Draft rule on wood boilers slated for review

HOULTON – Last month, town councilors repealed a 180-day moratorium on the installation of outdoor wood boilers in the town.

But now councilors are set to introduce a draft ordinance that aims to regulate the devices’ presence in the community.

During a meeting two weeks ago, councilors had their first look at the draft ordinance. It will be introduced at their meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Councilors imposed the moratorium on May 29 in order to give the planning board adequate time to determine whether regulations related to outdoor wood boilers should be drafted. Board members said at the time that the moratorium would impose no restrictions on those who now own and operate the boilers. They also said they wanted to learn as much as possible about the boilers in order to protect the health of the public and be prudent in crafting any potential regulations.

The council reconsidered the matter, however, after being presented with a petition submitted to the town by five residents.

If the council had not voted to repeal the moratorium, voters would have decided the issue in November.

The draft ordinance states that, once the rule is effective, no person shall install or allow to be installed any outside wood boiler unless it meets several standards. For instance, the boiler must be installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions and must have a stack a minimum of 10 feet high. No person will be allowed to operate a new outdoor wood boiler using a rain cap or a spark arrester unless such devices are required by the manufacturer’s specifications.

Boilers must meet a minimum setback from property lines of 200 feet.

In concert with those regulations, no person shall install or allow the installation of any outdoor wood boiler within 1,000 feet of any of the following locations: places of assembly, churches, schools, day care facilities, funeral homes, nursing homes, health care facilities, or federal, state or municipal grounds, excluding rights of way, if the draft ordinance is passed.

At this point, Houlton has just a handful of outdoor wood boilers. Under the draft ordinance, those who already have a boiler in place would be grandfathered and would not have to make any changes.

As published previously in the Bangor Daily News, the outdoor boilers are wood-fired furnaces, usually housed in small, shedlike buildings. They have large fireboxes surrounded by a water jacket. Heated water flows through underground pipes to a nearby home or structure, where it can be used to heat the building and-or tap water. Some Mainers have turned to the appliances as a cheaper alternative for satisfying heat and hot water needs.

The boilers are largely unregulated and have their share of supporters and detractors. Opponents say the boilers contribute to pollution and fear that they could pose serious health risks, especially to those who suffer from respiratory problems.

Some supporters have argued that when the boilers are properly fueled and maintained the smoke levels produced by the units are comparable to those of wood stoves. They also have pointed out that they do not cost a lot of money to operate and reduce personal dependence on foreign oil.

Health officials also are concerned that their large fireboxes could encourage some owners to burn trash, tires and other nonwood waste that can spew toxins into the air.

While councilors mostly expressed favor toward the wording of the draft ordinance, there was some concern about the existing boilers. Council Chairman Paul Cleary noted that they began discussing the boilers because of concerns about machines already in use in town. While many felt that asking current owners to move boilers to comply with any future setback standards was unreasonable, some said they felt that asking the owners to take some steps to comply with any future ordinance – such as bringing stack heights into compliance – would not be too much to ask.

“We could look at giving a certain amount of time to get their stack height in compliance,” said Councilor Nancy Ketch.