UPDATE:
The TSSA has agreed to temporarily suspend enforcement of the amendment to the Gaseous Fuels Code Adoption Document Amendment FS-212-14 clause 7.36.3 regarding certification of unvented gas heaters in livestock facilities. This suspension only applies to heaters that were installed prior to October 1, 2014. Fuel suppliers will be instructed to continue fuel delivery after the original January 1, 2016 deadline.
Various commodity groups are continuing to work with the TSSA to determine the length of this temporary suspension and the specific changes to the clause.
Ontario Goat will continue to share information as we receive it.
Does your farm use unvented gas heaters? If so, new regulations are coming into effect January 1, 2016.
Ontario Goat has recently been made aware of new regulations of unvented gas heaters that may impact some goat producers.
Changes to the Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code CSA-B149.1 will be in effect as of January 1, 2016. Fuel suppliers have been instructed not to deliver fuel to producers without a valid certificate indicating they are in compliance with the code amendment.
Gaseous Fuels Code Adoption Document Amendment FS-212-14 states:
7.36.1 Where an unvented heater is installed in a livestock or poultry facility, it shall
(a) Be exempt from clauses 7.22.1, 7.22.2 and 8.24.5;
(b) Be protected against physical damage;
(c) Be provided with mechanical or natural ventilation when the heaters are operating at a volume sufficient to maintain a minimum of 300cfm/100,000Btuh;
(d) Be located in a space where the maximum input of the appliance does not exceed 20Btuh/ft3 (0.2kW/m3 of the space in which the appliance is located;
(e) Be provided with combustion and ventilation air compatible with item (c); (f) Not be installed in a pedestrian exit passageway or stairway within 8ft (2.5m) measured horizontally from an exit door; and
(g) Be provided with clearance from combustible material as certified and indicated on the appliance;
Items (c) and (d) shall be verified by calculation, completed by the ventilation designer (who must be licensed as a Professional Engineer in Ontario) and the calculation prominently displayed in the entrance area to each barn.
Actions Required
You must have a Professional Engineer perform the verification calculations for your facility and supply you with signed and stamped calculations to display in the entrance area of each barn.
If you can vent your heater, it will no longer be impacted by the new regulations, but not all appliances can be vented. If you cannot vent your heater and your facility is not certified before January 1, 2016, you will need to use an alternative heat source.
Ontario Pork has developed a spreadsheet that can be used to collect some of the necessary information needed to make the calculations and may provide an indication of whether your facility complies with the regulations. Collecting the information before the engineer arrives may save time and money. The spreadsheet can be found here: http://www.ontariopork.on.ca/Communications/newsview/ArticleId/2490/Information-for-Farmers-with-Unvented-Gas-Heaters.
Several commodity groups impacted by the changes are asking for modifications to the amendment, including allowing trained gas technicians to complete the check, allowing ventilation interlocking, and/or a one year extension to bring ventilation systems up to code. Ontario Goat will keep you updated on the negotiation of these terms.
Contact Information of Professional Engineers
Ontario Pork has compiled a list of engineers qualified to verify your facility. However, some of them are not taking any more calls until after January 1, 2016. This backlog is due to the fact that over 5000 hog and poultry barns need to be certified by the January 1 deadline. This may not be a complete list of qualified engineers.
| Firm Name | Contact Information | Available before Jan 1, 2016? | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armco Solutions | 20 Highland Rd. Fergus, ON N1M 2C4 Mark Armstrong (226) 979-8928 Cell: (226) 979-8928 Toll: (800) 960-4002 | No | $500 initial visit fee $150 per additional room and heaters |
| Faromor Ltd. | P.O. Box 279 Shakespeare, ON Canada, NOB 2PO 2079 Line 34, R.R.#1 Shakespeare, ON Phone: (519) 625-8000 Toll: (800) 960-4002 | Yes | $500 per barn $150-300 inspection fee |
| Virtual Engineers - VE Collective Inc. | 3760 14th Avenue Markham, ON L3R 3T7 rawarner@virtual-engineers.com Phone: (905) 707-0704 Fax: 1 (905) 475-1605 | Yes | $750 site inspection and measurement $750 report preparation fee |
| R.J. Burnside & Associates | Limited Orangeville, Collingwood 15 Townline Orangeville, ON L9W 3R4 jill.landry@rjburnside.com Phone: (519) 941-5331 Fax: (519) 941-8120 www.rjburnside.com | Yes | $700 (within 100km of Collingwood) |
| Harry Huffman, P. Eng. | 86 Southfield Cres. London, ON. N6K 2B7 Office Tel (519)474-4958 Office Fax (519)474-4959 Mobile (519)902-4958 Email harryhuffman@rogers.com | No | $400-800 per barn |
| Callidus Engineering | 1385 North Routledge Park Unit 9 London, ON N6H 5N5 Erica: 519 472 7640 ext. 228 fax. 519 471 9239 erica@callidus.ca Derek: 519 472 7640 ext. 230 derek@callidus.ca www.callidus.ca | No | If you send in measurements: $700 for first barn $450 per additional barn If they need to measure: Additional $600 (within 50km of London) |
For more information
Ontario Pork’s “Unvented Gas Heater Information”: http://www.ontariopork.on.ca/Portals/0/Docs/News/Whatnew/Notification%20-%20Farmers%20with%20Unvented%20Gas%20Heaters%20Rev%201.0.pdf or at www.ontariopork.com
Full Gaseous Fuels Code Adoption Document Amendment FS-212-14 https://www.tssa.org/corplibrary/ArticleFile.asp?Instance=136&ID=679F376219BE11E4A788000C2922855A.
Technical Standards & Safety Authority https://www.tssa.org/
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