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

§ 60.532 What standards and associated requirements must I meet and by when?

(a) 2015 particulate matter emission standards. Unless exempted under § 60.530(b), each affected wood heater manufactured, imported into the United States, and/or sold at retail on or after May 15, 2015 must be certified to not discharge into the atmosphere any gases that contain particulate matter in excess of a weighted average of 4.5 g/hr (0.010 lb/hr), except that a wood heater manufactured before May 15, 2015 may be imported into the United States and/or sold at retail on or before December 31, 2015. Compliance for all heaters must be determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.534.

(b) 2020 particulate matter emission standards. Unless exempted under § 60.530(b) or electing to use the cord wood alternative means of compliance option in paragraph (c) of the section, each affected wood heater manufactured or sold at retail for use in the United States on or after May 15, 2020 must not discharge into the atmosphere any gases that contain particulate matter in excess of a weighted average of 2.0 g/hr (0.0044 lb/hr). Compliance for all heaters must be determined by the test methods and procedures in § 60.534.

(c) 2020 cord wood alternative compliance option. Each affected wood heater manufactured or sold at retail for use in the United States on or after May 15, 2020 must not discharge into the atmosphere any gases that contain particulate matter in excess of a weighted average of 2.5 g/hr (0.0055 lb/hr). Compliance must be determined by a cord wood test method approved by the Administrator and the procedures in § 60.534.

(d) Chip wood fuel requirements. Operators of wood heaters that are certified to burn chip wood fuels must only burn chip wood fuels 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 heaters that are certified to burn pellet fuels must may burn only burn 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. The pellet fuel must meet the following minimum requirements as assured through a quality assurance program licensed by a third-party organization approved by the EPA:

(

1) Density: consistent hardness and energy content with a minimum density of 38 pounds/cubic foot;

(2) Dimensions: maximum length of 1.5 inches and diameter between 0.230 and 0.285 inches;

(3) Inorganic fines: less than or equal to 1 percent;

(4) Chlorides: less than or equal to 300 parts per million by weight;

(5) Ash content: no more than 2 percent;

(6) Contains no demolition or construction waste;

(7) Trace metals: less than 100 mg/kg; and

(8) None of the prohibited fuels in paragraph (

f)

of this section.

(f) Prohibited fuel types. No person is permitted to burn any of the following materials in an affected wood 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, sawdust, wax and similar substances for the purpose of starting a fire in an affected wood heater;

(9) Railroad ties, pressure-treated wood or pallets;

(10) Manure or animal remains;

(11) Salt water driftwood 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 wood heater; or

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

(g) Operation of affected wood heaters. The user of an affected residential wood heater must operate the 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 13702, Mar. 16, 2015, as amended at 85 FR 18455, Apr. 2, 2020]