Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Are your oil fired buners compliant?

From the massgov Twitter stream today, I saw:
@massgov: Older oil burners must be upgraded to prevent leaks - A law enacted over a year ago (St. 2008, c.453) requires home... http://ow.ly/16tOyU 

When you follow the link you find: (bold added for my emphasis)
A law enacted over a year ago (St. 2008, c.453) requires homeowners with oil burners installed before 1990 to make a small change to their systems by July 1, 2010 to prevent leaks. According to the Mass. DEP, under the Homeowner Oil Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law,  "Owners of 1- to 4-unit residences that are heated with oil must already have or install an oil safety valve or an oil supply line with a protective sleeve...  Installation of these devices must be performed by a licensed oil burner technician."  "It is important to note that heating oil systems installed on or after January 1, 1990 most likely are already in compliance because state fire codes implemented these requirements on new installations at that time."

The good news is that the law also requires insurers who offer homeowner's insurance to also offer coverage for oil leaks to those who have certified that they have made the repairs or are exempt from the requirement.

More information, including a diagram of necessary repairs, is available at the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection site.
The burner in my house failed and was replaced in Sep 2008 so I know we are compliant. This is the first I hear that there is a deadline to be complaint by July 1, 2010.

Is your oil fired burner compliant?




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