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## BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CSA B415.1-2010 STANDARD (WITH FOCUS ON SOLID FUEL FIRED WARM AIR FURNACES)

Prepared by Robert Ferguson Ferguson, Andors & Company

For the Warm Air Furnace Caucus Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association

December 1, 20102 BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE DEVE LOPMENT OF THE CSA B415.1-2010
STANDARD

CSA B415.1-2010 is the third edition, supersed ing previous editions. It was originally published in 1992 under the title Performance Testing of Solid-Fuel-Burning Stoves, Inserts and Low-Burn-Rate Factory-Built Fireplaces. It was published again in 2000
with a new title Performance Testing of Solid-F uel-Burning Heating Appliances and updated again in March of 2010 with the same title.

Although the scope in the 2000 edition referenced a broader range of solid fuel heaters, the test method did not include specific tes ting requirements for appliance types other than room heaters (i.e., indoor wood stoves). The 2010 edition specifically addressed this deficiency.

The 2010 revisions were developed by a Task Force that was subordinate to the parent Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Technical Committee on Performance Testing and Rating of Solid-Fuel-Burning Appliances. In the CSA process, a Task Force is akin to a Task Group or Working Group in the ASTM process. The Task Force considers and
addresses technical details and makes recomm endations (often with proposals for draft language) to the Technical Committee. Struct urally, the Technical Committee is similar to an ASTM sub-committee in that voting memb ers are a balanced matrix of individuals representing various groups including manufacturers, re gulatory agencies, users and general interest. Associate members particip ate in discussion of the issues but do not officially vote. Although details differ, th e CSA standards writing process operates under strict consensus-based procedures that are generally comparable to ASTM. See Attachment A for the membership of the B415.1 Technical Committee during the
revision of this standard.

The first meeting of the B415.1 Task Force was on August 30, 2007. Participation in the Task Force was open to all interested parties. This meeting outlined the overall scope of the proposed revisions based on a document that was prepared by consultant Ron
Braaten. In an effort to avoid duplication of the test method development for hydronic heaters that was already bei ng finalized by the ASTM/EPA e fforts, many of the proposed revisions were focused on warm air furnaces. The remainder of this synopsis will focus on that subject.

Before the revision activities officia lly began, CANMET conducted testing on a conventional warm air furnace that was represen tative a typical unit sold in Canada using a “strawman” test procedure that had not undergone Task Force approval.

Some of the recommended modifications and clarifications initially considered by the Task Force were based on feedback from that CANMET testing.

It was the hope of the Task Force that recommendations for modifications to CSA B415.1 would be made to the B415.1 Technical Committee by the end of 2007. However, the complexity of the issues and th e careful consideration of those complexities3 by the Task Force with Technical Committee oversight ended up cons uming the next two and one-half years. During this period, the Task Force met at least 17 times, either in person or by web-based conference calls. Some of the meetings were in conjunction with full Technical Committee meetings where Task Force reports were considered and where direction on how to next proceed was give n to the Task Force by consensus of the
Technical Committee. Web-based access or telephone access was also provided to those
that could not attend the face-to -face meetings. Minutes of all the meetings are a part of the record maintained by CSA.

An updated draft procedure for warm air furnaces emerged in 2008 and Environment Canada funded a research program to evalua te the proposed procedures. The research program focused on method validation tests on two boilers and two furnaces. This involved replicate testing at all required heat output rates to evaluate repeatability and the various methods of measuring heat output dire ctly and indirectly. This research was completed in March of 2009. These test reports are available from CSA or from Environment Canada. Many of the revisi ons to the draft test method that were incorporated in B415.1-2010 were based on the information and experience gained during that validation testing.

One of the most significant revisions to the te sting protocol that wa s evaluated during the test program was the switch from crib fuel to cordwood fuel. An examination of the Task
Force and Technical Committee minutes shows that there was extended debate before it was agreed to go in this direction. The fo llowing statement of the rationale for using
cordwood is included in an inform ative Annex in the Standard.



### Annex C (informative)Rationale for use of cordwood instead of cribs for testing woodburning furnaces and boilers

Note: This Annex is not a mandat ory part of this Standard.

C.1 General The first edition of this Standard specified the use of cribs fabricated from dimensional Douglas fir lumber to te st appliances normally fuelled with cordwood. The rationale for use of these cribs was that they (a) would provide a more repeatable test; and (b) should be used to allow a single te st series to satisfy the requirements of both Canada and the United States. The extension of testing to indoor furnaces and boilers has caused the issue of test fuel to be revisited. Because the EPA doe s not regulate these types of appliances, Item (b) of the rationale does not apply. Available test data, though lim ited, indicates that the re peatability of cribs is no
better than cordwood. There is evidence that the current crib configuration does not perform in a comparable manner to most cordwood loadings. The result is that appliances that need to be desi gned to work well on test cribs do not necessarily offer optimum performance with cordwood. Outdoor hydronic heater4 data for four units tested for the ASTM E6.54 Committee indicated similar repeatability between cordwood and crib s. An Environment Canada research project with two hydronic indoor boilers and two indoor central heating furnaces demonstrated similar repeatability to the ASTM results when tested with cordwood. For these reasons, this Standard specifies cordwood as the test fuel. For compatibility, cribs are allowed for testing of EPA-regulated appliances such
as room heaters

.

Additional revisions and improvements to va rious clauses within B415.1 were also the
direct result of consideration of information from the test program. These include:

• The methodology for specifying the cordwood fuel loading was refined to address the smaller fireboxes often found in indoor central heating equipment.

• A method for directly measuring the heat output from warm air furnace using precise airflow and temperature measurements in the outlet ducting was
established.

• Procedures for determining “jacket loss” were refined.

• Burn categories for central heating system s that are determined as percentage ranges based on maximum heat output ra ther than maximum burn rate were
established and refined

• Significant improvements to the stack loss efficiency measurement and calculation procedures were made.

o It was determined that offsets in the synchronization in the measurement of the stack gas compon ent concentrations (CO 2 , CO and O 2 ) can cause significant “noise” in the calculated efficiency. This noise is most apparent when the calculated hydroc arbon fraction (needed to complete the mass balance in the stack gases) for a particular sampling interval shows a significantly negative value a nd a resultant efficiency value for
that interval that is above 100%. The solution was to eliminate the
measured O 2 value and replace it with a value calculated using the stoichiometric oxygen relationship for the fuel. Using the measured
values for CO 2 and CO and the calculated value for O 2 resulted in calculated efficiency values with many fewer aberrant values across the sampling intervals.

In July 2009, the proposed revised version of CSA B415.1 was made available for public comment. The comment period was open for 60 days. Comments that were received were compiled by subject by the CSA project ma nager for disposition. The first step of that process was review and recommendations by the Task Fo rce. The final disposition for comments was accomplished at the more formal Technical Committee level. A record of the public comments and their disposition is available from CSA.

After public comments were addressed, th e proposed test method next underwent rigorous review and comment by a CSA edito r in preparation for publication. The
editor’s comments resulted in additional revi sion activity at both the Task Force and
Technical Committee levels.5 In January, 2010, the proposed revised vers ion completed the Technical Committee ballot. This step is the last technically- focused hurdle and negatives and comments must be fully addressed before the standard can proceed any farther. Upon successful disposition of the comments received, again employing the full Technical Committee consensus process, CSA B415.1 moved into th e queue for completion of additional CSA review procedures and finally to publicati on (in both English and French) in March, 2010. The complete record of the proceedi ngs of the CSA B415.1 standard development has been maintained by CSA, and items of in terest in that record should be available upon request from them.

Some of the other notable 2010 revisions that impact central heating appliances include:

• addition of a “load” time pe riod that is separate from the “start-up” time period, both of which are tied to firebox volume;

• a density (specific gravity) range requirem ent for the cordwood test fuel in lieu of species;

• the addition of test procedures for measuring emissions, heat output and efficiency for thermostatically controll ed central warm air furnaces and hydronic heaters;

• a reference to itemized sections of ASTM E2618 for hydronic heater testing requirements;

• the requirement that emissions from cent ral heating applian ces be reported in g/MJ of heat output;

• new emission requirements were added for indoor and outdoor central heating appliances;

• electrical power consumption measurement were added;

• improvement of the efficiency and he at output calculation procedures; and

• addition of an Excel spreadsheet to help standardize efficiency and heat output
determinations.6 Attachment A

CSA Technical Committee of Performance Testing and Rating of Solid-Fuel-Burning Appliances

M. Cantin SBI Fabriquant de Poêles International, Québec, Québec
Chair

R. Braaten Carleton Place, Ontario
P. Chisholm Kerr Heating Products, Parrsboro, Nova Scotia
V. Court Grove Wood Heat Inc., York, Pennsylvania, USA

Associate
R. Curkeet Intertek Testing Services NA Inc., Middleton, Wisconsin, USA

Associate H. Dobbelsteyn Nova Scotia Department of Energy, Halifax, Nova Scotia
E. Dufour Cheminées Sécurité International Ltée, Laval, Québec R. Ferguson Ferguson, Andors & Company, South Royalton, Vermont, USA J. Francisty Pacific Energy Fireplace Products Ltd., Duncan, British Columbia C. Gauntley Grain Stoves Inc., Blyth, Ontario
L. Gilbert ICC Industrial Chimney Company Inc., St. Jérome, Québec
T. Gottschalk Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association of Canada, Huntsville, Ontario F. Granger Environment Canada, Montréal, Québec
E. Grzesik Ontario Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Toronto, Ontario M. Hladysh Selkirk Canada Corporation, Stoney Creek, Ontario

K. Johnson Newmac Manufacturing Incorporated, Debert, Nova Scotia

M. Kellerhals British Columbia Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport, Victoria, British Columbia

Associate
V. Li Environment Canada, Toronto, Ontario

Associate
S. Madrali Natural Resources Canada,7 Ottawa, Ontario
D. Maftei Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto, Ontario
B. Michael Heartland Appliances Incorporated, Cambridge, Ontario

Associate A. Myren Myren Consulting, Inc., Colville, Washington, USA

Associate
D. Olivier Association des Professionnels du Chauffage, Montréal, Québec
G. Piedalue Services Polytests Inc., Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec
J. Richer Selkirk Canada Corporation, Stoney Creek, Ontario

D. Roth Heartland Appliances Incorporated, Cambridge, Ontario

Associate
N. Senf Masonry Stove, Shawville, Québec

Associate
T. Stroud Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Associate P. Tiegs OMNI-Test Laboratories, Inc., Portland, Oregon, USA

Associate
C. Wallis Wood “n” Energy Products Limited, McDonalds Corners, Ontario
P. Westlin Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA

Associate T. Joseph Canadian Standards Association, Mississauga, Ontario Project Manager