MA resident with oil heat must comply with new law

- Mar 31, 2010

Was your heating sytem installed prior to 1990?

If so, chances are high that your system is not in compliance with a new state law. The Homeowner Oil Heating System Upgrade and Insurance Law requires homeowners with heating systems installed before 1990 to make either of two adjustments to the equipment to prevent oil leaks. Making the changes will allow homeowners to apply for insurance covering such leads, which, while rare, can be very expensive to resolve.

Any home that is serviced by an oil fired heating system in Massachusetts must comply with a new law that requires home owners to upgrade their system equipment to prevent leaks. The new legislation is designed to prevent leaks from pipes and equipment that connect to your furnace.

The new law is addressed in Chapter 458 of the Acts of 2008. The two biggest provisions of the law change include the following:

The installation of either an oil safety valve or an oil supply line with a protective sleeve on systems that do not already have these devices in place.
Insurance companies that provide home owners insurance policies must offer coverage for oil tank leaks from heating systems that use oil.

There are currently approximately 900,000 homes in Massachusetts that are heated with oil, with at least 100,000 using systems installed before 1990. Before this date, most pipes connecting an oil tank to a furnace were buried in concreate. The new law calls for homeowners to either dig up the pipe and line it with a nonmetalic sleeve, or to install a safety valve on the tank.


This work must be completed by a licensed oil burner technician.

Affordable Oil Burner Service
www.affordableoilburnerservice.com
339-236-0900