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Cabinet heater proposals rejected at committee meeting

April 2, 2009 By    

The proposals that would allow the indoor use of cabinet heaters fueled with propane from composite cylinders were rejected in a preliminary committee meeting last month.

The National Fire Protection Association’s Technical Committee on the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code (NFPA 58) voted against the proposals during a March meeting in San Antonio. The proposals will be circulated to the 30 committee members for an official letter ballot before the report is published and sent out for public comments. To affirm committee actions made in San Antonio, a two-thirds majority of voting members is needed.

The committee will reconvene in October to discuss the comments and take action on about 150 proposals it considered in San Antonio. Pending any appeals, proposals that are approved will be published in the 2011 edition of the NFPA 58 code.

Rejection of the indoor use of cabinet heaters was based on safety concerns from propane marketers and fire officials, said Frank Mortimer, committee chairman.

Industry veteran Sam McTier, leader of the cabinet heater push, is looking to reconsider the proposal. He is exploring a proposal that would allow the cabinet heater to be used indoors temporarily and only in emergencies.

McTier maintains the product is safe indoors and believes it would only benefit the industry. But he feels he’s been forced to change the approach.

“After the NFPA meeting, I could see the present lay of the land,” McTier said.

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