§ 25-29 Venting of Gas Appliances.
RCNY § 25-29
(a)Definitions. A flue, vent or outlet pipe is a conduit or passageway, vertical or nearly so, for conveying flue gases to the outer air. A vent connector is a pipe connecting an appliance with the flue, vent, outlet pipe or chimney.
(b)Every vent or outlet pipe serving a gas space or water heater shall be provided with a draft hood of a type approved by the American Gas Association, Inc., laboratories of the Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc., as conforming to accepted standards, unless the heater has an approved built-in draft hood, or has been approved by the American Gas Association without a draft hood. The draft hood shall be installed at the flue collar or as near to the appliance as possible and in the position for which it was designed, with reference to horizontal and vertical planes. The relief opening of the draft hood shall not be obstructed. A suitable cap shall be provided at top of vent pipes.
(c)Each gas-fueled space or water heater installed in an apartment in lieu of the required centrally supplied heat and hot water supply, respectively, shall be connected to a chimney flue, outlet pipe, or type B vent, complying with the requirements of subdivision (h) of this section, which shall be carried four feet above a flat roof and two feet above the highest part of a peaked roof, except that type B vents need not comply with this provision when equipped with a vent cap approved by the Department of Buildings or previously approved by the Board of Standards and Appeals for the prevention of downdraft. A flue in an existing chimney may be used if a licensed plumber certifies that he has made a smoke test of the flue and found no gas escaping through its walls, and made a test of the draft and found it adequate. However, window or wall type heaters of the sealed combustion chamber type which have been approved by the Department of Buildings or previously approved by the Board of Standards and Appeals may be vented in accordance with the approval of the Board, except as provided in subdivision (d) of this section.
(d)No gas-fueled space heater, including a window or wall type recessed heater and no gas-fueled water heater, installed in a dwelling, shall be vented to an inner court unless it is connected to a chimney complying with the requirements of Subchapter 15 of Chapter 1 of Title 27 of the Administrative Code (Building Code). Standard steel steam or water pipes are acceptable in such locations.
(e)Gas-fueled water heaters shall be located as close as practicable to a vent or flue. They should be so located as to provide short runs of piping to fixtures.
(f)Vent connectors shall consist of galvanized iron of not less than No. 26 U.S. gauge in thickness, cement-asbestos pipe, approved type B vents, enameled steel pipe of a quality acceptable to the superintendent as heat and corrosion resistant, or other materials satisfactory to the superintendent.
(g)Vent connectors shall have a cross-sectional area at least equal to the area of the vent outlets of the appliance and shall have a minimum diameter or dimension of three inches.
(h)Outlet pipes and vents, on the exterior of a building, shall consist of standard water, steam or soil pipes, cement-asbestos pipe, type B vents approved by the Department of Buildings or previously approved by the Board of Standards and Appeals, or other corrosion resistant materials satisfactory to the superintendent, all so connected as to prevent leakage at joints. Outlet pipes and vents on the exterior of a building shall be adequately supported and braced. Flues inside of building shall be constructed as low temperature chimneys. Type B vents may be used inside buildings when installed in accordance with the requirements of § 27-887(d) of the Administrative Code (Building Code) and with the conditions of their approval.
(i)Only vent connections serving appliances located in one story of a building may be made to any flue. The cross-sectional area of any flue shall be equal to or greater than the total cross-sectional area of all vents connected to it, but in any case the least internal dimensions shall be three inches.
(j)Vent connections may be made to a flue serving other heat producing appliances, above the connection of the other heat producing appliances, or the smoke pipe or vent connection from the gas appliance and the other heat producing device may enter the flue through a single opening if joined together by a Y fitting located as close as practical to the flue. The angle of intersection between the branch and the stem of the Y shall not exceed forty-five degrees. The area of the common outlet pipe shall not be less than the combined areas of the outlet pipes joined by the Y fitting.
(k)The horizontal run of vent pipe connectors shall not exceed three-fourths of the vertical rise of the flue to which the vent is attached, measured from the connection of the appliance to the top of the flue. A vent connector shall be pitched upward from the gas appliance with a slope of not less than one-fourth inch vertically for each foot of horizontal run.
(l)No dampers, steel wool or other obstructions shall be placed in any vent pipe or flue.
