🔥 Emissions of CO, NOx, OGC and dust and efficiency of solid-fuel fireplaces, stoves and cookers — PN-EN 16510-1

Construction PN-EN 16510-1

Overview

SCOPE FROM THE PKN CATALOGUE CARD, QUOTED VERBATIM (our translation): "This document applies to residential solid fuel burning appliances whose nominal heat output to the room exceeds 6 % of the sum of the nominal heat output to the room and the nominal heat output of the water circuit (total heat output). This document specifies requirements for the design, manufacture, construction, safety and performance (efficiency and emissions) of solid fuel fired heating appliances (hereinafter referred to as "appliance(s)") and gives instructions for them. It also gives provisions for the evaluation of conformity, i.e. initial type testing (ITT) and factory production control (FPC), and for the marking of these appliances. This document also specifies test methods for the emissions of CO, NOx, OGC and particulate matter (PM)."

WHY THIS STANDARD IS IN THE SCOPES OF SO MANY LABORATORIES. It is one document in place of five. The 2023 edition replaced not only the previous PN-EN 16510-1:2018-08 but also four separate product standards, each of which described a different type of appliance: PN-EN 12809:2002, PN-EN 13229:2002, PN-EN 13240:2008 and PN-EN 12815:2004. A laboratory that had any of these four in its accreditation scope is now dealing with one umbrella standard — and has to reflect this in its documentation.

THE SIX PER CENT THRESHOLD DECIDES WHETHER THE STANDARD APPLIES TO THE APPLIANCE AT ALL. The scope does not say "solid-fuel heating appliances" in general, but only those in which the output delivered TO THE ROOM exceeds 6 % of the total output, i.e. the sum of the output to the room and the output of the water circuit. An appliance with a water jacket that delivers less than this threshold to the room is a boiler and is assessed according to a different document. Establishing this threshold is the first step when accepting an order, not a detail.

THREE EXCLUSIONS WORTH KNOWING BEFORE PRICING A TEST. The card lists them explicitly: (1) appliances in which parts made of materials other than steel or cast iron are in contact with the flame or flue gases; (2) appliances intended to operate with a boiler in water installations in which the water temperature exceeds 110 °C or the operating pressure exceeds 300 kPa (3 bar), OR in which there is direct contact with hot water for sanitary purposes — this is one exclusion with two indents, not two separate ones; (3) appliances intended to operate with ventilation systems working at a pressure below -15 Pa in the room relative to the outside atmosphere.

THE SENTENCE ON THE ROOM-SEALED COMBUSTION CHAMBER. The scope settles a disputed point: appliances that draw combustion air from outside the outer casing through a pipe system that is NOT sealed are not regarded as appliances with a room-sealed combustion chamber. This distinction matters for appliances installed in buildings with an airtight envelope and in the assessment of the risk of flue gas backflow.

WHAT THE LABORATORY MEASURES. The standard specifies test methods for the emissions of four quantities: carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), organic gaseous carbon (OGC) and particulate matter (PM). Besides emissions, thermal efficiency is tested. These values then go into the declaration of performance and into the ecodesign requirements.

ITT AND FPC — TWO DIFFERENT THINGS IN ONE DOCUMENT. Initial type testing (ITT) is carried out by a laboratory on a representative specimen; factory production control (FPC) is a permanent system on the manufacturer's side. The standard describes both, so citing it in an accreditation scope does not yet tell whether the laboratory performs type testing or takes part in the assessment of FPC — this has to be distinguished in the description of the scope.

PART 1 IS NOT ENOUGH — A PRODUCT PART IS ALSO NEEDED. An accredited laboratory testing these appliances (Instytut Energetyki — Państwowy Instytut Badawczy) describes its scope as follows: tests are carried out according to the PN-EN 16510 series, with separate parts indicated for the types of appliance: PN-EN 16510-2-1 for solid-fuel roomheaters, PN-EN 16510-2-2 for fireplace inserts (the title of this part, however, differs from its colloquial name, and the catalogue card reads "Inset appliances including open fires" — the accreditation scope and the report cite the designation of the standard, not the colloquial name), PN-EN 16510-2-3 for solid-fuel cookers and PN-EN 16510-2-6 for roomheaters and cookers with automatic pellet feed. A practical rule follows: citing part 1 alone does not yet determine what appliance was tested — only a part from group 2 indicates the type of product. The same laboratory states that test results are referred to the limit values of the EU regulation, and that meeting its requirements in an assessment by a notified body, combined with documented factory production control, allows the appliance to be lawfully placed on the market in the Union. Slow heat release appliances built by stove fitters are indicated by the laboratory as tested according to a separate standard, PN-EN 15250 — outside the 16510 series. WE CHECKED THIS ON THE CARD, AND SINCE OCTOBER 2025 THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE: PN-EN 15250:2009 (Polish version, "Slow heat release appliances fired by solid fuel — Requirements and test methods") has the heading "Withdrawn and replaced by PN-EN 16510-2-5:2025-10 - English version" on its card and the line "Withdrawal date: 01-10-2025" (read on 22.09.2026). Slow heat release appliances have therefore ENTERED the 16510 series as part 2-5, and the sentence about a standard "outside the series" describes the state before this change. TWO THINGS FOR THE READER AT ONCE: the document to which the laboratory's website refers has been withdrawn for a year, and its successor exists in the PKN catalogue ONLY IN THE ENGLISH VERSION — the catalogue has no Polish version of part 2-5, whereas the withdrawn 15250:2009 edition was Polish. Anyone reaching for it "for details" will get a document in a different language from the one the source cites.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the text of the standard — PKN sells it (166 pages, ICS 97.100.30). That is why WE DO NOT GIVE: the permissible emission values or efficiency, the test conditions (nominal output, test fuel, cycle duration), the method of diluting flue gases when measuring dust, the requirements for instruments or the rules for calculating the result. All these quantities are the content of the standard and have to be taken from its text.

Method principle

The appliance is installed on a test rig with a flue of specified parameters and test fuel is burned under the conditions described in the standard, while thermal parameters and flue gas composition are measured simultaneously. From the measurement, the thermal efficiency and the concentrations of CO, NOx, OGC and dust are determined, referred to an assumed oxygen content in the flue gas. The result of type testing is a set of values compared with the requirements; the way they are determined and the test conditions are given by the standard itself, whose text we do not have.

Applications

• Initial type testing (ITT) of fireplaces, fireplace inserts, stoves and cookers for solid fuel
• Tests for the declaration of performance of a construction product
• Tests for ecodesign requirements concerning emissions and efficiency
• Control tests within factory production control at the manufacturer
• Assessment of appliances intended to carry the load of a chimney (the standard covers them explicitly)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN 16510-1:2023-06 (wersja polska; wprowadza EN 16510-1:2022 [IDT])

Title (PL)

Mieszkaniowe urządzenia spalające paliwo stałe — Część 1: Wymagania ogólne i metody badań

Title (EN)

Residential solid fuel burning appliances — Part 1: General requirements and test methods

Step-by-step procedure

1. Checking whether the appliance falls within the scope

   Establish the nominal heat output to the room and the output of the water circuit and check the 6 % threshold. Check the three exclusions: material of the parts in contact with the flame, parameters of the water installation, contact with sanitary water, operation with ventilation below -15 Pa.

2. Establishing the edition of the reference document

   PN-EN 16510-1:2023-06 applies. If the documentation cites PN-EN 12809, PN-EN 13229, PN-EN 13240 or PN-EN 12815, the citation is out of date — these four standards have been replaced by this single document.

3. Installing the appliance on the rig

   The appliance is installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and the requirements of the standard. WE DO NOT GIVE THE DETAILS OF INSTALLATION, DRAUGHT AND FLUE — they are in the text of the standard.

4. Test under nominal conditions

   Burning of the test fuel with simultaneous measurement of thermal quantities and flue gas composition. WE DO NOT GIVE THE CONDITIONS, DURATION OR METHOD OF LOADING.

5. Measuring the emissions of four quantities

   CO, NOx, OGC and dust. Results are referred to an assumed oxygen content in the flue gas — the method of referencing is given by the standard.

6. Calculating efficiency and compiling the results

   Thermal efficiency and emissions are compiled in the type test report. WE DO NOT GIVE THE CALCULATION METHOD.

7. Distinguishing ITT and FPC in the documentation

   In the description of the accreditation scope and in the report, indicate whether it is initial type testing or activities within factory production control — the standard describes both, and these are different roles.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• The test is carried out on an operating appliance — hot surfaces, risk of burns; protective clothing and gloves are required
• Carbon monoxide is odourless and lethally toxic — the test station requires a CO detector and efficient room ventilation
• Flue gases from solid fuels contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons — avoid inhalation, sampling through a closed system
• Ash and unburnt fuel are removed after cooling, into non-combustible containers
• Calibration gases in pressurised cylinders — secure against tipping over, working pressure regulators

Frequently asked questions