Does a furnace have to be registered or inspected?

I have a hot air furnace in a 10 unit building. The former owner insisted that the furnace does not have to be registered with the City or inspected (as a boiler would have to be). I can’t find anything which contradicts this – in fact I don’t see any NYC DOB references to furnaces at all. But my lender is asking for proof. Does anyone know more about this or can cite a link from the City which verifies or disproves? Thanks as always….

housepoor

in Heating and Cooling 10 months ago

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RobertGMarvin

in Heating and Cooling 10 months ago

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Maybe you could send this entire thread to your insurance company.

housepoor | 10 months ago

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OP here. Thanks for the Boiler Unit phone number. They were very helpful, albeit a bit confused. DOB told me to look at BIS, which confirmed there was no boiler. Now I just need to get the lender to agree their requirement is moot. My experience with the lender before on other matters has not been positive – so I wonder what they will come up with now.

justinromeu26 | 10 months ago

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Op, we heard from a heating person. Call the lender’s rep and see if the language says “boiler”. If it does, tell them you don’t have a boiler.

Guest User | 10 months ago

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No such thing as a yearly furnace inspection filing… boilers only

mozeeatupu | 10 months ago

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Contact DOB’s Boiler Unit
Non-technical Inquiries
(212) 393-2661 or nyc.gov/dobhelp
Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm

Technical Inquiries
(212) 393-2784
Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm

justinromeu26 | 10 months ago

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the heating guys have to come on here and tell op what to say.

I managed a commercial building in the late 1990’s that had two massive steam boilers and every year a guy from Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection Co. showed up and looked at the safety components on the side of the boilers (on the piping) for about 5 minutes and left, telling me he would file the paperwork (with the city). Specifically, i think they were looking at the Hartford Loop and checking to be sure that we had a pressure relief valve and that that valve was not capped off. Because of its design and function, a hot air furnace does not have any of these components.

Only commercial buildings or residential of a certain size (with a boiler) require this inspection (i checked all this when i bought my house with a boiler). that still does not rule furnaces out, but i suspect the lender’s paper pusher does not understand the difference (as Bob Marvin suggests).

what i would do is ask the lender for the wording from whatever internal directive the lender has issued asking for this proof of in spection and when they give it to you and it says “boiler” on it you can tell the paper pusher that a furnace is not a boiler. I cannot see the company making a mistake like this but i can see a paper pusher making that mistake in their interpretation of wording.

From my observation, boilers far outnumber furnaces in this city (which might leave info on furnaces scant and might lead to confusion). I have done dozens of home inspections this year and encountered only one hot air furnace so far.

Do your own research on what i am saying above as i am not an expert. The heating guys will advise us if i am wrong about any of this and will tell you more.

I might try to do some reading on this later-

Steve
brownstonehomeinspection.com

RobertGMarvin

in Heating and Cooling 10 months ago

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I wonder if a phone call to your broker or underwriter explaining what you discussed here might to the trick. At the very least you might find out what is the minimum they need absent a specific requirement regarding furnaces. They might not even know the difference between a furnace and a boiler.