Meeting to address outdoor boilers

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

CHICOPEE The Board of Aldermen's Ordinance Committee will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 30 in City Hall to consider possible regulations for Outdoor Wood Fired Boilers (OWB).

Tillotson explained to The Chicopee Herald that he learned of this technology to supplement or replace traditional means of heating water for a home or business from two constituents who are concerned about the OWBs owned by neighbors.

The Chicopee Board of Health banned the use of OWBs in the city until September and Tillotson wants to discuss what regulations should be in place.

OWBs are small water heaters that are located outdoors and use wood as fuel. According to information Tillotson acquired from the Air Pollution Division of Vermont Environmental Conservation, OWBs use primitive combustion technology that can cause heavy smoke. The have short smoke stacks that do not disperse the smoke very well.

OWBs pollute more than indoor wood stoves that are required to meet standards set by the Environmental Protection Administration.

There are no federal or state regulations governing OWBs. At present in Chicopee, residents could install and use an OWB as long as they wait until next month and obtain the necessary electrical and plumbing permits.

"The issue is out there," Tillotson said. "We need to deal with it."

Tillotson is concerned the public safety and health aspects of having OWBs in a densely populated urban area such as Chicopee. He said that having a regulation that requires a minimal distance an OWB can be situated from a property line such as 200 or 400 feet would prevent the spread of the water heaters.