Service techs get clarification on gas heater regulations

by jason_cramp | June 11, 2015 12:10 pm

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To eliminate confusion amongst pool service technicians regarding Ontario’s Technical Standards & Safety Authority (TSSA) gaseous fuels regulation, Brian Ross, founder of WaveMaker Pool Spa Showroom in Orillia, Ont., has attempted to clear the air.

According to the Pool & Hot Tub Council of Canada (PHTCC) there has been some misinterpretation in the industry when it comes to determining what pool technicians can and cannot do with respect to gas/propane heaters. The confusion stems from section 6. (1) of the regulation, which deals with certificates required for various activities. It reads:

No person shall install, alter, purge, activate, repair, service or remove any appliance, equipment or other thing employed or to be employed in the handling or use of gas unless the person is the holder of a certificate for that purpose.

“In our industry, we are subject to numerous regulations and bylaws,” says Ross. “They can often be confusing and difficult to interpret; therefore, their application can sometimes be unclear.”

For instance, one interpretation of the TSSA regulation prohibited service technicians from ‘activating’ pool heaters, which also prohibited them from turning the switch for electronic ignition heaters.

When Ross explained the situation that service technicians performing weekly pool maintenance need to turn the heater off for cleaning and backwashing purposes, the TSSA said it would be okay if the technician turned the heater back on. However, the question remained whether a service technician could turn the gas/propane manual supply valve.

To get a better understanding of the TSSA regulations, Ross contacted the TSSA to get an official interpretation of the existing code. Tyler Jenkins, TSSA’s training and certification advisor, fuels safety program, referred the question to their legal department which said “a service technician can open the manual valve if the pool heater has been previously ‘activated’ by a licensed gas installer.”

According to the TSSA’s legal department, for permanent installations, it generally considers ‘activate’ to mean initial activation, so re-introducing fuel by opening a valve would not be considered activation; therefore, a certificate would not be required to ‘open the valve and flick the switch.’

“Having written confirmation and an explanation from the TSSA relieves service technicians and company owners from wondering what they are allowed to do, and it makes customer service calls much more efficient,” says Ross.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/service-techs-get-clarification-on-gas-heater-regulations/

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