RRF team building “training” to become stove builders for Ethiopian clay stoves

On 24.11.2023, Marius Dislich and Christoph Ruopp were our guests with their project “Die Ofenmacher e. V.”.

The day began with a pleasant meeting in the warmth, where the two of them told us about their local projects, the people and their experiences with other cultures. After they explained the theory of a clay stove to us and divided us into two groups, we got down to business.

First, everyone was allowed to try out for themselves how to mix sand and clay so that it becomes a stable and dense mass when dry. Once we had found the optimum mixing ratio, the sand, clay and water were kneaded on the floor with our feet to classical African music. Meanwhile, a delicious African stew was prepared on an already made clay oven that Marius and Christoph had brought along. Strengthened by the stew, they got to work on the clay. The aim was to build a complete clay oven in two teams.

The clay oven used in Ethiopia has a second hearth for the met’ad, which is the main cooking area from the Ethiopian user’s point of view. The exhaust air from the met’ad combustion chamber also heats another pot, and the heat from the exhaust gases from the cooking pot combustion chamber is also used by this pot.

Even though everyone in the team could still feel the hard work in their bones the next day, they all had a lot of fun with the project. There was even a small competition for the most beautiful stove. The result of both stoves is impressive and we can now call ourselves “stove builders” of an Ethiopian clay stove.

As much fun as we had that day, the cause of “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” is serious and important. Around 3 billion people worldwide still cook over an open fire. This is the fifth most common cause of death. In addition to life-threatening burns, open fires produce very high levels of particulate matter and emissions. “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” trains local stove builders and teaches local people how to make a stove from locally available materials that can also be easily assembled and maintained. This stove alone significantly reduces health risks, emissions and wood consumption.

Last year, we supported “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” with a financial donation. In order to show how pollutant emissions can be drastically reduced worldwide with simple means and how high the reduction actually is, we donated a test of a typical clay stove to “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” as a Christmas campaign. “Die Ofenmacher e. V.” can use the test results as a basis for discussions for example with politicians and supporters and continue to realize their goals. We would like to thank Marius and Christoph for the exciting insights and a unique and unusual team-building exercise and, of course, everyone in the RRF team who supported the project wholeheartedly

Harmonization of EN 16510

Today we can inform you that the long-awaited citation in the Official Journal of the European Union of the designated parts of the EN 16510 series of standards, and thus harmonisation, has finally taken place.

This concerns the following parts of the standard

EN 16510-2-1:2022     Residential solid fuel burning appliances – Part 2-1: Room heaters.

EN 16510-2-2:2022     Residential solid fuel burning appliances – Part 2-2: Inset appliances including open fires

EN 16510-2-3:2022     Residential solid fuel burning appliances – Part 2-3: Cookers

EN 16510-2-4:2022     Residential solid fuel burning appliances – Part 2-4: Independent boilers – Nominal heat input not exceeding 50 kW

EN 16510-2-6:2022     Residential solid fuel burning appliances – Part 2-6: Mechanically by wood pellets fed heaters, inset appliances and cookers.

The coexistence period (transition period) has been set at 24 months (until 9 November 2025) by the European Commission. During this time the products named above can still be on the market based on the original test reports.

What will come next?

Now, after the standard has been harmonized, can we apply for notification to the DIBt. As soon as the notification has been issued by the DIBt, the testing laboratories are allowed to issue test reports in accordance with the above-mentioned standards.

From November 9, 2025, the above-mentioned construction products must be declared with a CE marking based on type tests in accordance with the applicable part of EN 16510.

We are currently still waiting for information on how to deal with historical data from existing test reports. The committee of the notified bodies SG03WG2, in which we participate, made a proposal here. However, there is no official decision of the european commission yet.

You are welcome to contact us about tests according to EN 16510 or the transfer of historical data.

For further information according EN 16510 follow the Link: The new standard series EN 16510-x:2022 – RRF (rrf-online.eu)

Another addition to our team in Oberhausen

At the beginning of the year, we were able to welcome a new employee at the firm in Oberhausen. The 25-year-old Dogukan Piri will strengthen our laboratory as a technician. After his traineeship as an industrial mechanic in Essen, he then completed a six-month postgraduate training. Mr Piri will currently not only be schooled in 13240 and 13229 but also in the future 16510 series of standards. We are pleased to include him in our team as a support and we look forward to a good time together in our company.

WOF 2023: not only a complete success for us!

Our expectations on the “World of Fireplaces” were exceeded. Not only we, but also the associations, such as HKI and EFA, the other exhibitors and the visitors were positively surprised by the premiere of the World of Fireplace. The rush to the first major trade fair after the pandemic was so great that close physical contact on the 15,000 square meters plus outdoor area became unavoidable.

At the fair we shared a stand with our partner Mr Petersen from “ChimneyLab Europe ApS” in Denmark. We had a lot of fun not only with our stand partner, but also with all interested parties who exchanged technical information with us on topics such as the new EN 16510 standard, the “Blue Angel” eco-label or “Environmental Sustainability Information” and on business matters such as the certification of flue gas systems according to EN 1856-1/-2, new offers and our re-accreditation. Likewise, we were delighted to meet face-to-face the people with whom we had only written exchanges during the pandemic. Of course, we also talked to our stand visitors about the current trade fair and can say that this was consistently positive.

Particularly noteworthy was the well-attended “Fireplace Hub”, which offered visitors a varied programme of presentations from research and development as well as panel discussions. On Monday, we were represented by our Managing Director Dennis Droll on the topic of “How important is quality in stoves? Of course, not only was this topic discussed, but various questions were also answered.

A panel discussion sits on the left Dennis Droll, Managing Director of the RRF with two other people as part of the Fireplace Hub

From our point of view, the foundation has been laid for the goal set by Michael Rambach, Managing Director of Trendfairs, the organiser of the fair, to make the fair a permanently successful event for all participants. The “World of Fireplaces” own statistics show that a total of 8,135 trade fair visits were counted. The first two days were the ones with the greatest rush. As expected, most of the visitors came from Germany. But the fair also attracted people from all over Europe, also. Less well represented, but still representative, were the visitors from America, Asia, Australia and the Emirates who had travelled a long way. Rhe range of trade visitors was broad, from CEOs and fitters to decision-makers of the independent sales sector.

Our conclusion of the trade fair is clear: All in all, it was a very successful event, which inspired everyone involved and which we are happy to continue regularly.

We and everyone else involved are certain that the specialist event has a great future ahead of it. We look forward to seeing the World of Fireplace surpass the bar they have set for themselves in 2025.

Section of the RRF booth at the fair. Finn Petersen on the left, Dennis Droll in the middle who is talking and on the right a visitor

World of Fireplaces

Our team from RRF is together with Mr Petersen from ChimneyLab Europe ApS on our joint stand at the World of Fireplaces trade fair in Leipzig.

We look forward to welcoming you to our stand D57 for a meeting.

Environmental Sustainability Information (ESI)

With the publication of standards series EN 16510-2-x:2022 in the Official Journal of the European Union and thus their harmonisation, an environmental sustainability information for fireplaces becomes mandatory as part of the Declaration of Performance. The European Green Deal sets requirements for the construction sector. This Green Deal results in a standardization mandate on “sustainable use of resources” for the European Committee for Standardization. A simplified approach has been developed that allows the creation of type-specific sustainability information based on generic information for main components of the appliances and various lifecycle phases.

The ESI considers the following lifecycle phases:

• Manufacturing phase

• Usage phase

• Disposal phase

• Reuse and recycling potential

The HKI Industry Association, in cooperation with service provider Kiwa, has developed a calculation tool for creating environmental sustainability information for domestic stoves for solid fuels according to the EN 16510-x:2022 standards series. The tool is a simple way to meet the requirement.

According to Annex ZA of the standards series, we, as RRF, are responsible for controlling the existence and completeness of the ESI in the context of creating a test report for a construction product.

For further information regarding the ESI, please feel free to contact us.

The new standard series EN 16510-x:2022

10 years ago, the revision of the old standards for residential solid fuel burning appliances were decided.

Due to administrative barriers and legal requirements for harmonized standards according to the Construction Products Regulation the release has been continually delayed. The new standards should reflect the state of art and replace the following predecessor standards:

New Replaced 
EN 16510-1:2022General requirements and test methodsEN 16510-1:2018 aResidential solid fuel-burning appliances – Part 1: General requirements and test methods
EN 16510-2-1:2022RoomheatersEN 13240:2001Roomheaters fired by solid fuel – Requirements and test methods
EN 16510-2-2:2022Inset appliances including open fireplacesEN 13229:2001Fireplace inserts including open fireplaces fired by solid fuel – Requirements and test methods
EN 16510-2-3:2022CookersEN 12815:2001Cookers fired by solid fuel – Requirements and test methods
EN 16510-2-4:2022Independent boilers for solid fuels – Rated output up to 50 kWEN 12809:2001Boilers fired by solid fuel – Rated output up to 50 kW – Requirements and test methods
EN 16510-2-5:202x bSlow heat release appliances fired by solid fuelEN 15250:2007Storage-fired appliances fired by solid fuel – Requirements and test methods
EN 16510-2-6:2022Mechanically by wood pellets fed roomheaters, inset appliances and cookersEN 14785:2006Roomheaters for pellets firing – Requirements and test methods

a 16510-1:2018 was only used for measurements of PM, OGC, and NOx

b Part 2-5 has not yet been published

In addition to parts 2-1 to 2-6, the part 2-7: “Mechanically by wood pellets fed and wood logs roomheaters, inset appliances and cookers” is being worked on.

The standard series EN 16510-x residential solid fuel burning appliances consists of several parts. Part 1 specifies general requirements for appliances and the applicable test methods. Parts 2 describe device-specific requirements (essential and descriptive features) and define information for the performance declaration according to the European Construction Regulation. All Parts 2 are to be applied in connection with Part 1. Annex A (test methods) of Parts 2 must always be considered.

New requirements haven been established. It is now required to measure the emissions of the appliances and to determine the seasonal space heating energy efficiency as well as energy efficiency class. In addition, the emission limits for PM, NOx, OGC and CO have been adapted to the requirements of the Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 1185/2015. The emission limits for the seasonal space heating energy efficiency per type of appliance have also been adapted to the requirements of the Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 1185/2015. In the course of the safety test, additional distances compared to the predecessor standards must be measured. A risk assessment must be carried out for certain devices.

In emission tests for fireplaces fired by wood logs, three cycles must be considered for calculating the average emission, two of them must be consecutive. For all other fuels, two consecutive cycles must be considered to calculate the average emission in the course of the emission test.

To determine the efficiency of fireplaces fired by wood logs, three cycles must be considered for calculating the average, two of them must be consecutive. For all other fuels, two consecutive cycles must be considered for calculating the average in the course of efficiency tests.

With the harmonization of the standards series, the EN-PME method according to Annex F of EN 16510-1:2022 becomes mandatory for type testing. Furthermore, the content and requirements of Annex ZA change significantly, so the Declaration of Performance must be adjusted accordingly.

Use of historical data

The Sector Group SG03/WG2 of designated test laboratories for roomheaters for solid fuels discussed the application of the new standards and further use of test results from previous tests (historical data). This was presented using EN 13240 and EN 16510-2-1. A common position shall be published as an approved guide by GNB-CPR. The development of separate documents as position papers of SG03/WG2 for the use of historical data for other parts such as EN 14785 and EN 16510-2-6 will follow later.

The final evaluation of whether historical data from an existing type test report can be adopted will be made individually by the notified bodies. After approval of the guideline, we will publish details on the evaluation and use of historical data.

Due to the high demand and the high administrative effort, we recommend conducting new tests now and reviewing your test reports early.

Tests of emission reduction devices

Especially with environmental labels such as the “Blue Angel for stoves”, particulate matter precipitators and reduction devices are becoming more and more important. The RRF has been involved in this area for many years and has established itself as one of the leading laboratories. We are therefore a reliable partner at your side in this area as well. We can test your particulate matter precipitators according to DIN SPEC 33999 as well as the preliminary test program for particulate matter precipitators of the DIBt.

Based on our experience Mr. Dennis Droll has been appointed int to the ad-hoc group particulate matter precipitators and thus actively participates in the creation of future standards. In the ad-hoc group, the DIN SPEC 33999 is to be adapted in such a way that testing with particulate matter precipitators can be more appliable to small combustion systems. In addition to the ad-hoc group, we work with our technical head Mr. Sven Müller in the TC 166 for exhaust systems.

In the area of the Landesbauordnung (LBO) we have been your reliable partner as a testing, monitoring and certification body since the nineties and are also allowed to perform the corresponding tests, the monitoring and certification for particulate matter precipitators and reduction devices.

If you are interested in a test using one of the two test methods mentioned above, please do not hesitate to talk to us in person. We can offer you the right solution for your product.

2023 – Our view of the new year

The RRF wishes all customers, delivers and our partners a happy new year. In the following we want to give you a look into our year 2023.

At our firm place in Oberhausen, we are looking forward to work with our new employees. They will enhance our already existing strong team and we look positively forward to their future development within our company.

An audit from the accreditation authority awaits us in February. In addition to the re-accreditation of the test laboratory, the focus is on expanding the certification body for exhaust systems and chimneys.

In addition to the traditional ISH fair, we will be part of the newly founded “World of Fireplaces” fair in Leipzig. We are excited to meet you there in person! Our stand is D57. We would be happy to meet you at your own booth or on the fairground. You can of course contact us at any time in the run-up to the trade fair or during the trade fair period to arrange a fixed appointment.

We continue to watch the development of the EN 16510 with interest. We have set course, both technically and administratively, to be successfully prepared for the challenges coming ahead. Even with the doubt of many, we are looking forward to a positive future. We are convinced that with you together we can overcome the obstacles in the implementation.

We will make further investments this year as well, which will form another cornerstone for our high standards. Looking back, we are very satisfied with the investments from the previous year and the future-oriented orientation of our company. This includes measurement data acquisition systems, scales, electric work platforms, software and hardware for both locations.

We as the RRF, are excited on what the coming year has for us and wish everyone a healthy and successful year 2023.