RED TAGGED BY STATE INSPECTOR - UL Listing Required on Kettle

[MTNBREW]

Our new brewing facility was scheduled to open up last week. On Friday 2.13.15 the State Electrical Inspector examined our Economite 300 burner and Johnson A419 Thermo Controller that were added to our new Brew Kettle onsite. The inspector "Red-Tagged" our Brew Kettle and will not allow us to open for business unless we obtain a UL Listing on our kettle. Can anyone offer up any advice? He is citing NEC code 110.3.

Thanks

[millerag]

Ul

See this thread....



http://discussions.probrewer.com/sho...9728#post99728

[S.Foster]

A photo is worth a thousand words

Since your State Inspector is citing Code 110.3 then I am guessing you have some wiring or connection in place he does not like and appears it could cause an electrical fire. Take a photo and lets see what you have. Your Economite 300 burner is UL listed as well as your control unit. Did you guys hook these things up or did you have a state licensed electrician do it?

[MTNBREW]

Connector

The inspector did not like the non-factory metal ring that was used by our licensed HVAC guy to connect the cord into the Thermo Controller. Once he noted that he looked at the entire assembly and told us that we needed to UL List the kettle. He is making the claim that because we field assembled the Thermo Controller, Gas Burner and Kettle onsite that it is now considered an "Appliance". I'm still waiting for him to provide us with a detailed written description of how he can legally request that we go through the UL Listing process. He, and his district supervisor both informed us that we only had two options at this point. No written response - imagine that

1. UL List the Kettle
2. Remove the non-UL listed kettle and purchase one that is UL Listed.

Neither inspector would give us the opportunity to re-wire the assembly or replace the controller with one that was not compromised.

[S.Foster]

Boil kett;e UL Listing

This inspector isn't looking at your kettle as a pressure boiler is he? When all of your components are UL Listed you should be able to connect them all together with the appropriate fittings, wiring and housings without going through the due process of UL Listing a field installed processing tank. Have you in some way modified your boil kettle to allow it to boil under pressure? Typically, all micro-brewery kettles are ambient vessels and not pressure vessels. This makes a huge difference.

[wailingguitar]

Many moons ago ('96) we had a city inspector look at a brew system (which was both new and North American made... further, we had John Mallet as a consultant!) the inspector's eyes glazed over. Despite every component being UL listed, he insisted that since they worked in conjunction they had to be listed "as a plant". I pointed out that the HVAC unit and emergency cut off were listed individually, not as a plant. Yes. ... and that is ok... Yes... but the brewery systems are not ok... Yes. :/ WTH? We ended up having to contact UL and have a field inspector come to the brewery. She was there for the better part of the day; writing down numbers, slapping tags on everything, and so on. I distinctly remember her sitting on the brewhouse platform, looking up from her notebook and asking "What am I doing here?"

The point is that sometimes when an inspector doesn't know what they're looking at, they pass the buck and we just have to deal with it. It's a tricky place you're in; you need to try to convince them that everything is OK, while not seeming like you're telling them they're job... that will only make them mad and a mad inspector is the last thing you want.

[Starcat]

Gas Fired Systems

The " Added to " portion of your story raises red flags.
Not knowing more about you configuration these things have to be considered.
Whenever anyone is talking about modifying anything to do with a gas fired system you are getting into potentially dangerous territory.
Especially with respect to " controls."
This is an area that has gotten a number of people killed in the past and many of those accounts show up in Boiler Schools with photographs. They almost always involve personnel who have attempted to make repairs which were a compromise to the original design which cannot be altered and remain safe.
I have been to some of these schools and run boiler plants. I have also had people working under me attempt to do dangerous things with repairs. It sounds like you need to get some high level experts involved and have every one sign off on the system to possibly include UL at this point as has been suggested.
How was the burner system originally intended to be run and in what manner will be asked.

[OneRiver]

Resolved?

Are you still "red tagged"? If not, how did you resolve the issue.

Cheers