The GAR regulation and certification according to it is addressed to manufacturers of Gas Appliances and mainly concerns six product categories: Cooking, Heating, Hot Water Production, Refrigeration, Lighting and Washing (including Ironing).
The specific exclusion of equipment used within the industrial sector and equipment used in the industrial sector refers only to gas machinery located within a company and the use of which is part of the production activity of the company itself (e.g. a spray booth if the painting is an activity of the company). While the certification obligation covers those that are not part of the specific activity of the company (e.g. the gas equipment of the company canteen).
The Boiler Efficiency Directive (BED) 92/42/EEC applies to hot-water boilers fired by gaseous or liquid fuels with a rated output of 4 kW or more and less than 400 kW.
In any case, Kiwa Italia is available to analyse also the equipment that does not fall under the GAR Regulation or under the Boiler Efficiency Directive and to estimate if it meets the minimum safety or performance requirements of the Directives themselves.
Certification in accordance with the GAR and BED must be completely performed by a third party (Notified Body) and involves the availability of laboratory tests on the prototype product and the subsequent annual surveillance of production that the manufacturer decides to have carried out in accordance with the various "modules" provided for in the Directives.
The tests to verify compliance with the GAR Regulation include combustion tests with different types of gas (according to customer requirements /countries of destination of the appliance) as well as to refer to parts of other Directives (Efficiency and Electricity). The tests to verify compliance with the Boiler Efficiency Directive 92/42/EEC provide for the measurement of the boiler efficiency in different working conditions (nominal and partial load), in order to verify compliance with the limits imposed by the directive itself.
Kiwa Italia laboratories are equipped to carry out all these tests for the customer. Kiwa technicians also, thanks to many years of experience, are qualified and experienced in the field of gasmpur maintaining the flexible and rapid approach to different solutions, typical of the philosophy of our organisation.
The main equipment that Kiwa Italia tests in its laboratories are as follows:
- wall-hanging and floor-standing boilers
- water heaters
- hot air generators
- fan coils
- gas fired steam generators
- radiant belts
- gas radiated thermal diffusers
- blown air burners
- catering equipment
- domestic cooking equipment
- barbecues
- gas camping equipment
- gas refrigerators
- gas washing machines
- gas ironers
- calenders.
Main tests performed
The tests performed in our laboratories follow the technical standards such as EN 483, EN 297, EN 30, EN 298, EN 203 and include:
- Temperatures; Efficiency; Combustion.
- Protection against environmental influences (burner control units); Protection against internal faults (burner control units); Mechanical resistance (gas pipes).
- Sealing (ball valves); Material analysis (gas tubes).
- Resistance to ageing (gas tubes).
- Control SW analysis (flame control boards).