Are you Required to Get Permits and Inspections for Heating System Replacement?

If you need to have your home heating system replaced you may be wondering if a permit is required, which may also include having the heating system inspected after the company finishes up the job. Preventing safety-related heating problems is the primary reason to have a new home heating system inspected.

In almost every area of the country, a permit and inspection is required when a heating system is replaced. While some homeowners and contractors don’t like the extra expense of the permit and the wait that is sometimes necessary, having a new heating system inspected is in everyone’s best interest, and should be included in the heating system price.

In this Heating Systems Guide, we’ll explain why its important to have a new heating system inspected, and how cutting this corner, could cost you and your family, their safety!

The Reason for Inspection of New Heating Systems

Improperly installed home heating systems are a major cause of injury and death in homes. Faulty wiring in home heating systems causes thousands of fires every year. Preventable deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning also occur every year. Part of the solution is to have the system inspected when it is installed, before it is used to heat your home.

There may be one inspection, usually from a mechanical inspector, or there may be two – one from the mechanical inspector and one from an electrical inspector. While this slows down the job, the inspections are worthwhile.

The inspector(s) will check several features to make sure they are done according to the building code. The wiring will be checked to ensure against fires caused by shorts or poorly wired systems at the heating unit or the electrical box. The venting of any system that uses gas, oil, wood, coal or other combustible fuel will be checked to make sure that carbon monoxide and other exhaust gases, which can be very hot, are properly exhausted. The Consumer Energy Center explains venting in detail so you, as the consumer, can know what looks right and wrong. This will prevent carbon monoxide poisoning or fire cause be excessive heat. The system will be turned on and run to make sure that it is operating properly in every respect.

Insist on Inspections and Make Sure they are Completed

The vast majority of heating contractors get permits when needed, so that inspections can be done. A small minority charge their customers for the cost of the permits and then pocket the money without receiving a permit for the work. This is more common in new home construction or where the homeowners is away at work and gives the contractor access.

According to the Gas Furnace Guide, you should ask your heating contractor to show you the permit for the work. In most areas, they are required to post the approved permit at the work site. In addition, when inspectors pass a job, they typically put a printed sticker on the heating system or electrical box with their initials and date, showing that the system passed.

The Bottom Line

Inspections are designed to keep you and those in your home safe. They are a minor expense and minor hassle when compared with the significant problems they may prevent. If you have any questions about the need for a permit for any home heating system work you are having done, call your local building code department and ask your questions. Take a “safety first” approach to having your new home heating system installed and serious problems can be prevented.