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Guide to Heating Oil Burner Fire Safety Controls & Electrical Switches InspectAPedia®  -   Where should oil line fire safety valves and check valves be located? Where should the heating system electrical shutoff switches be located? Links to articles on other oil heat safety controls

This document describes defects in heating oil safety valves and electrical switches. All of these oil storage tank and piping installation defects can easily be found by visual inspection. Beyond the costly problem of leaky oil piping, this document lists other important safety or oil-fired equipment operational defects in home and light commercial heating oil storage and piping systems.

Our complete list of heating equipment controls can be found in the following articles: BOILER CONTROLS & SWITCHES and FURNACE CONTROLS & SWITCHES. Also see OIL SAFETY VALVES for more about that device, and also see the safety role of DRAFT REGULATORS, DAMPERS, BOOSTERS. Also see text and oil tank defect photographs at Visual Inspection of Oil Storage Tanks.

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

OIL BURNER SAFETY SWITCHES & CONTROLS- How to Inspect & Report Oil Heat or Oil Hot Water Heater Defects by Visual Inspection

GUIDE to MISSING or DEFECTIVE or "off on reset" SAFETY CONTROLS & SWITCHES at the Oil Tank & Oil Burner: Electrical shutoff switches for heat and oil line shut off valves

Where do we Install an Electrical Switch to Turn off the Oil Burner?

How & Where do We Install a Fusible-Link Firematic™ Oil Safety Valve?

The Firematic fusible-link automatic oil line shutoff valve (photo at left) should only be present on the oil supply line. This is a manual or automatic valve that will stop the flow of oil in the oil line.

This valve controls flow of fuel oil to the oil burner of heating boilers, furnaces, and water heaters.

Fusible link Oil Valve: Oil line safety valves have a lead or other soft metal core that melts and closes the valve so that the system won't keep feeding oil to the heating equipment if the area is on fire. See our photo at below left for an example of a Firematic™ safety valve right at the oil burner. Synonyms: Fire-o-Matic valve, Fusible link valve, oil line shutoff valve, oil safety valve, and Fireamatic valve.

The standard oil safety valve used at the oil burner and often found also at the oil tank is the Firematic™ fusible link safety valve. The Firematic™ oil line valve can be installed in ANY position - (vertical, horizontal, upside down) at least that's what we were taught and what we have seen - the valve is spring loaded. In a fire a lead core melts at 165 degF and a spring in the valve assembly snaps the valve shut to assure that the heating system does not feed oil to a building fire. It has to work in any orientation.

See OIL SAFETY VALVES for details about this double duty-valve, used both as an oil piping supply-line shutoff valve and as a fusible link valve for fire safety.

SAFETY warning: If the oil line fire safety valves are missing or are not at the right location, we recommend immediate installation of a Fire-o-matic™ type oil line safety valve on the oil line at the burner.

Fire Safety for Two-Line Oil Piping Systems

If two oil lines are used to supply an oil burner, Do NOT install an automatic oil line shutoff on the return oil line between the oil burner and the oil tank. Use a check valve instead. The automatic oil line shutoff valve should only be present on the oil supply line. Further explanation is below.

SAFETY WARNING: If oil line valves are missing or are not at the right location there is risk of system malfunction, oil leaks, and fire damage. We recommend installation of a Firematic fusible link (Fire-o-matic)™ type oil line safety valve on the oil line at the burner. This valve controls flow of fuel oil to the burner, and has a lead core which melts and shuts the valve, stopping the flow of oil in event of a fire in the building.

Even when a fusible link oil line valve is installed at the oil tank, the proper place for this protection is right at the burner as well. A valve in that location also makes servicing the heating equipment easier, faster, and cleaner.

Where do we Put the Check Valve on a Heating Oil Line?

If two oil lines are used to supply an oil burner, install a fusible link oil line shutoff valve only on the oil supply line at the oil pump on the oil burner. Do NOT install an automatic oil line shutoff on the return oil line between the oil burner and the oil tank. See OIL SAFETY VALVES for details about this double duty-valve, used both as an oil piping supply-line shutoff valve and as a fusible link valve for fire safety. The valve shown at left should not be used as a check valve in the application we just discussed. This is a Webster OSV & requires a vacuum to open. If installed in the return line the valve would be pressurized, not open, cause the shaft seal to rupture or blow out & result in a major oil leak. Thanks to reader Rick Johnston for adding clarification.

Tigerloop and other Oil Line Devices to Maintain Prime and Simplify Oil Piping

If your oil burner uses a Tigerloop™ oil-line de-aerator (photo at left) to remove air or foam from the incoming oil line, the company notes that UL requires a fusible link oil valve installed in the (bottom) center (inlet) port of the Tigerloop™ device.

Tigerloop™ is an oil de-aerator installed at the oil pump (fuel unit) on an oil burner. It can help avoid losing prime on heating oil lines if there is a problem with air leakage into the oil piping. Tigerloop™ adds that you should never install an oil line shutoff device between the de-aerator device and the oil pump. Shown is the Tigerloop S220. A variation is available, the Tigerloop-ultra™ S-220-8 that incorporates an oil filter as well.

The manufacturer, Westwood, indicates in an article quoted from Fuel Oil News magazine that using the Tigerloop™ model TN device permits omission of the return oil pipe traditionally used with buried or distant heating oil tanks.

Other oil heat equipment safety controls and devices are listed in the links below.

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

BOILER CONTROLS & SWITCHES
DRAFT REGULATORS, DAMPERS, BOOSTERS
FURNACE CONTROLS & SWITCHES
OIL TANK PIPING DEFECTS
  CAULK PIPE ENTRANCES
  FIRE SAFETY CONTROLS
  HEAT TAPE HAZARD ON OIL TANK
  OIL FILL & VENT
  OIL FILL PIPE EXPOSED
  OIL FILL / VENT PIPE CAP LOST
  OIL FILL & VENT PIPES UNDERSIZED
  OIL FILTER - NONE
  OIL LINE EXPOSED
  OIL LINE SINGLE, UP HIGH
  OIL LINE SINGLE ON BURIED TANK
  OIL LINE LEAKS
  OIL SAFETY VALVES
  OIL TANK FILL & VENT LINES APART
  OIL TANK VENT PIPE MISSING

Other Oil Heat Safety Controls & Devices

Other safety devices include flame sensors, temperature sensors, reset switches, limit controls, aquastats, and similar terms. See:

BOILER CONTROLS & SWITCHES
  Air Bleeder Valves
  Air Separator Purge Valves
  Aquastat Functions
  Cad Cell Relay Switch Flame Sensors
  Circulator Pumps & Relays
  Draft Regulators, Barometric Dampers
  Expansion Tanks
  Gauges on Heating Equipment
  Limit Switches, Boilers
  Low Water Cutoff Valves, Boilers
  Mixing Valves
  Pressure Gauges, Boilers
  Relief Valves - TP Valves
  Reset Switch - Primary Control
  Reset Switch - electric motors
  Spill Switches
  Stack Relay Switch
  Water Feeder Valves, Hydronic Boiler
  Zone Valves

• Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education, publications, report writing materials, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
• Dave Ferris - M&S Environmental Systems, Dutchess County, New York. Mr. Ferris was an HVAC expert. Personal communication to DJF 1987. Remove the firematic or fusible oil supply line valve on return oil-line side - in case of fire if this one closes first the pump continues to run, blows its seal, and sprays oil all over the fire. Proper installation is to have a fusible link valve only on the supply side, and to install a check valve on the return line to prevent back-siphonage from the tank.
• Thanks to Rick Johnston for pointing out that the more likely cause of a fire safety valve in the return oil line is a burst seal on the fuel unit 4/6/2009
• "The Oil Safety Valve (Service)", Charles Bursey, Sr., Fuel Oil News, February 2006 (Still trying to get the full article - October 2008 - DF) Charles W. Bursey Sr. can be reached at F.W. Webb Co. www.fwwebb.com/
• "Installation Information for Suntec A-2000, A-7000 Single Stage and B-8000 two stage fuel units"Suntec Industries, 60 Aberdeen Drive, Glasgow KY 42141, 270-651-7116 (1725 rpm black label, 3450 rpm white label)
• Tigerloop: oil line de-aerator devices, Westwood Products Inc., 330 William St., PO Box 610, South River, NJ 08882-0610 - (732) 651-7700 email@westwoodproducts.com

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• Abandon a Buried Oil Tank, How To - Abandoning Commercial Underground Tanks, Russ Brauksieck, ASHI Tech. Journal, Vol.3 No.1 Spring 1993, P. 40-41 [Reprint]
• Above Ground Oil Tanks: Visual Inspection of Oil Storage Tanks for evidence of leaks, damage, improper piping - photos and text
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• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Buried Oil Tanks, Basic home buyer advice - home inspection report language suggestions
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• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Oil Tanks text file list © Oil and Other Storage Tank Leaks, Testing, Abandonment, Inspection - UST home inspection report language files - Reference List
• Indoor Environment Website Indoor Building Environmental Hazard Detection, Testing, Repair, & Prevention - Main Web Page
• Leaky Heating Oil Tanks - Advice for Home Owners or Buyers: caused of leaks in oil tanks, oil tank testing alternatives, what to do about leaky tanks: D.J. Friedman, ASHI Tech. Journal, Vol.2 No.1, Winter, 1992 p. 42-43 Illus
• Leak or Failure Rates for Home Heating Oil Tanks
• Legal Issues Regarding Buried Oil Storage Tanks K.S. Rea, Attorney, summary from ASHI Chapter Seminar.
• Primer on Petroleum Bulk Storage Tanks & Petroleum Contamination of Property Paul H. Ciminello, ASHI Tech. Journal, Vol.3 No.1 Spring 1993, p 35-39
• Petroleum Bulk Storage J. Sibblies, NY State DEC, Advice to Home Owners and Home Inspectors about Oil Storage Tanks - summary from ASHI Chapter Seminar.
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• Web Link Exchange: Contact Us to list your website or contact information for oil tank testing, tank corrosion research, oil industry experts

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