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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, 2010
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BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CSA B415.1-2010 

STANDARD

CSA B415.1-2010 is the third edition, superseding 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-Fuel-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 testing 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 recommendations (often with proposals for draft 

language) to the Technical Committee. Structurally, the Technical Committee is similar 

to an ASTM sub-committee in that voting members are a balanced matrix of individuals 

representing various groups including manufacturers, regulatory agencies, users and 

general interest. Associate members participate in discussion of the issues but do not 

officially vote. Although details differ, the 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 being finalized by the ASTM/EPA efforts, 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 officially began, CANMET conducted testing on a 

conventional warm air furnace that was representative 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 the careful consideration of those complexities 
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by the Task Force with Technical Committee oversight ended up consuming 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 given 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 evaluate 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 directly and indirectly. This research was 

completed in March of 2009. These test reports are available from CSA or from 

Environment Canada. Many of the revisions 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 testing protocol that was 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 following statement of the rationale for using 

cordwood is included in an informative 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 mandatory 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 test 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 test 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 does not regulate these types of appliances, 

Item (b) of the rationale does not apply. 

Available test data, though limited, indicates that the repeatability 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 designed to work well on test cribs do not 

necessarily offer optimum performance with cordwood. Outdoor hydronic heater 
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data for four units tested for the ASTM E6.54 Committee indicated similar 

repeatability between cordwood and cribs. 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 various 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 systems that are determined as percentage 

ranges based on maximum heat output rather 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 component concentrations (CO2, CO and O2) can cause 

significant “noise” in the calculated efficiency. This noise is most 

apparent when the calculated hydrocarbon fraction (needed to complete 

the mass balance in the stack gases) for a particular sampling interval 

shows a significantly negative value and a resultant efficiency value for 

that interval that is above 100%. The solution was to eliminate the 

measured O2 value and replace it with a value calculated using the 

stoichiometric oxygen relationship for the fuel. Using the measured 

values for CO2 and CO and the calculated value for O2 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 manager for disposition. The first step of 

that process was review and recommendations by the Task Force. 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, the proposed test method next underwent 

rigorous review and comment by a CSA editor in preparation for publication. The 

editor’s comments resulted in additional revision activity at both the Task Force and 

Technical Committee levels. 
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In January, 2010, the proposed revised version 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 the queue for completion of additional CSA 

review procedures and finally to publication (in both English and French) in March, 

2010. The complete record of the proceedings of the CSA B415.1 standard development 

has been maintained by CSA, and items of interest 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 period that is separate from the “start-up” time period, 

both of which are tied to firebox volume; 

• a density (specific gravity) range requirement for the cordwood test fuel in lieu of 

species; 

• the addition of test procedures for measuring emissions, heat output and 

efficiency for thermostatically controlled 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 central heating appliances 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 heat output calculation procedures; and 

• addition of an Excel spreadsheet to help standardize efficiency and heat output 

determinations. 
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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, 
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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