Technical

Scientists review casts doubt on impact of wood burning stoves

Non-profit industry organisations HETAS and Woodsure say a scientific review of air quality measures casts serious doubt on the claim that wood burning causes more pollution than traffic. The independent scientific review1, commissioned by HETAS, draws attention to the uncertainty around how much domestic burning contributes to UK air pollution. In fact, the government report…

The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020

The legislation for The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 has successfully passed through both The House of Parliament and The House of Lords in recent weeks. This was closely followed by the legislation receiving the Secretary of State’s signature, moving the regulation from draft status into law.

All you need to know about UKCA marking

From 1st January 2022, all products placed on the UK market for sale (excluding Northern Ireland) will be required to meet all applicable provisions of the new UKCA marking regime. Any product placed on the market after this date will need to have its conformity assessment undertaken by a UK recognised notified institute listed on the UK notified laboratory database.

Let’s get Personal

Employers have duties concerning the provision and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) at work and this guidance from HETAS explains what you need to do to meet the requirements.

The Importance of Commissioning

Commissioning of any solid fuel appliance is a vital part of the installation process. However, on occasions it can be overlooked. HETAS Inspections Manager Alan Young talks to us about the critical points of the commissioning process. Guidance Building Regulations require appliances and flue systems to be tested on completion to ensure safe operation. the…

Hearth Marking

Marking of the Hearth Boundary The HETAS technical helpline regularly receive enquiries relating to the subject of how a hearth surface should be marked out, i.e. the demarcation or boundary of the hearth against the regular flooring material in the room. The regulation requiring reference here is as follows: J4: Protection of Building; Combustion appliances…

Fireplace surround Update

Surround Update In recent years HETAS has been made aware of a small number of fatalities caused by incorrectly fitted fireplace surrounds. In a recent court case, a “cowboy job” was said to be the cause of the death of two-year-old boy. Bram Radcliffe was in his living room when the 60kg fixture, described as…

Slumbering your stove

Slumber mode is when an appliance is purposely set at a low or minimum output normally for overnight burning to be revived in the morning without the need for relighting. Some mineral fuel burning appliances are designed to operate in a slumbering mode and would be CE type tested to show that they are safe to operate in this manner.

Hearth Guidance

HETAS Unsafe Situations Procedure (HUSP)

The HETAS Unsafe Situations Procedure (HUSP) has been developed to create an industry recognised process which identifies all areas of potential risk within an installation, following UK Building Regulation guidelines and the requirements of relevant UK standards.