ANSI Z21.97 / CSA 2.41: Outdoor Decorative Gas Appliances Standard
3rd Edition – December 1, 2017 Effective Date: January 1, 2020
Throughout the remaining months of 2019, manufacturers of outdoor decorative gas appliances must consider the upcoming edition of the ANSI Z21.97 / CSA 2.41, which takes effect January 1, 2020.
Manufacturers of current listings to the current requirements will need to submit their product’s listing report and technical specifications to their Certification Body for an engineering review to have determined if their product will continue to meet or exceed the new requirements.
“Manufacturers of newly designed products will now have their products evaluated to the new requirements for compliance.”
Standard Requirements for Gas Appliances
The new standard requirements include several changes, with two major changes coming into effect: a new rain test and a new requirement for appliances using exposed glass surfaces.
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Rain test
The new rain test is significant as this test requires the appliance to be operated during the simulated rain storm. During this test, if the appliance’s flame is extinguished, a safety shut-off must activate to turn off the flow of unburnt supply gas. Therefore, if there is no safety shut-off system monitoring the flame presence, the flame cannot be extinguished. Manufacturers must take caution when designing their products to ensure this requirement can be met. A common question with this requirement is that decorative appliances are intended to be attended by a user, in which case normal operation would not be in a rain storm. However, there are many situations in which a lapse in attention could lead to an oversight by the user resulting in an extinguished flame and the build-up of unburnt gas which could cause an explosion resulting in property damage, personal injury or even death.
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Exposed Glass Surface
The new requirements for exposed glass surfaces come new to this standard and mirrors the requirements set forth in fireplace safety standards’ glass front requirements. Exposed glass fronts must now be maintained at a safe temperature to prevent burns; this temperature limit has been set to 172°F (78°C) at 77°F (25°C) room temperature. Exposed glass surfaces can be misleading to the user or a small child. The decorative look provided by some glass fronts makes for an inviting surface for small children to want to touch. Hot glass surfaces can cause serious burns to the skin and extra care is needed to ensure appliances with glass surfaces are reasonably safe to not only the user, but to small children than may be near the appliance while in operation. It only takes a second for a child to be harmed!
Be ahead of the game and prepare for the effective date that’s coming very soon!
Make sure your Outdoor Decorative Gas Appliances meet the new requirements, by certifying your new products to the new standard or re-evaluating the old ones.