1305.13.3 Above Ground; Above the Lowest Floor Inside a Building

Regardless of capacity, fuel-oil tanks and fuel-oil-burning appliances located above ground, above the lowest floor inside of buildings, shall comply with the following requirements:

1. Enclosure of room. Fuel-oil tanks and fuel-oil-burning appliances shall be located in a dedicated room or enclosure, having a fire-resistance rating of at least 2 hours. Rooftop tanks need not be enclosed provided that all exterior walls and roofs within 10 feet (3048 mm) horizontally and 20 feet (6096 mm) vertically have a fire-resistance rating of at least 2 hours or are otherwise separated by a constructed assembly with a fire-resistance rating of at least 2 hours.
2. Fire-extinguishing system. Rooms containing fuel-oil tanks and fuel-oil-burning appliances shall be equipped with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1 of the New York City Building Code. To prevent overfilling of the containment barriers, sprinkler shut-offs shall be located on the outside of tank and generator rooms and prominently placarded for immediate control by the Fire Department.
3. Smoke detection. Rooms containing fuel-oil tanks and fuel-oil-burning appliances shall be equipped with automatic smoke detection in accordance with Section 907 of the New York City Building Code, except that heat detectors may be utilized where, during normal operation, products of combustion are present in sufficient quantity to actuate a smoke detector.
4. Ventilation. Rooms containing fuel-oil tanks shall be ventilated to limit the concentration of vapors within the room at or below 25 percent of the Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) of the fuel oil being used.
5. Containment. Fuel-oil tanks, fuel-oil-burning appliances, and related equipment shall be provided with secondary containment area intended to capture any leakage of fuel oil. Floor drains shall be prohibited in containment areas. For tanks, the capacity of the containment area shall equal or exceed 2 times the capacity of the tank served. For fuel storage, the capacity shall include the portion of the tank up to the height of the containment. For fuel-oil-burning appliances and related equipment, the capacity of the containment area shall equal or exceed 1.5 times the fuel capacity of the equipment or appliance.
6. Transfer pumps. Fuel-oil tanks shall be filled by means of a transfer pump supplied from a primary storage tank located on the lowest floor. A separate transfer pump and piping circuit shall be provided for each storage tank installed above the lowest floor. No intermediate pumping stations shall be provided between the storage tank and the transfer pump. Appropriate devices shall be provided for the automatic and manual starting and stopping of the transfer pumps so as to prevent the overflow of oil from these storage tanks. The transfer pumps shall be located above the tank secondary containment level or outside the tank containment area.
7. Indicators and alarms. Indicators and alarms shall be provided for fuel-oil tanks and rooms containing fuel-oil-burning appliances, including a level sensor for height and capacity of fuel oil, high and low levels, and leak detection. The float switch shall be provided within the containment areas and shall be arranged so as to sound an alarm and stop the transfer pump in case of failure of the tank or the control in the tank. These indicators shall be connected to a local audible alarm in the tank room and to a remote alarm located at a supervising station. The wiring shall comply with the New York City Electrical Code.
8. Weekly testing. The operation of the float switch shall be tested at least once each week by the holder of the certificate of fitness as provided for in Sections 1301.10 and 1308.3.