1305.14.1 General Construction Standards

All tanks shall comply with the requirements of Section 1305.14.1.1 through 1305.14.1.9.

All fuel-oil storage tanks shall be built of steel plates or sheets, made by the open hearth or basic oxygen process. Such steel shall be free from physical imperfections, and shall be new, in good condition, and free from rust.

Tanks, flanges or other pipe connections shall be welded. Filler of any kind between plates shall be prohibited.

Tanks to be buried shall be cleaned and then coated on the outside with two coats of corrosion protective material. They shall be further protected by a coating of hot tar, asphalt, or equivalent rust resistive material, applied at the work site. Tanks installed inside buildings above ground shall be coated with one coat of corrosion protective material.

All buried storage tanks shall be constructed of at least ¹/₄ -inch (6.4 mm) thick metal and shall be designed to withstand any external loads to which the tank may be subjected.

At the time of installation all storage tanks shall bear a permanently-fixed plate, spot welded or equivalent, bearing the name of the tank manufacturer, the gage of the material, and capacity of the tank. Shop-fabricated storage tanks shall be installed without structural alteration.

All openings shall be through the top of the storage tank, except that storage tanks of 275 gallon (1041 L) capacity or less, located above ground but below the lowest story, may be provided with a ³/₄ -inch (19.1 mm) opening for gravity discharge and a 1-inch (25 mm) opening in the bottom for cleaning and protection against corrosion.

Tanks for No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 commercial grade oils need not have manholes. However, if manholes are used for tanks containing such oils, the manhole covers shall be bolted and made gas tight. Tanks for No. 5 and No. 6 commercial grade oils shall have manhole covers bolted or otherwise secured to the tanks and kept hydrostatically tight at all times. Tanks 275 gallons (1041 L) capacity or less, and all other tanks without manholes, shall be provided with a 2 screwed connection on the top of the tank to permit measuring the level of the oil within.

Tanks outside of buildings shall be electrically grounded in accordance with the requirements for equipment grounding of the New York City Electrical Code.

Tanks shall be located at least 7 feet (2134 mm), measured in the most direct manner, from any source of exposed flame unless protected as provided in Section 1305.11.1.2, exception 3, and at least 2 feet (610 mm) from any surface where the temperature exceeds 165F (74°C).