Hot Water Heater or Boiler?

By Bruno Caligara

Many of us typically don’t think twice about how they specify hot water Heaters on filings. Yet we should.

The DOB’s Plumbing Division considers several cases where a hot water Heater may actually be considered to be a Boiler.  Understanding the correct designation is important to correctly file for the proposed unit.

The answer lies in the identification tag on the unit and on the cut sheets from the manufacturer. The tell-tale sign is a symbol on the tag which resembles a four leaf clover with an H stamp. The tag means that the Hot Water heater is considered a Boiler and should be filed as BL work type.

For example, a tag looks like this:   

If you question before you file, look for the symbol.