Chapter 7-02. Heating and Air-Conditioning Plants

CHAPTER 7-02
HEATING AND AIR-CONDITIONING PLANTS SECTIONS:
7-0201. Definitions.
7-0202. Permit and Approval of Plans Required: When.
7-0203. Duties and Powers of the Building Inspector.
7-0204. Appeals.
7-0205. Duties of Owner and Contractor.
7-0206. Replacements, Alterations, Additions and Repairs to
Existing Heating and Air-Conditioning Plants.
7-0207. Clearances.
7-0208. Consent Required: Soliciting Prohibited.
7-0209. Modifications.
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7-0201. DEFINITIONS. The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this title, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

1. The term "Gravity Warm Air Heating System" means any and all warm air furnaces enclosed within a casing of any type and any and all appurtenances thereto or connections therewith, intended to heat any building or enclosure by gravity air circulation only, wherein no mechanical forces or equipment is applied.

2. The term "Forced Air Conditioning" means one or more air heating units within individual housings or within one common housing, one or more motor driven blowers, or fans, smoke or vent pipes, individual leader pipes or trunkline systems, or both, with necessary control dampers for supply and return air, automatic controls, registers, faces and grills; and with provisions for
other appurtenances such as filters, air washers, ozonators, humidifiers, etc., as may be desired.

3. The term "Floor Furnace" means a self-contained floor furnace, suspended from the floor of the space being heated, with means for observing the flame and lighting the furnace from the space heated.

4. The term "Warm Air Ceiling Panel System" means a system of heating wherein warm air is circulated through a ceiling "panel" to provide heat.

5. The term "clearance" means the distance prescribed between heating equipment and parts thereof and any structural combustible construction.

7-0202. PERMIT AND APPROVAL OF PLANS REQUIRED: WHEN. It shall be unlawful for any person to construct or install any heating or air-conditioning plant in or for any building, or to
alter or repair any such existing heating or air-conditioning plant without first making written application to and securing a permit from the Building Inspector. Such application shall be accompanied by:

1. A plan or sketch in duplicate for such proposed construction, installation, alteration or repair, if required by the Building Inspector.

2. Where a permit is applied for the installation of any steam or hot water boiler, warm air furnace, or any device performing some specific service in connection with any heating or air-conditioning plant, the capacity of which device might affect, in whole or in part, the efficiency of the plant, the application shall be accompanied by test data, measurements, ratings, capacities, or such other information required by the Building Inspector from which the ratings or capacities of such boilers, furnaces or devices may be determined. The Building Inspector may require that such test data, measurements, ratings, or capacities shall be verified by affidavit of the manufacturer thereof or the contractor making such application. Where a rating cannot be secured from the manufacturer there shall be supplied the Input Boiler Rating.

3. The Building Inspector may waive the requirement of a permit where the alterations, or repairs to any existing heating or air-conditioning plant will not exceed $50.00, when such alteration or repair will not exceed the rated capacity of such, heating or air-conditioning plant and are not of such a nature as to render an inspection of the same desirable or necessary.

7-0203. DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE BUILDING INSPECTOR. It shall be the duty of the Building Inspector and he shall have the power:

1. To enforce the provisions of this title relating to heating and air-conditioning plants.

2. To make all necessary inspections of such plants.

3. To require all necessary tests to be made to determine the tightness of any steam or hot water installation or any air-conditioning plant, or any portion thereof, or any sheet metal ducts or pipes connected therewith, and to supervise such tests.

4. To require the immediate removal of any material or construction which conceals or covers up any newly installed portion of such plant prior to its inspection and approval by the Building Inspector.

5. To post a "Stop Work" notice on the premises where the work is in progress and to notify anyone concerned of such a notice when the work or project is being performed in violation of this title. After the posting of such notice no person shall do any further work on such project until the particular defect or violation has been eliminated to the satisfaction of the Building Inspector,
when such notice shall be removed by the Building Inspector.

7-0204. APPEALS. A person may appeal orders, decisions, or determinations made by the building inspector relative to the application and interpretation of Title X of the ordinances of the City of Harwood. This appeal shall be to the City Council of the City of Harwood. The appeal must be in writing and filed with the City Auditor within thirty (30) days of the order, decision or determination made by the building inspector.

7-0205. DUTIES OF OWNER AND CONTRACTOR. It shall be the duty of the owner of a building or the contractor employed by him:

1. To notify the Building Inspector immediately upon completion of those portions of a new building or any addition to an older building upon completion of those portions of a heating or air-conditioning plant which are thereafter to be concealed or covered up, that said plant is ready for inspection and testing. There shall be posted by the owner or contractor in a conspicuous
position on some portion of the installation a notice substantially in the following form: "WARNING: This installation and piping have not been inspected and approved by the Building Inspector and must not be covered up or concealed until so inspected and approved." No other person than the Building Inspector shall remove such notice until the heating or air-conditioning plant has been inspected and approved by him. He shall then attach a certificate of such inspection and approval.

2. To notify the Building Inspector upon the completion of any installation of a heating or air-conditioning plant that the work is ready for inspection and tests by registering the number of the permit and the location of the work in an inspection order register book to be kept in the office of the Building Inspector for that purpose. Such tests shall be made by the contractor in the
presence of and under the supervision of the Building Inspector. If found satisfactory and in compliance with the provisions of this title, the Building Inspector shall approve the same. Where approval is refused by the Building Inspector for any of the reasons set forth in this title, correction of such installations shall be made to meet such objections, and upon notice to the Building Inspector as above provided, he shall make a re-inspection thereof.

7-0206. REPLACEMENTS, ALTERATIONS, ADDITIONS AND REPAIRS TO EXISTING HEATING AND AIR-CONDITIONING PLANTS. The following regulations shall apply:

1. To replacements of existing equipment. Such replacements shall be of such capacity as would be required under this title if the same were installed for use in connection with a new plant or system, and designed to meet the heating or air-conditioning requirements for said building. Provided, however, that in a building other than a single family dwelling, where in the opinion of
the Building Inspector, it would be impracticable or work an unnecessary hardship to require complete compliance with the foregoing requirements, a steam or hot water boiler, warm air furnace, fan, blower, air-conditioning equipment or appurtenance, based as to capacity on the connected load, may be installed to replace any existing equipment of like nature.

2. To alterations of existing equipment. Such alterations shall be made in conformity with the requirements of this title insofar as may be practicable in the judgment of the Building Inspector without impairing the efficient operation of the system, as a whole, or any portion thereof.

3. To additions to existing equipment. Wherever the heating or air-conditioning requirements of any existing building are hereafter increased either by the construction of an addition thereto or by an increase in the portions of the building to be heated or air-conditioned, or in any other manner, the capacity of such heating or air-conditioning plant shall be increased to that capacity which would be required by this title for a new installation, designed to meet equal heating or air-conditioning requirements.

4. To repairs of existing equipment. All such repairs shall be made in such manner as to restore the equipment as near as is practicable to its original sound condition. When repaired, such equipment shall be subjected to such tests as may be required, in the judgment of the Building Inspector to satisfactorily demonstrate its ability to meet the service requirements to which it may normally be subjected.

7-0207. CLEARANCES.

1. Installations. Heating equipment and parts thereof shall be so located that the clear space between any heated surface and combustible construction is sufficient to prevent temperatures of more than 160 degrees on such constructions. Unless specifically provided otherwise, the clearance generally shall be as shown in Table I, following:

TABLE I - CLEARANCE WITH NO PROTECTION Heating Unit Above

(a) Minimum Clearance in Inches Sides and Front Smoke or and Rear Vent Pipe Mechanical Warm Air Furnaces (with fan) automatically fired, with 250 degree temp. limit control

(b) Burning liquid or solid fuel 6" 6" 48" 18" Burning gas 6" 6" 18" 9"

(d) The clearance above warm air furnaces shall be measured from the furnace bonnet or warm air plenum chamber.

(e) "Mechanical warm air furnaces with 250 degrees temp. limit control" shall be defined as automatically fired warm air furnaces equipped with a fan to circulate the air and with approved automatic temperature limit controls that cannot be set higher than 250 degrees and if coal stoker is fired, equipped also with an automatic overrun control to operate the fan when the air reaches a temperature not higher than 250 degrees even though the controlling thermostat is not calling for heat.

(f) These clearances do not apply to approved type B gas vents (approved vent piping of non-combustible, corrosion-resistant material of adequate strength and heat insulating value and having bell and spigot or other acceptable joints). These clearances may be reduced to 6 inches for approved gas appliances which produce flue gas temperatures not in excess of 350 degrees at the outlet of the draft hood when burning gas at the manufacturer's input rating.

2. Attic furnaces. Attic furnaces or furnaces in attics shall not be installed unless of a type approved for such use with installation in accordance with the mounting and clearance provisions of this section.

3. Clearances required with protection. Heating furnaces may be installed with clearance to woodwork or other combustible material, as provided in the National Building Code and adopted by the City of Harwood.

7-0208. CONSENT REQUIRED: SOLICITING PROHIBITED. All installations, alterations, repairs or inspections of heating and air-conditioning plants shall be made only by order or authorization of the owner or manager of any building. No person shall engage in house to house canvassing or soliciting for the sale or supplying of such services.

7-0209. MODIFICATIONS. Where circumstances or conditions of any particular installation are unusual and such as to render the strict application of this title impracticable, the Building Inspector may, if he deems it safe, permit such modification as will provide a substantially equivalent degree of safety.

***Reference 7-2-5 for Table***