North Dakota Administrative Code

The shell or drum of a boiler in which a lap seam crack is discovered along a longitudinal riveted joint must be immediately discontinued from use. If the boiler is not more than fifteen years of age, a complete new course of the original thickness may be installed at the discret…

A hydrostatic pressure test, when applied to boilers of riveted or welded construction, except locomotive boilers, may not exceed one and one-half times the maximum allowable working pressure. Hydrostatic pressure applied to locomotive boilers may not exceed one and one-quarter t…

1. Each automatically fired steam or vapor system boiler must be equipped with an automatic low-water cutoff located to automatically cut off the fuel supply when the surface of the water falls to the lowest safe waterline. For other than electric and miniature boilers, each auto…

1. A person may not remove, tamper with, or render inoperative any safety appliances prescribed by these rules except for the purpose of making repairs. The resetting of safety appliances may not exceed the accepted working pressure of the unit. 2. Repairs or adjustments made to …

1. Blowoff piping from a boiler may not discharge directly into a sewer. A blowoff tank, constructed to the provisions of section VIII of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code, must be used where conditions do not provide an adequate and safe open discharge. 2. Blowof…

1. The construction of the setting must be done in such a manner that it does not restrict the movement of the blowoff piping. 2. All blowoff piping, when exposed to furnace heat, must be protected by firebrick or other heat-resisting material so constructed that the piping may b…

The discharge of safety valves, blowoff pipes, and other outlets must be located so as to prevent injury to personnel. For high pressure boilers, vents from blowoff tanks, condensate tanks, and the discharge piping from safety valves must be as short and straight as possible and …

Where necessary to install a blowoff tank underground, it must be enclosed in a concrete or brick pit with a removable cover so that inspection of the entire shell and heads of the tank can be made. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 23.1-16-07 Law Implement…

Each boiler must be supported by masonry or structural supports of sufficient strength and rigidity to safely support the boiler and its contents. There must be a minimum of vibration in the boiler and its connecting piping. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDC…

1. Where pressure reducing valves are used, one or more relief or safety valves must be provided on the low-pressure side of the reducing valve in case the piping or equipment on the low-pressure side does not meet the requirements for the full initial pressure. The relief of saf…

To ensure safe access to batteries of boilers, a steel platform or runway at least eighteen inches [457.2 millimeters] in width must be provided, complete with standard railing and toe boards on either side, across the tops of adjacent boilers. Wherever arrangement and location p…

A log must be kept as to all repairs made, unusual incidents, accidents, water tests, amounts, types, and dates of water treatment. Logs for hobby boilers also must include operating hours, operators, fusible plug installation dates, safety valve tests, and apprentice operator tr…

If a major repair or alteration is necessary, an inspector must be called for consultation and advice as to the best method of making such repair or alteration. After such repair or alteration is made, it is subject to the approval of the inspector. History: Effective July 1, 202…

1. No repair to any boiler or steam pipe nor any of the connections thereto may be approved which is made in whole or in part of unsuitable material or is unsafe from any cause. Nothing herein may be construed to prevent the use of any boiler constructed of riveted iron or steel …

1. Rejection of repair. Any riveted or welded repair made to a boiler in North Dakota which does not meet this article's requirements will be cause for rejection of the repair by an inspector. 2. Rejection of welds. Any weld found to contain heavy slag inclusions or to be porous …

1. A person may not attempt to remove or do any work upon a safety appliance, prescribed by these rules, while a boiler is in operation. If any of these safety appliances are repaired during an outage of a boiler, they must be reinstalled and in proper working order before the ob…

Whenever repairs are made to fittings or appliances or it becomes necessary to replace them, the work must comply with all requirements for new installations. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 23.1-16-05 Law Implemented: NDCC 23.1-16-05

Each condensate return pump where practicable must be provided with an automatic water level control set to maintain the water level within the limits of two gauge cocks. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 23.1-16-07 Law Implemented: NDCC 23.1-16-07

Any boiler or pressure vessel being constructed, repaired, or altered in North Dakota must be inspected by an inspector holding a North Dakota reciprocal commission and a national board commission. The boiler inspection program may function as an authorized inspection agency. The…

The director shall cause examinations to be conducted at such times as is necessary for the qualification of inspectors. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 23.1-16-03 Law Implemented: NDCC 23.1-16-03

1. In any conditions not covered by this article, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code for new installations applies. 9 2. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, provision, or exemption of this article is declared unconstitutional or invalid for any re…

1. Each boiler used or proposed to be used within this state, except boilers exempt in North Dakota Century Code section 23.1-16-06, must be thoroughly inspected as to their construction, installation, condition, and operation as follows: a. Power boilers must be inspected annual…

All steam traction engines must conform to at least one of the following: chapter 33.1-14-04, 33.1-14-05, 33.1-14-06, or 33.1-14-07. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 23.1-16-07 Law Implemented: NDCC 23.1-16-07

1. Boiler safety valves and safety relief valves must be placed on, or as close as physically possible, to the boiler proper. 2. Safety valves or safety relief valves may not be placed on the feedline except when installed to provide control for feedwater pressure or to protect a…

1. All new boilers, except those exempt by law, to be installed in North Dakota must be reported to the chief boiler inspector by the owner or user and by the installer. 2. After July 1, 1973, power boilers that are not exempt by law may not be installed in this state unless they…

1. The inspector shall inspect all boilers and connected appurtenances for their safe operation and all pressure piping connecting them to the appurtenances and all piping up to and including the first stop valve, or the second stop valve when two are required. 2. Any pressure pi…

1. To lessen the hazard of being trapped within the boiler room, ash pit aisles, or other locations, there must be at least two means of exit as may be considered necessary by the inspector. Each elevation must be provided with at least two means of egress, each to be remotely lo…

1. All new boiler installations must be designed to allow for normal operation, cleaning, and inspections, and must have at least three feet [.91 meters] of clearance on each side of the boiler with no obstructions and boilers operated in battery may not be installed closer than …

The owner or user shall install a carbon monoxide detector or alarm in equipment rooms where fuel fired boilers or fuel fired pressure vessels, or both are located in accordance with the authority having jurisdiction. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 23.1-…

The minimum required relieving capacity of safety valves or safety relief valves for all types of boilers may not be less than the maximum designed steaming capacity as determined by the manufacturer and must be based on the capacity of all the fuel burning equipment as limited b…

The maximum allowable working pressure for standard boilers must be determined in accordance with the applicable provisions of the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code under which they were constructed and stamped. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General …

1. The maximum allowable working pressure on the shell of a nonstandard boiler must be determined by the strength of the weakest section of the structure, computed from the thickness of the plate, the tensile strength of the plate, the efficiency of the longitudinal joint or tube…

1. The age limit of any boiler of nonstandard construction is thirty years except that after a thorough internal and external inspection and a hydrostatic pressure test of one and one-half times the allowable working pressure held for a period of at least thirty minutes during wh…

Boilers that have either longitudinal or circumferential seams of fusion welded construction must have been constructed and stamped in accordance with the rules and regulations of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code or must have the standard stamping of another stat…

The maximum working pressure of an old boiler may not be increased to a greater pressure than would be allowed for a new boiler of the same construction. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 23.1-16-07 Law Implemented: NDCC 23.1-16-07 3…

The maximum allowable working pressure on a watertube boiler, the tubes of which are secured to a cast iron or malleable iron header, or which have cast iron mud drums, may not exceed one hundred sixty pounds per square inch gauge [1103.17 kilopascals]. History: Effective July 1,…

The maximum allowable working pressure for any cast iron boiler, except hot water boilers, is fifteen pounds per square inch gauge [103 kilopascals]. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 23.1-16-07 Law Implemented: NDCC 23.1-16-07

Safety valves and safety relief valves must meet the requirements of the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code, section 1, referenced in this article or the requirements of the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code, section 1, to whic…

Superheater safety valves must meet the requirements of the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code section referenced in this article or the requirements of the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code section to which the superheater the…

1. The minimum safety valve or safety relief valve relieving capacity for all high-pressure boilers other than steam traction engines must be determined by the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code, section 1, referenced in this article or by the requiremen…

The mounting of safety valves and safety relief valves must meet the requirements of the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code, section 1, referenced in this article or by the requirements of the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code,…

1. The operation of safety valves and safety relief valves must meet the requirements of the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code, section 1, referenced in this article or by the requirements of the edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers C…

1. Each discharge outlet, except safety valve, safety relief valves, reheater inlet and outlet, or superheater inlet connections, must be fitted with a stop valve located at an accessible point in the steam-delivery line and as near the boiler nozzle as is convenient and practica…

1. Except for high-temperature water boilers, the feed piping must be provided with a check valve near the boiler and a valve or cock between the check valve and the boiler. When two or more boilers are fed from a common source, there also must be a globe or regulating valve on t…

1. A "blowoff" means a pipe connection provided with valves through which the water in the boiler may be blown out under pressure, excepting drains such as are used on water columns, gauge glasses, or piping of feedwater regulators, etc., used for the purpose of determining the o…

The minimum factor of safety may not be less than four for existing installations. The director authorizes an inspector to increase the factor of safety if the condition of the boiler or pressure vessel warrants it. If the owner or user does not concur with the inspector's decisi…

If in the opinion of the inspector, as the result of conditions disclosed at the time of inspection, it is advisable to remove the interior or exterior lining, covering, or brickwork to expose certain parts of the vessel not normally visible, the owner or user shall remove such m…

Whenever repairs are made to fittings and appliances or it becomes necessary to replace them, the work must comply with the requirements for new installations. History: Effective July 1, 2020. General Authority: NDCC 23.1-16-07 Law Implemented: NDCC 23.1-16-07

1. Fire-actuated fusible plugs, if used, must conform to the requirements of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Code for power boilers. 8 2. They may be replaced by steel plugs if the boiler is gas-fired or oil-fired and is equipped with a low water fuel cutoff. History…

1. Outlet connections (except for damper regulator, feedwater regulator, low-water fuel cutoff, drains, steam gauges, or such apparatus that does not permit the escape of an appreciable amount of steam or water therefrom) may not be placed on the piping that connects the water co…