HEATING CODE

13.01 SCOPE. The purpose of this Chapter is to establish minimum standards and requirements to promote the welfare of the public and to establish minimum standards of construction and performance and safe installation of gas equipment.

13.02 DEFINITIONS. When used in this Chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

    (1) "Approved", as to materials, workership and types of construction, means approval by the Building Inspector as a result of investigation, inspections, and or tests conducted by her or him, or by reason of accepted principles or tests by nationally recognized authorities or approval under the terms of the Wisconsin Administrative Code.

    (2) "Gas Appliance" means any device that uses gas fuel to produce light, heat or power.

    (3) "Gas Appliance Dealer" means one who maintains an established place of business for the installation, repair or retail sales of gas equipment.

    (4) "Gas Space Heating Dealer" means one who maintains an established place of business for the installation, repair or retail sale of gas space heating equipment.

    (5) "Gas Equipment" means a fixture or apparatus manufactured and designed to use natural, manufactured, mixed gas or liquified petroleum gas-air mixtures as a fuel medium, provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be construed to apply to equipment, appurtenances or devices used for strictly experimental or scientific purposes or to gas burning equipment for industrial and commercial processing purposes.

    (6) "Gas Piping" means any run of pipe or fittings that is used to convey fuel gas, installed on any premises or in any building, but shall not include any of the service piping.

    (7) "House Piping" means that portion of the gas piping contained within the boundaries of the building foundation and any additional gas piping connected to and extending beyond that portion of the system, but shall not include any portion of the service piping.

    (8) "Service Piping" means the piping between the street gas main and the outlet connection of the gas meter rigid or the outlet connection of the gas meter if no gas meter rigid is used.

    (9) "Gas Vent Connection" means a pipe designed to convey the products of combustion from any gas equipment to a gas vent or chimney.

    (10) "Gas Vent" means a conduit or pipe, vertical, or nearly so in direction, designed to convey the products of combustion to the outside air.

    (11) "Installation" means the location of gas equipment in relation to the building or structure which it serves; the connection of gas equipment to house piping and to utility services; provisions when required of a proper and effective vent connection from the gas equipment to a flue or chimney and shall include any initial adjustments of parts of the gas equipment which may be needed when it is initially connected at its first or any subsequent location.

    (12) "Minor Repairs" means adjustment of equipment, replacing of parts, repairing leaks and similar work.

13.03 MINIMUM STANDARDS OF CONSTRUCTION, PERFORMANCE AND INSTALLATION. (1) Minimum Standards for Construction and Performance. Conformance with regulations governing the minimum standards of construction and performance of gas equipment shall be determined by a nationally recognized testing agency adequately equipped and competent to perform such service and shall be evidenced by the attachment of the seal of said company or testing agency, to its label to such gas equipment. This agency shall be one which maintains a program of national inspection of production models of all types of gas equipment. The nationally recognized testing authorities listed under subsection (3) of this section, as evidenced by the attachment of their approval seal to gas equipment, shall be considered as constituting compliance with the provisions of this section. Approval under the terms of the Wisconsin Administrative Code also constitutes approval.

    (2) Minimum Standards for Installation. Minimum requirements for the safe installation of gas equipment shall be in accordance with the American Standards Association requirements for the installation of gas equipment and piping in accordance with other nationally recognized authorities listed under subsection (3) of this section.

    (3) Standards of National Agencies Recognized. Gas equipment shall be constructed and installed in conformance with the following nationally recognized agency standards and subsequent revisions as the same shall be filed and kept on file with the City Clerk. Any modification or amendment revision shall become effective five (5) days after such filing.

    (a) American Gas Association

    1. A. G. A. requirements and recommended practice for housing piping and appliance installation

    2. Directory of approved gas appliances and listed accessories

    (b) American Standards Association

    1. Requirements for installation of domestic gas conversion burners

    2. Installation of gas piping and gas appliances in buildings

    3. Approval and listing requirements of gas appliances and accessories

    (c) National Board of Fire Underwriters

    1. Standards of installation, maintenance and use of piping and fittings and appliances for city gas

    2. Installation of air conditioning, warm air heating, air cooling and ventilating systems

    (d) Wisconsin Administrative Code

13.05 PERMITS. (1) Permits Required. It shall be unlawful for any person to install, repair or alter or cause to be installed any gas heating equipment, including controls, piping, ducts and vent connections without obtaining a permit to do so and paying a fee as stated in the Permit Fee Schedule adopted under s. 11.05(14).

    (2) Application for Permit. Application for a permit shall be made to the Building Inspector. At the time of application for a permit, the following information shall be provided by the person making the application:

    (a) Maximum hourly BTU input rating of equipment.

    (b) Type of equipment: room heater, space heater, furnace, boiler, unit heater, etc.

    (c) Heating medium: air, steam, water or other

    (d) Type of circulation: gravity, forced or other

    (e) Name of manufacturer of equipment

    (f) Proof of HVAC contractor certification from the State of Wisconsin pursuant to Wis. Stats. §101.178 and Wis.  Admin. Code §COMM 5.70.

    (3) Temporary Permits. When temporary use of gas is required for space heating purposes a permit may be granted for such use for a period not to exceed thirty days, providing that all requirements of this Code are fulfilled.

    (4) Permits Issued to Owner. Any permit required by this Code may be issued to any person to do any construction work regulated by this Code in a single family dwelling used exclusively for living purposes, including the usual accessory buildings and quarters in connection with such buildings in the event that any such person is the bona fide owner of any such dwelling and accessory building and quarters, and that the same are occupied by or designed to be occupied by said owner, provided that said owner shall personally purchase all material and shall personally perform all labor in connection therewith in compliance with the provisions and requirements of this Code.

13.06 INSPECTIONS. Upon completion of the installation of gas heating equipment and prior to the use thereof, the Building Inspector shall be notified that such equipment is ready for inspection.

13.07 ACCESSIBILITY. Gas equipment shall be so constructed and installed in such locations as to make them readily accessible for adjustment, cleaning, removal and replacement of parts and for the performance of all maintenance and service work.

13.08 AUTHORITY TO DISCONNECT. The Building Inspector or the gas utility furnishing service is hereby authorized to disconnect or have disconnected any gas equipment or gas piping which shall be found not to conform to the requirements of this Code, or which may be found defective and in such condition as to endanger life or property. Where such disconnection has been made, a notice shall be attached to such equipment or gas piping which shall state that the same has been disconnected, together with the reasons therefor, and such notice shall not be removed nor shall the equipment or gas piping be reconnected until authorized by the Building Inspector to do so.

13.09 AUTHORITY TO RENDER GAS SERVICE. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation excepting an authorized agent or employee of a person, firm or corporation engaged in the business of furnishing or supplying gas and whose service pipes supply or connect with the particular premises to install, extend, repair, alter or open any portion of the service piping; to remove or install a gas meter or to turn on or reconnect gas service in or on any premises provided, however, that the gas service piping valve contained within the building may be closed or reopened for emergency reasons or for the purpose of altering or repairing service at the time such service is being rendered and provided that the requirements listed in subsections (1), (2), and (3) below, be followed at the time the gas service piping is closed and reopened. It shall further be unlawful to turn on or supply gas on or at any premises unless at least one gas appliance is connected to the gas piping system and all outlets are properly and securely connected to gas appliances and capped or plugged with screwed joint fittings.

    (1) Precautions Before Closing. Prior to closing the gas service piping valve, all burner and pilot valves of all gas equipment connected to the house piping system shall be closed and the gas meter test hand observed for a sufficient length of time to ascertain that there is no gas passing through the gas meter. If the gas meter hand shows movement, the house piping system and all gas equipment supplied by the meter shall be inspected and the necessary steps taken to prevent the passage of gas through the meter.

    (2) Precaution Before Opening. At the time the gas service piping valve is reopened, the gas meter test hand shall be observed for a sufficient length of time to ascertain that no gas is passing through the meter. If the gas meter test hand shows movement, the house piping system and all gas equipment supplied by the meter shall be inspected immediately to locate the gas leak. The gas service piping valve shall be closed until the necessary repairs have been made, after which the test specified by this paragraph shall be repeated.

    (3) Purging. If after observation for a sufficient length of time the gas meter hand does not show movement, the house piping system shall be purged and all burners of all gas equipment connected to the house piping system shall be lighted and gas be permitted to burn under observation for a sufficient length of time to make certain that the house piping system and gas equipment have been completely purged.

13.10 CLOSURE OF PIPING OUTLETS. It shall be unlawful to remove or disconnect any gas equipment without first plugging or capping with a screwed joint fitting the outlet from which the gas equipment was removed. All outlets to which gas equipment are not connected shall be left capped gas tight on any piping system being installed, altered, extended or repaired.

13.11 IDENTIFICATION OF HOUSE PIPING SYSTEM. In multiple meter installations and in installations having more than one house piping system supplied by the same gas meter, each separate house piping system shall be plainly identified by the installer by the attachment of a metal tag at the meter location.

13.12 INTERCONNECTION OF HOUSE PIPING SYSTEMS PROHIBITED. When two or more gas meters are installed on the same premises but supply separate consumers, the house piping system shall not be interconnected.

13.13 LEAK TESTS. (1) Prohibited Tests. Fire or acid shall not be used to locate leaks, nor shall water be introduced into the gas piping.

    (2) Permissible Tests. Leaks in gas piping shall be located by applying soapy water, oil or some other suitable solution, to the exterior of the piping.

13.14 REPLACEMENT OF FAULTY PIPING AND FITTINGS. It shall not be permissible to repair defects in gas piping, or fittings, but, having been located, the defective pipe or fittings shall be removed and replaced with sound material.

13.15 GAS METER LOCATIONS. (1) Approved Location. A meter location approved by the gas utility shall be provided as close as possible to the point where the gas service piping enters the building.

    (2) Accessibility. The location shall be such that the meter, meter connections, gas service piping tee and gas service shut off valve are exposed and accessible for inspection, installation, replacement, removal, locking, unlocking and reading.

    (3) Locations Prohibited. Gas meters shall not be located where meters will be subject to damage, such as in coal bins, halls, public passageways, over doors or in locations subject to dripping water or unusual moisture conditions or in the proximity of equipment vent connections, belts, shafting, engines or machinery, in rooms commonly locked, in locations subject to extreme high temperatures or in locations where the meter will be inaccessible or liable to injury.

13.16 POSITIVE LOCKING DEVICES. If the firing door of a furnace or boiler is equipped with a positive locking device to keep the door closed, the device shall be removed or altered so that a pressure on the inside of the combustion chamber will cause the door to open; however, this shall be done in such a manner that the door is closed tightly during the normal operation of the furnace and burner.