and backfill materials placed in accordance with this specification shall be covered with a polyethylene film or suitable substitute prior to filling between the tank top and finished grade.
(7) 
All bedding, backfill bedding and approved backfill materials shall be tamped into place.
(8) 
Tanks that are subject to uplifting forces shall be securely anchored using noncorrosive hold-down straps or approved alternate materials and fittings in accordance with requirements prescribed by an engineering review of the factors involved.
(9) 
Fiberglass tanks shall be tested for concealed damage prior to installation and prior to being placed in service. Testing shall be pressure testing at five pounds per square inch with fittings soaped. During this test procedure and whenever the tank is being held under pressure, the tank shall not be left unattended. No tank shall be placed in service until the pressure test of five pounds per square inch shall have been satisfactorily completed.
(10) 
No repairs shall be made by other than the manufacturer's authorized representative.
Inside storage, gravity and auxiliary pressure tanks not enclosed in masonry or concrete shall be mounted on substantial noncombustible supports and be adequately secured to avoid strains on piping and shall not be located within 10 feet, measured horizontally, of any fire or source of flame.
A. 
Cellar, basement installation. The aggregate capacity of exposed storage tanks installed in a cellar or basement and used in connection with one complete system shall not exceed 550 gallons.
B. 
Tanks above floor level. Storage tanks having a capacity greater than 550 gallons, when located above the floor level, shall be placed in an enclosure with inside dimensions six inches greater on all sides than the outside dimensions of the tank. The walls of the enclosure shall be constructed of concrete not less than six inches in thickness or of masonry eight inches in thickness. The walls shall be bonded to the floor and carried up to a height not less than one foot above the tank.
C. 
Tanks below floor level of cellar, basement. Storage tanks having a capacity greater than 550 gallons may be placed in the cellar or basement of any building below the level of the floor, provided that they are so placed that the top of the tank is not less than 12 inches below the level of the floor.
D. 
Underground tanks outside building. Tanks located underground outside a building shall be so placed that the top of the tank is not less than two feet below the surface of the ground, except that in lieu of the two-foot cover, a tank may be buried under 12 inches of earth and a cover of concrete at least six inches in thickness provided; reinforcements shall extend at least 12 inches in all sides of the tank.
Where a tank is located so that the top of the tank is above the level of the suction inlet of the pump supplying oil to the burner or burner assembly, a siphon-breaking device consisting of an antisiphon valve, a vacuum tank, Underwriters vacuum siphon breaker, siphon breaking pump set or equivalent device to prevent siphoning shall be installed and maintained.
No tank shall be installed under any public right-of-way.
Any tank having a capacity of 275 gallons or less may be used to supply oil to the burner by gravity, provided that there is a suitable automatic safeguard to prevent abnormal discharge of oil at the burner. When more than one storage tank is installed, such tanks shall be connected with the main feed pipe leading to the burner, through a manually operated three-way valve, so that not more than one tank may in any way discharge its contents at one time.
Any tank having a capacity of 60 gallons or less may be used under pressure, provided it shall be designed to withstand at least six times the maximum working pressure and shall be proved tight at twice the maximum working pressure. Working pressure shall not exceed 50 pounds per square inch. Each pressure tank shall be equipped with a reliable pressure gauge and an automatic relief valve piped to discharge by gravity to the storage tank.
A. 
All storage tanks shall have an open or automatically operated vent pipe of ample size to prevent abnormal pressure in cases of fire or when filling. In no case shall any vent pipe be less than 1 1/4 inches iron pipe size.
B. 
Extension through tank top. The lower end of the vent pipe shall extend through the top of the tank for a distance of not more than one inch.
C. 
Terminating point of vent pipe. The vent pipe shall extend from the tank to the outside air, terminating at a point outside the building one foot above the level of the highest reservoir from which the tank may be filled and preferably not less than four feet, measured vertically or horizontally, from any window or other building opening. Outer ends of the vent, unless automatically operated, shall be provided with a return band or weatherproof hood.
All fill pipes shall terminate outside of buildings and shall be closed tight with a metal cover or cap when not in use. Cross-connection between the fill pipe and the vent pipe is prohibited.
Generally, no oil tank used in connection with oil-burning equipment shall be equipped with a glass gauge or any gauge the breaking of which will permit oil to escape from the tank.
Test wells shall not be located within buildings. Any test well located outside a building shall be closed tight with a metal cover or cap when not in use.
A scavenging line installed in connection with a tank located within a building may be used and shall terminate outside the building. It shall be capped oiltight when not in use.
A. 
Materials. Standard full-weight wrought iron, steel or brass pipe with substantial fittings or standard full-weight copper tubing with standard fittings shall be used and shall be carefully protected against mechanical injury. In all piping systems, proper allowance shall be made for expansion and contraction, jarring and vibration. Flexible metallic tubing may be used to reduce the effect of jarring and vibration.
B. 
Joints. All threaded joints shall be tight and shall be made up with suitable pipe compound.
C. 
Installation. All piping shall be secured rigidly and protected from injury in a workmanlike manner and consistent with good practice.
A. 
Auxiliary pumps. All auxiliary pumps used for pumping oil from the storage tank to the auxiliary tank shall be of an approved type, rigidly mounted.
B. 
Automatic pumps. Automatic pumps not an integral part of the oil burner shall be the type approved by the Plumbing Inspector and provided with automatic means for preventing a continuous discharge of oil in case of pipe breakage. They shall be rigidly mounted.
A. 
Overflow. Each oil burner shall be equipped with a device, mechanical or electrical, which will automatically prevent an abnormal flow of oil.
B. 
Ignition. Each oil burner subject to automatic ignition shall be provided with a permanent automatic device so designed that oil, upon being turned into the combustion chamber, shall become ignited immediately or be shut off.
C. 
Fire protection. Each oil burner used in connection with hot-water, steam or warn-air heating systems shall be equipped with an automatic device to reduce or extinguish the fire in the event of undue pressure in a steam boiler or overheating within a hot-water boiler or warm-air furnace.
No oil burner shall be installed in any boiler or heater unless said boiler or heater is connected with a chimney having sufficient draft at all times to ensure the safe operation of the burner. All boiler or furnace rooms shall be provided with adequate ventilation to ensure continuous and complete combustion.
A printed copy of the rules and instructions of the manufacturer of the burner shall be conspicuously posted near the oil burner.