Oil Burner Disconnect

[rkenney]

Does anyone know the origin of the convention which places a disconnect for the oil burner at the top of the basement stairs?

Yesterdays inspection had one (1997), my parents had one (1914), but I've seen others both older and newer that only had the service disconnect on the furnace cabinet (required).

Just curious.

[Bill Kibbel]

NFPA 31 requires 2 disconnects*.

One is a "service disconnect switch" that is within easy reach of the service tech.

The other is a labelled switch near the entrance to the room where the burner is located. An unfinished basement is the "room", so near the entrance at the top of the stairs is the required location.

*The remote disconnect does not have to be an electrical switch, if there is a way to manually stop the flow of oil to the burner, located at a safe distance from the burner.

[Jim Katen]

Those switches are common back east but nearly unheard of in the west. Don't know why.

[rkenney]

Thanks Jim and Bill.

I am trying to figure out how or if NFPA 31 is incorporated in the Md Fire code. One assumes it may have been at one time or may still be, hence the many installations that have two disconnects.

My 2006 copy of the MD fire code only shows it incorporates NFPA 1, Uniform Fire Code (2006 Edition) and NFPA 101, Life Safety Code (2006).

So, does anyone have a quick synopsis of how these publications fit together or are organized?