§ 60.5474 - What standards and requirements must I meet and by when?

§ 60.5474 What standards and requirements must I meet and by when?

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 88 FR 18402, Mar. 29, 2023.

(a) Standards. Unless exempted under § 60.5472, no person is permitted to:

(1) On or after May 15, 2015, manufacture, import into the United States or sell at retail a residential hydronic heater unless it has been certified to meet the 2015 particulate matter emission limits in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, except that a residential hydronic heater that was manufactured on or before May 15, 2015 may be imported into the United States and/or sold at retail on or before December 31, 2015.

(2) On or after May 15, 2020 manufacture or sell at retail a residential hydronic heater unless it has been certified to meet the 2020 particulate matter emission limit in paragraph (b)(2) or (b)(3) of this section.

(3) On or after May 15, 2015, manufacture or sell at retail a residential forced-air furnace unless it complies with the work practice and operating standards in paragraphs (d), (e), (f) and (g) of this section and the owner's manual requirements in appendix I.

(4) On or after May 16, 2016, manufacture or sell at retail a small residential forced-air furnace unless it has been certified to meet the 2016 particulate matter emission limits in paragraph (b)(4) of this section

(5) On or after May 15, 2017 manufacture or sell at retail a large forced-air furnace unless it has been certified to meet the 2017 particulate matter emission limits in paragraph (b)(5) of this section.

(6) On or after May 15, 2020 manufacture or sell at retail a small or large residential forced-air furnace unless it has been certified to meet the 2020 particulate matter emission limit in paragraph (b)(6) of this section.

(b) (1) 2015 residential hydronic heater particulate matter emission limit: A weighted average of 0.32 lb/mmBtu (0.137 g/MJ) heat output and a maximum per individual burn rate of 18.0 g/hr (0.041 lb/hr) as determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.5476 or an alternative crib wood or cord wood test method approved by the Administrator.

(2) 2020 residential hydronic heater particulate matter emission limit: 0.10 lb/mmBtu (0.026 043 g/MJ) heat output per individual burn rate as determined by the crib wood test methods and procedures in § 60.5476 or an alternative crib wood test method approved by the Administrator.

(3) 2020 residential hydronic heater cord wood alternative compliance option for particulate matter emission limit: 0.15 lb/mmBtu (0.026 064 g/MJ) heat output per individual burn rate as determined by the cord wood test methods and procedures in § 60.5476 or an alternative cord wood test method approved by the Administrator.

(4) 2016 small forced-air furnace particulate matter emission limit: A weighted average of 0.93 lb/mmBtu (0.40 g/MJ) heat output as determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.5476.

(5) 2017 large forced-air furnace particulate matter emission limit: A weighted average of 0.93 lb/mmBtu (0.40 g/MJ) heat output as determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.5476.

(6) 2020 forced-air furnace particulate matter emission limit: 0.15 lb/mmBtu (0.026 064 g/MJ) heat output per individual burn rate as determined by the cord wood test methods and procedures in § 60.5476 or cord wood test methods approved by the Administrator.

(c) [Reserved]

(d) Chip wood fuel requirements. Operators of wood central heaters, including hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces, that are certified to burn chip wood fuels may only burn wood chips that have been specified in the owner's manual. The chip wood fuel must meet the following minimum requirements:

(1) Moisture content: Less than 35 percent,

(2) Inorganic fines: Less than or equal to 1 percent;

(3) Chlorides: Less than or equal to 300 parts per million by weight;

(4) Ash content: No more than 2 percent;

(5) No demolition or construction waste; and

(6) Trace metals: Less than 100 mg/kg.

(e) Pellet fuel requirements. Operators of wood central heaters, including outdoor residential hydronic heaters, indoor residential hydronic heaters, and residential forced-air furnaces, that are certified to burn pellet fuels may burn only pellets that have been specified in the owner's manual and graded under a licensing agreement with a third-party organization approved by the EPA (including a certification by the third-party organization that the pellets do not contain, and are not manufactured from, any of the prohibited fuels in paragraph (f) of this section). The Pellet Fuels Institute, ENplus, and CANplus are initially deemed to be approved third-party organizations for this purpose, and additional organizations may apply to the Administrator for approval.

(f) Prohibited fuel types. No person is permitted to burn any of the following materials in an outdoor residential hydronic heater, indoor residential hydronic heater, residential forced-air furnace or other affected central heater:

(1) Residential or commercial garbage;

(2) Lawn clippings or yard waste;

(3) Materials containing rubber, including tires;

(4) Materials containing plastic;

(5) Waste petroleum products, paints or paint thinners, or asphalt products;

(6) Materials containing asbestos;

(7) Construction or demolition debris;

(8) Paper products; cardboard, plywood or particleboard. The prohibition against burning these materials does not prohibit the use of fire starters made from paper, cardboard, saw dust, wax and similar substances for the purpose of starting a fire in an affected central heater;

(9) Railroad ties or pressure treated lumber;

(10) Manure or animal remains;

(11) Salt water driftwood or other or other previously salt water saturated materials;

(12) Unseasoned wood;

(13) Any materials that are not included in the warranty and owner's manual for the subject heater or furnace; or

(14) Any materials that were not included in the certification tests for the subject heater or furnace.

(g) Operation of affected wood heaters. A user must operate an outdoor residential hydronic heater, indoor residential hydronic heater, residential forced-air furnace or other affected central heater in a manner consistent with the owner's manual. The owner's manual must clearly specify that operation in a manner inconsistent with the owner's manual would void the warranty.

(h) Temperature sensor requirement. An affected wood heater equipped with a catalytic combustor must be equipped with a temperature sensor that can monitor combustor gas stream temperatures within or immediately downstream [within 2.54 centimeters (1 inch)] of the catalytic combustor surface.

[80 FR 13715, Mar. 16, 2015, as amended at 85 FR 18455, Apr. 2, 2020; 88 FR 18402, Mar. 29, 2023]