(COAL) stoker boiler for add on

Not in garage

National Fire Protection Association, N.F.P.A. 211, Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents and Solid Fuel- Burning Appliances, 2003, pg. 211-35, Chapter 12, section 12.2.4, "Solid fuel burning appliances shall not be installed in any garage".

No

Jay,

The answer to your question is no. NFPA does not state an exception to that rule, and they do not post a provision to deviate from it, such as elevating the appliance.

Be careful with this issue. I am sure you can find some contractor who will tell you “No Problem. I’ve been doing this for a gazillion years and I HAVE ALWAYS DONE IT THAT WAY”. He will probably add “And hey, all of the neighbors did it that way too”.

That is what I call “Validation by repetitive action”. In other words, if someone does something stupid and unsafe enough times, and nothing goes wrong with all of those installs, then it must be OK for them to do it all of the time and consider it the norm.

It is not.

The NFPA Standards are not written to be followed, only if it convenient and it works into your plan. The NFPA standards are considered a “Standard of Care” in the HVAC industry.

The NFPA documents are not written by the authors on a whim or based only on their opinion. They are essentially a reactive document. That is, they were written to address things that went wrong enough times, somewhere else, so it warranted a provision in that NFPA document.

Sorry I am telling you something that you obviously do not want to hear. However, you must ultimately consider you family’s safety first, and find another way to do this.



Good Luck,

Ed Carey