§ 4-14 Installation and Use of Oil Burning Equipment and the Storage of Oils Used in Connection Therewith.
RCNY § 4-14
(a)Scope.
(1)No person shall install oil-burning, or oil storage equipment for use within the City of New York except as provided in these rules.
(2)These rules shall not apply to gas companies storing or using oil in the manufacture of illuminating gas for public use.
(b)Definitions. For the purpose of these rules the following terms shall be interpreted in accordance with these definitions: Approved. "Approved" shall mean devices hereafter approved by the Board of Standards and Appeals and also, when required by the Board of Standards and Appeals, approved, listed as standard, and/or labeled by any nationally recognized standard testing laboratory not operated for commercial profit, provided all such devices are installed in accordance with these rules. Such approval is subject to suspension or revocation for non-compliance with these rules. All devices approved by the Board of Standards and Appeals prior to the adoption of these rules shall be accepted. Automatic pump. "Automatic pump" is a pump not an integral part of the burner, which automatically pumps oil from the supply tank and delivers the oil by gravity under a constant head to an oil burning appliance. The pump is designed to stop pumping automatically in case of total breakage of the oil supply line between the pump and the appliance. Burner. "Burner" shall mean a device designed for the purpose of burning oil. Certificate of operation. A "certificate of operation" as provided for in § B26-58.0 of the Administrative Code, shall mean the operating certificate or certificate of operation issued when required by the Bureau of Air Resources upon completion of the installation of new or remodeled or reconstructed oil burning equipment. Commercial installations. "Commercial installations" shall mean oil burner installations in buildings, other than dwellings when used for heating and/or generation of power for use on premises. Controls. "Controls" shall mean such electrical or mechanical devices as are installed for the purpose of providing safe and continuous or intermittent operation. Discharge line. "Discharge line" shall mean that portion of the line between the discharge outlet of the pump and the burner oil inlet connection. Domestic installations. "Domestic installations" shall mean oil burner installations installed in dwellings as defined in these rules. Dwellings. "Dwellings" shall mean buildings used exclusively for dwelling purposes and occupied by one or two families, including convents, rectories, and monasteries. Electrically grounded. "Electrically grounded" for protection against lightning shall mean storage tanks set directly in or on the ground and/or with underground piping connections. Where storage tanks without underground piping connections are built on bases above the surface of the earth outside of buildings, such storage tanks shall be grounded at two (2) points 180° (degrees) apart as follows: (i) The conductor from tank to ground connection shall be of copper not smaller than No. 6 (.162") A.W.G. wire, or pipe not less than one-half inch (1/2") in diameter.
(ii)One end of conductor shall be permanently and electrically bonded to tank. The other end shall be bonded to a ground connection consisting of a water pipe or a rod, pipe or plate having a surface area of not less than one hundred and ninety (190) square inches, buried in moist earth not less than two feet (2') below the surface of the earth. Fill pipe. "Fill pipe" shall mean that portion of the line between the fill pipe terminal and the fill pipe connection in the storage tank. Fire retarding materials.
(i)One half (1/2) inch plaster boards or asbestos boards, or three-eighths (3/8) inch gypsum wall boards weighing not less than 16 pounds per square yard with pointed joints covered with No. 26 U.S. gauge sheet metal with one (1) inch lapped seams nailed to the wood beams when spaced not more than sixteen (16) inches on centers, or nailed to furring strips when the floor beams are spaced more than sixteen (16) inches on centers, or (ii) Two thicknesses of one-quarter (1/4) inch asbestos boards laid with tight staggered joints and nailed to the beams, when spaced not more than sixteen (16) inches on centers, or nailed to furring strips when the floor beams are more than sixteen (16) inches on centers, or (iii) Metal lath weighing not less than three pounds per square yard, attached to furring strips and plastered with Portland cement mortar at least three-quarters (3/4) inch thick.
(iv)Note – All fire retarding material to be applied as required in rules for fire retarding material of the Board of Standards and Appeals. Ground. "Ground" shall mean an electrical conductor having capacity to absorb current. Industrial installations. "Industrial installations" shall mean oil burner installations for industrial purposes under same requirements as for Commercial Installations. Oil. "Oil" shall mean any liquid mixture, substance or compound derived from petroleum, including kerosene and fuel oil as defined in § 26-47.0 of the (pre-1968) Administrative Code and 2 RCNY § 4-14(c). Oil burning equipment. "Oil burning equipment" shall mean any device including burners, oil burning heaters, internal combustion engines used for heating; power or other purposes designed for and/or using oil as defined in these rules. Oil level indicating device. "Oil level indicating device" shall mean a means by which the level of the oil in a storage tank may be indicated. Overflow pipe. "Overflow pipe" shall mean a pipe which conveys, by gravity, the oil from the maximum level of an auxiliary tank to the storage tank or from the pump to the storage tank. Permanent deformation. Wherever phrase, "without permanent deformation," is used in these rules it shall mean that the tanks or containers shall, after release of test pressure, resume their original size and shape. Permit. "Permit" shall mean permit for storage of oil. Portland cement concrete. "Portland cement concrete" shall mean a mixture of one (1) part cement and not more than two and one-half (2 1/2) parts sand and five (5) parts of coarse aggregate and complying in all other respects with the requirements of § 27-267 of the Administrative Building Code. Preheater. "Preheater" shall mean a device designed for heating oil for the purpose of decreasing the viscosity. Relief line. "Relief line" shall mean that portion of the line between the by-pass connection of the relief valve and the supply line or storage tank. Relief valve. "Relief valve" shall mean a valve held shut by a spring or other means of automatically relieving pressure in excess of its setting. Remote control. "Remote control" shall mean a hand, electric, or mechanically-operated device to shut off the oil supply. A thermostat is not acceptable as a remote control. Scavenging line. "Scavenging line" shall mean a line installed to permit the removal of water or foreign matter from a storage tank. Shop fabricated. "Shop fabricated" shall mean completely built in the shop of the tank manufacturer. Shut-off valve. "Shut-off valve" shall mean a device that can be actuated to prevent the flow of liquid in a line of pipe. Storage container. "Storage container" shall mean any container for oil connected to a burner or oil-burning heater and having a capacity of six (6) gallons or less. Storage tank. "Storage tank" shall mean any tank for oil having the capacity of two hundred and seventy-five (275) gallons or more, having a fill line and vent line connected thereto. Storage tank auxiliary. "Storage tank auxiliary" shall mean any container for oil having a capacity of not over 60 gallons and used as an intermediary tank for gravity feed and equipped with an automatic or manually operated pump. Supply line. "Supply line" shall mean that portion of the line between the storage tank and the pump oil inlet connection or hand valve. Where a pump is not used, it shall be that portion of the line between storage tank and burner and burner oil inlet connection or hand valve. Test well. "Test well" shall mean an opening in the top of the storage tank or a straight pipe connected to such opening through which a gauge stick may be inserted into the storage tank. Transfer pump. "Transfer pump" shall mean an oil pump, automatically or manually operated, which transfers oil through continuous piping from a supply tank to an oil burning appliance or to an auxiliary tank and which is not designed to stop pumping automatically in case of total breakage of the oil supply or return lines. Vent pipe. "Vent pipe" shall mean that portion of the line between vent pipe terminal and vent pipe connection in the storage tank.
(c)Oil permitted. Oil permitted under these rules shall be any hydrocarbon oils free from acid, grit and fibrous or other foreign matter. The fuel oils shall be classified as provided in current Commercial Standard published by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and shall have a flashpoint not lower than 100 degrees Fahrenheit when tested in a Pensky-Martens closed cup tester (American Society for Testing Materials Method D-93-36) and marketed under the following commercial grades: Range Oil No. 1 Fuel Oil No. 2 Fuel Oil No. 4 Fuel Oil No. 5 Fuel Oil No. 6 Fuel Oil (d) Standards for approval of oil burners by the Board.
(iii)Flexible tubing used as an integral part of burner shall be not longer than 72 inches and of an approved type.
(3)The requirements of these rules shall not apply to the use and installation of portable burners not requiring a connection to a flue where such burners are of the type commonly used for household purposes including oil stoves, oil heaters and oil lamps equipped with a woven wick, nor do the requirements of these rules apply to such portable apparatus such as blow torches, soldering pots, tar heaters, snow melters, etc.
(e)Material and construction of tanks.
(v)Diameter and spacing of rivets: Riveting in single lap seams shall not exceed a pitch as follows: In shell 1/4 in. thick, 5/8 in. in diameter rivets 2 1/4 in. pitch. In shell 5/16 in. thick, 5/8 in. in diameter rivets 2 3/8 in. pitch. In shell 3/8 in. thick, 3/4 in. in diameter rivets 2 1/2 in. pitch.
(vi)When structural steel reinforcing members are tied together with braces in order to reduce the effective length, the braces shall not be stressed higher than nine thousand (9,000) pounds per square inch taken in the minimum net section.
(vii)If structural steel members are omitted and the sides of the tank are braced by means of rods or bars, these members should not be spaced farther apart than twenty-four (24) inches center to center, in all directions. The unit stress permitted in these members shall not be in excess of nine thousand (9,000) pounds per square inch on the minimum net section.
(viii)The connection between these members and the sides of the tank must in all cases be such that it will develop the full net sections of the bars so that the bar will break before the connection will let go.
(4)Vertical storage tanks over 1,000 gallons capacity located outside of building above ground.
(5)Storage containers. Storage containers for oil of six (6) gallons capacity or less used in connection with burners or oil-burning heaters shall be designed to withstand a hydrostatic pressure test of five (5) pounds per square inch without permanent deformation, rupture or leakage and shall be approved as provided in 2 RCNY § 4-14(d)(2). Glass storage containers shall not exceed three gallons capacity, protected with a metal jacket provided with hand grips and designed to be rigidly fastened to stand or wall and shall be approved as provided in 2 RCNY § 4-14(d)(2).
(f)Location of tanks.
(g)Piping.
(6)Scavenging line. When a scavenging line is installed it shall terminate outside of the building and shall be capped oil tight when not in use.
(h)Valves and control of oil flow.
(j)Permits, plans, inspection and tests of storage tanks and piping.
(k)Inspection of installations with not more than six (6) gallons' storage capacity. All installations of burners with not more than six (6) gallons' storage capacity except where such installations are made in dwellings shall be reported by installer to the Fire Commissioner giving location of building in which installation is made, name and address of owner and/or occupant name and address of installer and the make and approval number of burner. Such reported installations shall be inspected as required by the Administrative Code.
(l)Ventilation.
(m)Automatic pumps. Automatic pumps, when not an integral part of the burner shall be of approved type, provided with automatic means for preventing continuous discharge of oil in case of pipe breakage.
(n)Fire protection. Note: In order that the intent of Local Law No. 32 of 1958 be carried out, Section C26-693.0 sub. d, par. 1, 2, 4 is superseded by the following: (1) The clear distance between smoke pipe connections, of any boilers, furnaces or other heating apparatus to flues, and combustible material shall not be less than eighteen (18) inches, except that this clearance may be reduced to nine (9) inches where a baffle consisting of not less than No. 29 gauge sheet metal backed by 1/4 inch thick asbestos is placed two (2) inches above and extending along the entire length of the smoke pipe connections and twice the width thereof and such baffle is securely fastened from the ceiling with substantial hangers. In lieu of such baffle the combustible material may be covered with fire-retarding material as defined in these rules.
(7)Near each boiler, furnace or suspended fuel oil-burning unit there shall be immediately available one (1) approved hand fire extinguisher of not less than two quart capacity suitable for oil fires or two (2) rounded bottom pails filled with sand.
(o)Instruction cards and certificate of fitness.
(q)Existing installations. Oil burner systems heretofore installed and duly approved as complying with all laws and rules then applicable thereto shall be deemed acceptable, provided there have been no subsequent alterations to the apparatus, except as to 2 RCNY § 4-14(o)(2). (Renumbered and amended, City Record 4/4/2019, eff. 5/5/2019)
