emergency shut off valve

nycpa

Hi my steam boiler has the emergency shut off switch, the red cover on the boiler in the basement, i usually see it in peoples houses on the first floor by the staircase entry to the basement, should i relocate the switch there and can i have two emergency cut off switches? One in boiler and one on first floor of house?

ChrisJ

Shutoff

Just a homeowner here but I've seen it both ways.  I think it depends on your area's codes.



Some require it only on the boiler, some require it at the top of the stairs and on the boiler and some want it on the boiler but don't want it at the top of the stairs at all.  Personally I have both but had considered getting rid of the one at the top of the stairs due to issues with people shutting it off by accident.  Still haven't done anything with it, will likely add a guard as others recommended.



So I guess it all depends on what your town wants.  If it was mine I'd leave it the way it is.

icesailor

Remote Emergency Switches:

I don't know what the requirements in New York are, but in Massachusetts, the "Remote Emergency Switch" can not be located in the same room as the equipment being serviced. That means that if it is inside the door into the basement on the stairway wall, and there are no walls separating the stairway from the switch and equipment, it is an illegal switch. If there is a door at the bottom of the bottom of the stairs that can be closed, it is legal. It should be placed outside the basement stairs on the living space side.

The reason being is so that a fire person (or you) will not have to open the door to the same room as the appliance.

As far as adding another switch, it just becomes another safety switch wired in series with all the rest of the primary control wiring of the appliance. Usually when wired, the power comes in to a fused safety switch above the boiler. Then, a wire is run to the remote stitch with the black and white both being used as a feed to the switch and a feed back to the boiler, through the same box that has the fused safety (Firomatic) switch.

I don't see why you can't do it but I don't know what New York Codes are.

But like I said, as long as a switch is outside the room that the boiler/burner is in, it meets code.

Another thing, make sure that you put it high enough so that people don't mistake it for a light switch. If they switch it and nothing happens, they will not switch it back and you will have no power to the appliance. That's one of the biggest problems with mounting them at the top of the stairs. If it isn't high enough and out of the way, someone will grope for the light switch, find the safety switch, the lights don't do what is expected, and the safety switch will now be off. And someone will be answering a no heat call.

Been there, first thing I ask on the phone.

icesailor

Remoteness:

If it is on the boiler, it is a service switch with a red cover. It is supposed to be remote. So that if the thing is catching on fire, you don't have to go down and physically shut it off. You can do it remotely.

Move it to an inside collation like outside the door up high and you will NEVER have a problem again. The fact that you need to put a guard on it shows that it is improperly located.

ChrisJ

Yep

Oh I know its in a bad spot. The light switch is too low and the shut off is where the light switch should be.



The wall the switch is in isn't something I want to cut open or mess with and as far as I know our town doesn't require a remote shutoff, only the one on the boiler. In fact I bought a blank plate when I put the boiler in just in case the inspector didn't want the remote switch there for a gas appliance.  But as you said, what if something goes wrong, am I really going to want to go near the thing if its dry firing? I doubt it. The guard will stop my wife from hitting it on the rare occasion and will still give me the ability to shut it off remotely.

nycpa

thanks

Thanks for the advice