Fire Safety of Wood-Burning Appliances. Part 1. State of the Art Review and Fire Tests. Volume 1. Final Report.

Published

November 1, 1980

Author(s)

Richard D. Peacock, E Ruix, R Torres-pereira

Abstract

A series of 18 full-scale tests was conducted in an instrumented test room using five different wood-burning appliances. These tests were designed (1) to establish typical operating conditions including temperatures on the appliances, chimneys, and adjacent combustible surfaces; (2) to study the effects of a variety of combinations of appliances design, clearance to combustibles, and room construction on temperatures on adjacent combustible surfaces; and (3) to compare these measured values with theoretical predictions of wall surface temperature. Additional tests were conducted to compare a standardized fuel source with typical oak logs. A review of literature related to wood-heating safety included in this study revealed that current codes are based on data almost 40 years old. The results of these tests point out some areas where the codes should be modernized to accurately reflect the newer appliances and construction techniques.

Citation

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR) -

NIST Pub Series

NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

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Local Download

Keywords

chimneys, fire models, fire safety, fire tests, flues, heating equipment, heat transfer, literature reviews, radiant energy, stoves, wood

Citation

Peacock, R. , Ruix, E. and Torres-pereira, R. (1980), Fire Safety of Wood-Burning Appliances. Part 1. State of the Art Review and Fire Tests. Volume 1. Final Report., NIST Interagency/Internal Report (NISTIR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=107003 (Accessed October 10, 2025)