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Where should oil line fire safety valves and check valves be located? Where should the heating system electrical shutoff switches be located?

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.

This sample home inspection report language may assist home owners or home buyers in understanding risks associated with both buried and above ground oil or other fuel storage tanks at their property. The oil tank and oil piping inspection report language explains the need for action and indicates where more information can be obtained. Contact us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

Also see text and oil tank defect photographs at Visual Inspection of Oil Storage Tanks. NOTICE: while example report language is provided here, reproduction of this or any of our web pages or their contents online at other websites or in printed documents for sale is prohibited. Readers are welcome to use the text directly in home inspection reports, with citation of the website source. © Copyright 2008 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?

• An oil line shutoff switch at the oil tank or at another remote location away from the oil burner (such as at the building wall where an outdoor oil tank line enters the building) See our photo at above right (this oil tank valve is leaking).
  
  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 - at least that's what I was taught and what I've 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.
• An automatic oil line shutoff switch right at each oil burner: (a type that will shut off oil supply to the heating equipment in the event of a fire, such as a Fire-o-Matic™ valve) for example if your heating system and also your hot water heater each has its own oil burner.
  
  Fusible link 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 above 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.
  
  Note that a simple oil line shutoff valve may not be a fusible-link safety valve. Make sure you've installed a fusible-link safety valve where it's most needed - at each oil burner firing oil-fired heating equipment.

Where do we Need a Check Valve on a Heating Oil Line?

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 (Photo at left - check valves like this one are available from various producers including Webster).

The Firematic fusible-link automatic oil line shutoff valve should only be present on the oil supply line. Why? In the event of a fire, if the return oil line valve closes before the supply line oil valve your oil burner pump will burst the oil line and spray heating oil everywhere, possibly feeding the building fire. Thanks to Dave Ferris for this fire safety tip.

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. 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 one of these valves is installed at the oil tank the proper place for this protection is right at the burner as well.

Technical Reviewers & References

Particular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to the material. Content suggestions, technical corrections and content critique are invited for any of the content at our website.

• Daniel Friedman - InspectAPedia.com ^TM Website Author/Editor
• 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.
• "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/
• Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

More Information on Oil Tanks, Oil Piping, & Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Oil Tanks - The Oil Storage Tank Information Website: Buried or Above Ground Oil Tank Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Abandonment of Oil Tanks
• 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
• Above Ground Oil Tanks Checklist, an Oil Company's advice
• Above Ground Tanks UL Standards, UL Tank Listing Standards, guidance for home owners, buyers, and inspectors
• Buried Oil Tanks - Finding How to Find Buried Oil Tanks and "Nearly Hidden" and Leaky Oil Tanks - photos and text.
• Buried Fuel tank - Advice - Buried FUEL Tank - GAS or OIL advice for home buyers, inspection report language
• Environmental Issues & Regulations for Oil Tanks, Registration, Abandonment, Leak Reporting
• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Buried Oil Tanks, Basic home buyer advice - home inspection report language suggestions
• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Visible Defects in Oil Tank Installations, Tanks, and Heating Oil Piping
• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Gas Fuel Piping or Tank Faults Basic advice - home inspection report language suggestions
• 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.
• Septic Tank inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair
• TANK FAILURE CAUSES - Oil Tank Failure Causes - oil tank leaks are caused by corrosion, damage, soil conditions, other factors
• TANK FAILURE RATES - Oil Tank Failure Rates - Oil Tank Leak Probability as a Function of Tank Age, Location, Condition, Soil Conditions and Other Factors
• TANK TESTING - How Oil Tanks are Tested for Evidence Leaks, of Current or Previous Oil Spills
• 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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