Test Laboratory Heating and Chimney Systems

As part of the testing activities at the fireplace testing facility, key parameters related to energy efficiency, fire protection, and environmental impact are determined. In addition, functional tests are carried out on individual fireplaces for solid and liquid fuels, as well as on collective fireplaces for solid and liquid fuels (vaporizing burners).
 

Testing facility accredited according to the State Building Code (BWU10); Ü Mark

The testing facility is legally recognized for combustion systems under the State Building Code. It carries out tests on regulated building products according to Building Regulation List A1 and unregulated construction products according to Building Regulation List A2 within the field of combustion systems for proof of conformity on behalf of clients. In addition, the testing facility is authorized to issue General Building Inspection Test Certificates in accordance with the requirements of the Building Regulation Lists A1 and A2 for verification of usability. The approval applies to the testing and issuance of General Building Inspection Test Certificates for:

• Testing of construction products (EU 305/2011).

For years, the Test Laboratory Heating and Chimney Systems has maintained close cooperation with European manufacturers. It carries out type testing and supplementary testing on fireplaces and exhaust systems, and their components in accordance with the regulations of the European Construction Products Regulation (EU 305/2011) required for CE marking.

These decades of experience are also reflected in its recognition as a testing center for the following products:

• Flexible accreditation according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 (DAkkS: D-PL-11140-11-03).

The Test Laboratory Heating and Chimney Systems at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, which had already been recognized by the building authorities in the past, was the first testing laboratory in the section of fireplaces/exhaust gas systems to receive a flexible accreditation according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 (DAkkS: D-PL-11140-11-03) on May 31, 1999).

This certifies that, due to its high level of technical and scientific expertise, the testing laboratory is entitled, without prior approval of the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS), to

• freely select standardized or equivalent test methods
• modify, further develop, and create new test methods (in-house methods).

At the Test Laboratory Heating and Chimney Systems, characteristic values of various exhaust systems and their components are determined and assessed. These include thermal, moisture, and flow behavior, corrosion resistance, thermal load capacity, gas tightness, construction, and functionality.

Exhaust systems are subject to the European Conformity Certification System 2+ (soon to be referred to as the “System for the Assessment and Verification of Constancy of Performance”). This means that a notified certification body monitors and certifies the manufacturer's factory production control.

Testing, monitoring and certification body for exhaust systems (monitoring of factory production control):

• Determination of the water absorption and porosity of ceramic raw and processed materials (DIN 51056)
• Testing of ceramic inner pipes (DIN EN 1457-1 and DIN EN 1457-2)
• Testing of exhaust systems based on ceramic form blocks (DIN EN 1806)
• Testing of metal exhaust systems (DIN EN 1856-1 and DIN EN 1856-2)
• Testing of concrete inner pipes for exhaust systems (DIN EN 1857)
• Testing of concrete form blocks for exhaust systems (DIN EN 1858)
• Testing of system exhaust installations with ceramic inner pipes (DIN EN 13063-1 to DIN EN 13063-3)
• Testing of ceramic outer shells for system exhaust installations (DIN EN 13069)
• Testing of system exhaust installations (DIN EN 13216)
• Testing of ceramic tops for exhaust systems (DIN EN 13502).

The factory production control (FPC), a key element of the conformity assessment procedure and manufacturing process, must be carried out by a certified body. The certification body of the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP is authorized to conduct factory production control for the following areas and construction products:

• Exhaust systems (monitoring of factory production control)
• Ceramic flue liners (DIN EN 1457)
• Metal exhaust systems (DIN EN 1856)
• Concrete flue liners (DIN EN 1857)
• System flue gas systems with ceramic flue liners (DIN EN 13063)
• Fireplaces (monitoring of factory production control and of the product compliance)
• Room-sealed fireplaces. At national level, room-sealed fireplaces must be monitored during production (factory production control); based on the general technical approval issued by the German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt). The fireplace testing center of the Working Group for Combustion Systems serves as a certification body for the monitoring and certification of the factory production control for manufacturers of room-sealed fireplaces.

The Test Laboratory Heating and Chimney Systems offers approval testing of exhaust gas treatment systems for dust removal in small-scale combustion units according to the preliminary test program of the German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt).

• Electrostatic precipitators
• Filtering separators (self-cleaning or fabric filters, storage filters, packed bed filters)
• Wet separators (exhaust gas scrubbers) or downstream heat exchangers
• Oxidation processes (thermal and catalytic treatment systems).

In addition, the Test Laboratory Heating and Chimney Systems is equipped with the necessary technical facilities to determine the effectiveness of dust separators according to the draft standard DIN 33999.

To evaluate the separation efficiency and the degree of fine dust removal (< 0.7 µm), which cannot be detected using gravimetric dust measurement methods, the Test Laboratory Heating and Chimney Systems employs a specialized procedure. This method is based on dust particle counting and allows both a more precise determination of the filtration efficiency compared to gravimetric dust measurement and a detailed characterization (particle size distribution) of the dust.