Safety/clearance question. Need opinions.

[rkshed]

I have a friend that is putting an old Amity woodstove in his cellar. It appears to be in great shape and should serve him well but...it's going to be 5' from the oil tank.
I think a barrier of some sort is in order like cement board or run a fan 24/7.
Thoughts?

 

[chimneylinerjames]

Hmm..sounds scary. General rule of thumb is 36" away from combustibles, such as furniture and wall, but a large tank of oil....I would want it farther away. A wall is a good idea. Another thing to think about is the fumes also. Maybe others know of another code hear about being near fuel tanks. I would like to see the tanks completely separated somehow, with a floor to ceiling wall. Keep the fumes away, not just the heat from the stove.

 

[Heatsource]

i would never want to install a stove in the same room as a fuel tank.
not sure about the code, we dont see much oil out west....

 

[rkshed]

It just doesn't seem right to me either but he can't be the only one that has their tank in the same room as the stove... or is he?

 

[fossil]

I just would not put a solid fuel-burning appliance in the same space as an oil storage tank. Rick

 

[stoveguy2esw]

one of the biggest reasons for not having a stove in a garage is due to possible flammable vapors from stored gas or oil a quick glance through the 211 didnt bear fruit about what the NFPA says about this , im sure its in there somewhere but i didnt see it and havent in the past loked for it so i'd probably have to dig some more. i would not recommend having a solid fuel appliance in the same room with an oil tank either though. would be hard for me to sleep knowing i had a potential bomb in my basement

 

[DAKSY]

From NFPA-211 Location of Solid Fuel Burning Ap
liances...

12.2.3
Solid fuel-burning appliances shall not be installed in
any location where gasoline or any other flammable vapors or
gases are present.


012.2.4
Solid fuel-burning appliances shall not be installed in
any garage.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

had a feeling it was there ,just didnt look long enough, DAKSY had my back though i see. guess that makes it official.

 

[BrotherBart]

I don't have an oil burner but aren't indoor storage tanks required to have an outdoor vent pipe for the vapor to escape?

 

[stoveguy2esw]

I don't have an oil burner but aren't indoor storage tanks required to have an outdoor vent pipe for the vapor to escape?

i wouldnt be suprised if they did have such a vent (never been in that situation either) even with one present though im not sure i would want a heat source like a woodstove that close to the tank. maybe if the tank were enclosed in its own room maybe

 

[rkshed]

I knew if I asked I'd good opinions here.
Thank you as always.
I'm going to give him some heavy pressure to wall in his oil tank asap.

Funny...or not so funny really, a single wide burned down this afternoon a few towns away. Watching it on the news, I couldn't help but notice right up against the trailer was the oil tank. It hadn't blown up and flames were all over it.

 

[begreen]

If the tank is properly vented, secured and installed then this shouldn't present a significant danger. NFPA 31 requires that the tank be a minimum of 5' from any fuel-fired heater, but confirm local code first and note that there is no harm in exceeding minimums. A fire barrier wall may bring greater peace of mind.

 

[Crane Stoves]

I believe the rules to be a min. 5 feet away (on new installations your oil tank would be fully inspected along with the heating unit and if that oil tank is anything but brand new and up to codes they would require that to be replaced at the same time), BUT... in the real world home inspectors and some building inspectors want to see a Min 10 feet! I personally would NEVER make it less then 10 feet between these two items and if it were at ALL possible i'd keep them as far apart as is possible (IE: 20-30 feet!) or build a room around around that oil tank (and use dura rock for the wall facing the woodstove).

P.S. dont forget to install smoke & carbon monoxide detectors in basement the stairwell area where you can hear them upstairs!