"buyer beware" code violations

Originally posted January, 2018

Answers to "Buyer Beware" Code Violations

We had a fair response to our recent quiz about codes violations (See “Buyer Beware” blog, dated December 16, 2016). There were four brave customers who tested their knowledge of Massachusetts oil tank installation codes. One of them came very close to identifying all of the violations, but due to the poor quality of the pictures provided, was unable to see all of them. We gave all of our contestants the 10-cent discount for taking the time to respond.
 
Here are the seven violations or problems that we identified:
 
Oil Tank Leak - The biggest problem with these old oil tanks is that there is a large wet spot on the bottom of the tank on the right, which would indicate that the oil tank is leaking. This is not a code violation, but putting oil into a tank that is suspected of having a leak could lead to a whole host of problems. This is the reason that we inspect oil tanks before delivering to a new customer. The tank on the left also has a wet spot near the bottom, but it was determined to be a slight seeping from around the nipple. We did put oil into that tank with good results thus far.
 
No Vent Alarm (Otherwise Known as a Whistle) - When you look at the picture of the pipes at the top of the tank, the pipes in the foreground (or closest to you) are the vent pipes. It is acceptable for them to be manifolded (or connected together). What is missing are vent alarms, which should be installed into the top of the tanks with the vent pipes coming out from them. Some vent alarms are red, and some are silver, and there are even some that you cannot see that fit into the pipe at the top of the tank. Both tanks must have vent alarms, because it is the best way to ensure that the tank is sealed and that you are actually filling the oil tank and not the cellar. The vent alarm will make a whistling sound as the air escapes past it during the filling process, and when the oil comes up to the level of the whistle, the whistling stops. At this point, the alert deliverer of the oil shuts off the valve to stop the flow of oil. It does not happen automatically like when you are filling the tank on your car with gasoline. Most companies have a “no whistle, no fill policy,” meaning that if the deliverer doesn’t hear a whistle, they must shut off the flow of oil immediately and investigate the cause. How did the previous oil company fill these tanks without overfilling in the past you ask? Deliverers with good hearing and good luck! It is possible to fill a tank by listening and feeling the air escaping from the vent pipe and shutting off the valve when the foam from the oil starts to bubble in the pipe.
 
No Fusible Valves at Oil Tanks - When you look at the bottom of the oil tanks you see valves there, but they are gate valves and not the required fusible valves. Fusible valves are designed to shut off the flow of oil when the temperature near them gets over 165 degrees. This prevents the tank’s oil from coming out and feeding a fire and giving firefighters a reason to visit. You can identify these brass valves by the small silver wheel that can be manually turned off and removed. The most common manufacturer of these valves is a company called Firomatic. You can see one of these valves in the picture just before the oil filter. You should also see one of these valves at the other end of the oil line at or near your oil burner.
 
Unsleeved Oil Line - You can see a coil of copper tubing in the pictures at the bottom of the tanks after the oil filter. This is the oil line, which runs along the floor to the oil burner. It is required that all copper oil line that comes into contact with the earth, stone or cement be encased in a non-metallic sleeve. This sleeve protects the oil line from corrosives that will, over time, cause it to leak. There are alternatives to sleeving an oil line. One is an anti-siphon or OSV valve, which is installed right after the oil filter and will close if a leak develops in the oil line. The other way is to run the oil line overhead without coming into contact with the floor or cement walls. You are eligible to receive pollution coverage from your homeowner’s insurance company if your oil line complies with this code. Many insurance companies are beginning to require it as a condition of their continued coverage.
 
Fill Pipes Improperly Installed - The larger pipes coming from the top of each tank and manifolded in the background are the fill pipes. Current oil burner codes require that the fill pipes be equal to or smaller than the vent pipes, so an equal amount of air can escape and not pressurize the tank when filling. Another thing that is wrong with the way these fill pipes were installed is that there is no way to ensure that each tank gets filled. More oil could have gone into one tank than the other. The installer could have used one fill pipe for each tank or installed one fill pipe to the first tank and a larger crossover pipe into the top of the second tank. This would have saved on one vent alarm and the piping from it.
 
I hope this quiz was interesting and helpful to those who spent the time to look it over and read our answers. You can expect that I will blog when I encounter another situation that customers should know about.

Bob

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