Rhode Island § 28-25-18 - Boiler Inspection and Pressure Vessels

§ 28-25-18. Exemptions.

(a) This chapter does not apply to the following boilers and pressure vessels:

(1) Boilers and pressure vessels under federal control;

(2) Boilers on motor vehicles, self-propelled boilers, ditching machines, cranes, pile drivers, wreckers, and steam shovels that are owned by railroads or railways;

(3) Boilers on steam locomotives under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Transportation;

(4) Boilers on vessels within the waters of the state;

(5) Pressure vessels used for transportation and storage of compressed or liquefied gases when construction is in compliance with specifications of the United States Department of Transportation and when charged with gas or liquid, marked, maintained, and periodically re-qualified for use, as required by appropriate regulations of the United States Department of Transportation;

(6) Pressure vessels located on vehicles operating under the rules of other state or federal authorities and used for carrying passengers or freight;

(7) Air tanks installed on the right of way of railroads and used directly in the operation of trains;

(8) Pressure vessels that do not exceed an inside diameter, width, height, or cross section of six inches (6″) with no limitation on length or pressure;

(9) Pressure vessels having an internal or external working pressure not exceeding fifteen (15) psig, with no limit on size;

(10) Pressure vessels with a nominal water containing capacity of one hundred twenty gallons (120 gals.) or less for containing water under pressure, including those containing air, the compression of which serves only as a cushion; providing the vessels do not exceed three hundred (300) psi and one hundred eighty degrees Fahrenheit (180° F);

(11) Pressure vessels containing water heated by steam or any other indirect means when none of the following limitations are exceeded:

(i) A heat input of two hundred thousand (200,000) BTU per hour;

(ii) A water temperature of two hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit (210° F); or

(iii) A nominal water containing capacity of one hundred twenty gallons (120 gals.);

(12)(i) Hot water supply boilers that are directly fired with oil, gas, electricity, or solid fuel when none of the following limitations is exceeded:

(A) Heat input of two hundred thousand (200,000) BTU per hour;

(B) Water temperature of two hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit (210° F); or

(C) Nominal water capacity of one hundred twenty gallons (120 gals.).

(ii) These exempt hot water supply boilers shall be equipped with ASME-National Board approved safety valves;

(13) Approved pressure vessels (hot water heaters listed by a nationally recognized testing agency), with approved safety devices including pressure temperature relief valve, with a nominal water containing capacity of one hundred twenty gallons (120 gals.) or less having a heat input of two hundred thousand (200,000) B.T.U. per hour or less, used solely for hot water supply at pressure of one hundred sixty (160) pounds per square inch or less, and at temperatures of two hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit (210° F) or less; provided, that such pressure vessels are not installed in places of public assembly such as schools, childcare centers, public and private hospitals, nursing and boarding homes, churches, public buildings, or any similar place of public assembly;

(14) Boilers and pressure vessels in the care, custody, and control of research facilities and used solely for research purposes that require one or more details of non-code construction or which involve destruction or reduced life expectancy of those vessels;

(15) Pressure vessels or other structures or components that are not considered to be within the scope of ASME Code Section VIII; and

(16) Antique boilers and pressure vessels whether or not used in public, nonprofit, engineering, and/or scientific museums and operated for educational, historical, or exhibition purposes with shell diameter less than twelve inches (12″) and with a grate surface area of less than one square foot.

(b) The following boilers and pressure vessels are exempt from the requirements of §§ 28-25-11, 28-25-12, and 28-25-13:

(1) Steam boilers used for heating purposes carrying a pressure of not more than fifteen (15) pounds per square inch gauge, and which are located in private residences or in apartment houses of less than six (6) family units provided the boiler heat input does not exceed four hundred thousand (400,000) BTU per hour;

(2) Hot water heating boilers which are located in private residences or in apartment houses of less than six (6) family units provided the boiler heat input does not exceed four hundred thousand (400,000) BTU per hour;

(3) Hot water boilers and hot water heaters operated at pressure not exceeding one hundred sixty (160) pounds per square inch gauge, or temperatures not exceeding two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (250° F) which are located in private residences or in apartment houses of less than six (6) family units provided the boiler or hot water heater is not in a place of public assembly as delineated in subsection (a)(13) of this section;

(4) Pressure vessels on remote oil or gas producing lease locations that have fewer than ten buildings intended for human occupancy per one-quarter (0.25) square mile and where the closest building is at least two hundred twenty (220) yards from any vessel;

(5) Pressure vessels that do not exceed:

(i) Five cubic feet (5 cu. ft.) in volume and twenty-five (25) psig pressure; or

(ii) One and one-half cubic feet (1.5 cu. ft.) in volume and six hundred (600) psig pressure;

(6) Air tanks at gas or service stations used for inflation of tires on automobiles or other vehicles.