Section 60.5476 - What test methods and procedures must I use to determine compliance with the standards and requirements for certification?Test methods and procedures specified in this section or in appendices of this part, except as provided under § 60.8(b) , must be used to determine compliance with the standards and requirements for certification under §§ 60.5474 and 60.5475 and for reporting carbon monoxide emissions and efficiency. The EPA will post all approved alternative test methods on the EPA Web site. The manufacturer or the manufacturer's authorized representative must submit a summary and the full test report with all supporting information, including detailed discussion of all anomalies, whether all burn rate categories were properly achieved, any data not used in the calculations and, for any test runs not completed, the data that were collected and the reason that the test run was not completed. The burn rate for the low burn rate category must be no greater than the rate that an operator can achieve in home use and no greater than is advertised by the manufacturer or retailer.
(a) Canadian Standards Administration (CSA) Method B415.1-10, sections 13.7-13 .10 (IBR, see § 60.17 ), must be used to measure the thermal efficiency and CO emissions of outdoor and indoor residential hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces, except that the burn rates specified in Method 28WHH must be used for hydronic heaters.(b) Testing conducted with continuously fed biomass as the fuel(s) must be conducted according to the relevant section of the ASTM E2618-13 (IBR, see § 60.17 ) or adaptations approved by EPA. The EPA will post all approved alternative test methods on the EPA Web site.(c)(1) For outdoor and indoor residential hydronic heaters to be tested under the 2015 particulate matter emission standards in § 60.5474(b)(1) , the manufacturer must have an EPA-approved test laboratory use: (iii) ASTM E2618-13 (IBR, see § 60.17 ) (using crib wood); or(iv) EN 303-5 (IBR, see § 60.17 ), only for units sold with thermal storage.(2) For outdoor and indoor residential hydronic heaters to be tested under the 2020 particulate matter emission standards in § 60.5474(b)(2) , the manufacturer must have an EPA-approved test laboratory use: (ii) Method 28WHH PTS; or(iii) ASTM E2618-13 (IBR, see § 60.17 ) (using crib wood).(3) If the heater is equipped with full or partial heat storage, the manufacturer, retailer and installer must not sell or install the heater with less heat storage capacity than is used in the certification test.(4) The manufacturer and approved laboratory must make the following adjustments to the methods listed in paragraphs (a), (c)(1) and (2) of this section: (i) For ASTM E2618-13 (IBR, see § 60.17 ), the burn rate categories specified in Method 28WHH must be used;(ii) For EN 303-5 (IBR, see § 60.17 ), the organic compounds must be included as part of the PM.(iii) For ASTM 2618-13 (IBR, see § 60.17 ) Appendix A1 for full thermal storage certification tests, the test must use the large scale as required in the test method unless the manufacturer requests a variance, in advance of testing, contingent upon measuring flue gas temperature, oxygen and CO, using a simple electronic spreadsheet calculator to estimate efficiency and conducting a comparison to the delivered efficiency to determine if a more detailed examination should be made.(d)(1) For hydronic heaters subject to the 2020 cord wood alternative compliance option specified in § 60.5474(b)(3) , the manufacturers must have the approved laboratory conduct cord wood testing using the test methods listed below:(ii) Method 28WHH PTS; or(iii) ASTM E2618-13 (IBR, see § 60.17 ) (using cord wood).(2) If the heater is equipped with full or partial heat storage, the manufacturer, retailer and installer must not sell or install the heater with less heat storage capacity than is used in the certification test.(3) The manufacturer and approved laboratory must make the following adjustments to the methods listed in (d)(1) of this section:(i) For ASTM E2618-13 (IBR, see § 60.17 ), use the burn rate categories specified in Method 28WHH;(ii) For all methods, report the results separately per burn rate category.(e) For forced-air furnaces, use CSA Method B415.1-10 (IBR, see § 60.17 ) to measure the heat output (mmBtu/hr) and particulate matter emission rate (lb/mmBtu heat output), except use the burn rate categories in Method 28WHH for the 2020 particulate matter emission standards. For the 2020 particulate matter emission standards, report the particulate matter, efficiency and CO emission results separately per burn rate category.(f) For affected wood heaters subject to the particulate matter emission standards, particulate matter emission concentrations must be measured with ASTM E2515-11 (IBR, see § 60.17 ) with the following exceptions, eliminate section 9.6.5.1 of ASTM E2515-11 and perform the post-test leak checks as described in paragraph (f)(1) of this section. Additionally, if a component change of either sampling train is needed during sampling, then perform the leak check specified in paragraph (f)(2) of this section. Four-inch filters and Teflon membrane filters or Teflon-coated glass fiber filters may be used in ASTM E2515-11. For all tests conducted using ASTM 2515-11, with the exceptions described in paragraphs (f)(1) and (2) of this section, the manufacturer and approved test laboratory must also measure the first hour of particulate matter emissions for each test run by sampling with a third, identical and independent sampling train operated concurrently with the first hour of PM paired train compliance testing. The manufacturer and approved test laboratory must report the test results for this third train separately as the first hour emissions.(1)Post-test leak check. A leak check of each sampling train is mandatory at the conclusion of each sampling run before sample recovery. The leak check must be performed in accordance with the procedures of ASTM E2515-11, section 9.6.4.1 (IBR, see § 60.17 ), except that it must be conducted at a vacuum equal to or greater than the maximum value reached during the sampling run. If the leakage rate is found to be no greater than 0.0003 m3/min (0.01 cfm) or 4% of the average sampling rate (whichever is less), the leak check results are acceptable. If a higher leakage rate is obtained, the sampling run is invalid.(2)Leak checks during sample run. If, during a sampling run, a component (e.g., filter assembly) change becomes necessary, a leak check must be conducted immediately before the change is made. Record the sample volume before and after the leak test. The sample volume collected during any leak checks must not be included in the total sample volume for the test run. The leak check must be done according to the procedure outlined in ASTM E2515-11, section 9.6.4.1 (IBR, see § 60.17 ), except that it must be done at a vacuum equal to or greater than the maximum value recorded up to that point in the sampling run. If the leakage rate is found to be no greater than 0.0003 m3/min (0.01 cfm) or 4% of the average sampling rate (whichever is less), the leak check results are acceptable. If a higher leakage rate is obtained, the sampling run is invalid. Note 1 to paragraph (f): Immediately after component changes, leak checks are optional but highly recommended. If such leak checks are done, the procedure in paragraph (f)(1) of this section should be used.
(g) Douglas fir may be used in ASTM E2618-13 and CSA B415.1-10 (IBR, see § 60.17 ).(h) The manufacturer of an affected central heater model line must notify the Administrator of the date that certification testing is to begin, by email, to WoodHeaterReports@epa.gov. This notice must be at least 30 days before the start of testing. The notification of testing must include the manufacturer's name and physical and email addresses, the approved test laboratory's name and physical and email addresses, third-party certifier name, the model name and number (or, if unavailable, some other way to distinguish between models), and the dates of testing. The laboratory may substitute certification testing of another affected central heater on the original date in order to ensure regular laboratory testing operations.(i) The approved test laboratory must allow the manufacturer, the manufacturer's approved third-party certifier, the EPA and delegated state regulatory agencies to observe certification testing. However, manufacturers must not involve themselves in the conduct of the test after the pretest burn has begun. Communications between the manufacturer and laboratory or third-party certifier personnel regarding operation of the central heater must be limited to written communications transmitted prior to the first pretest burn of the certification test series. During certification tests, the manufacturer may communicate with the third-party certifier, and only in writing to notify them that the manufacturer has observed a deviation from proper test procedures by the laboratory. All communications must be included in the test documentation required to be submitted pursuant to § 60.5475(b)(5) and must be consistent with instructions provided in the owner's manual required under § 60.5478(f) .80 FR 13715, Mar. 16, 2015, as amended at 85 FR 63410, Oct. 7, 2020; 88 FR 18402, Mar. 29, 2023 85 FR 63410, 12/7/2020; 88 FR 18402, 5/30/2023