What is an emergency switch outside a utility room supposed to be for?

Hmm, never seen one like that, at least not in a residential setting. I'll offer a WAG that it cuts all power to circuits within the room, to reduce chances of sparking in case of a gas leak? (You don't wanna flip switches if you smell gas.) Either that or it sets off the alarms, and puts the room under negative pressure to outside the building?

If I smelled gas, I'd be more inclined to pop the main breaker, unless it was within the smelly zone, and shut the gas off at the meter, and call the fire department from my cell outside or from the neighbors. FD and Gas Company respond very quickly to gas leak reports. I've seen the aftermath of basements filled with gas lighting off. Usually no fire, since the fumes burn so quick, but when you pick the entire house up a foot or so and then drop it, it is pretty much a writeoff.

aem sends...

I would guess, if it is a push button, it shuts down all gas usage in the room. These are typically required in commercial code settings. It is a bit unusual for the heater and hot water tank, as I would think they are a bit unusual in a typical setting. The buttons are seen most often in kitchens, school science labs, etc.

That switch is required for an oil burner but I have never seen one used for gas.

If what you're calling a "gas heater" is in fact a furnace or boiler, and it is enclosed in a room(as opposed to sitting in the middle of a basement), it's typical to have an emergency switch on the unit as well as outside the door in case of a malfunction

Mebbe a retrofit gas burner, or a new furnace, and they just didn't bother to rewire?

aem sends....

Did you try the switch? Usually emergency switches are only required for oil burners. There might have been a conversion at one time.

Bill

It's not a push button; it's a toggle switch. It looks like just another typical wall switch except for the red plate and the words on the latter.

It's not a retrofit. As far as I can tell, the gas furnace was installed when the house was built.

If the furnace were an oil furnace, what would be the purpose of the emergency switch?

Yes, it's a gas furnace, and yes it's in a room. So under what circumstance should the switch be flipped?

No, I was hesitant to try it until I know what it's supposed to do.

You still haven't told us what the switch is connected to. How do you expect anyone to be able to tell you when you should flip it?

That switch is all-purpose. Whenever you have an emergency, you should flip it.

I lost my job and they were about to foreclose on the house, and I flipped that switch and won 2 million dollars in the Italian lottery.

Ah, hell, go ahead and flip it. You know you want to. Worst case scenario, you'll have to relight everything. It isn't a starship- there is no self-destruct circuit.

Me, I'd poke around and see where the wires lead.

aem sends....

I don't know what it's connected to. I thought it's required by code in some places. I was hoping that someone would be able to tell me what it's for based on it's placement.

I did. It's a furnace emergency switch. You turn it off in case of a furnace malfunction

I don't know where or why a burner or boiler emergency switch would ONLY be required for an oil burner. In NY, NJ, and Conn. at least they are required regardless of the type fuel

Well, we can't see it. You can. _Find_out_ what it's connected to, for Pete's sake. Nobody can possibly tell you what it's for, or when and how it should be used, without knowing what it's connected to.

Finding the keyboard operational mtco entered:

It's to cut the electric power to the furnace and is required in NJ. In fact, I once had trouble getting a CO because a tight assed inspector made me change the "OIL BURNER EMERGENCY" switch to one that said GAS because it was a gas furnace. It does not cut off the gas or power to any thing else that I have ever seen so I don't know what practical use it serves. Bob

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