Boiler vent/intake Clearances

[shooon]

Just curious what local gas codes are like elsewhere with regards to appliance vents and intake clearances near gas regulators.

In Canada we use B149, it specs 3 feet (1 M) horizontal vent/intake clearance from the gas regulator near the gas meter. Unfortunately we have BC safety authority that trumps the B149 code... they claim the definition of appliance intake is too vague and want everything spec'd as a mechanical air intake: 10 feet (3m) clearance.

So it kind of screwed up all my preplanning for equipment placement. My pex comes in 4' off the corner wall and I had to mount the boiler and equipment further away and run more pipe. Takes up more wall space and looks goofy. If I lived anywhere else in the country would have been fine.

I think it's overkill having that amount of clearance for something that draws so little CFM.. a mechanical air intake I could understand the greater clearances given the larger volume of air being brought in.

It's possible to pipe the regulator vent elsewhere but the legality issue is that the regulator is the property of the utility and I'm not allowed to modify it.

 

[acmikee]

with out looking it up in san Francisco we were required to pipe the regulator vents to outside of the building and install a inverted trap to keep water out.

 

[HoosierBuddy]

I assume the OP is talking about clearances to the outside gas meter's regulator, which has a vent and will exhaust gas if the customer side pressure rises above the internal relief valve (IRV) set point. (or if the regulator fails).

I've always heard 3 feet to inlets and windows...but not sure I've read that or it's just "folk wisdom".

That being said you (of course) always have to meet the most stringent of: National code, local building code, and/or local building code inspector's misguided opinion of what the code really means. Good luck.

Phil