Last edited 22 Jan 2021

BS EN 1443:2019

1 Introduction
2 Standards for chimneys
3 Primary changes from 2003 to 2019
4 Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
5 External resources

[edit] Introduction

The British Standards Institution (BSI) is the UK National Standards Body (NSB). It publishes standards and provides a range of books, self-assessment tools, conferences and training services. It also represents UK economic and social interests in European and international standards organisations.

BS EN 1443:2019 Chimneys - General requirements is the BSI classification that specifies requirements and the basic performance criteria for chimneys, flue liners, connecting flue pipes, components and accessories used to convey the products of combustion from combustion appliances to the outside atmosphere. This document is to be used as a reference for all product standards of CEN/TC 166.

The standard is available from the BSI website.

[edit] Standards for chimneys

The standard specifies sootfire resistant chimneys, flue liners, connecting flue pipes, fittings and accessories for combustion appliances burning solid, liquid and gaseous fuels and non-sootfire resistant chimneys, flue liners, connecting flue pipes, components and accessories for combustion appliances burning liquid and gaseous fuels only. It also specifies sootfire safe accessories for combustion appliances burning solid, liquid and gaseous fuels.

In addition to specifications, the standard examines product characteristics by six different classes (temperature, pressure, condensate resistance, corrosion resistance, sootfire resistance and distance to combustible material), reactions to different types of fire and so on.

It identifies minimum requirements for marking, instructions and product information. It also provides guidance for the assessment and verification of constancy of performance (AVCP) along with testing and sampling methods.

[edit] Primary changes from 2003 to 2019

BS EN 1443:2019 supersedes BS EN 1443:2003, which has been withdrawn. The most significant changes in the 2019 edition are associated with the technical development of combustion appliances including chimneys. These have come about in recent years due to energy saving and environmental protection measures. Therefore, additional requirements for chimneys (such as operation with positive pressure or operation with the formation of condensate) have become necessary.

Chimneys consist of different components which can be assembled in several different ways:

System chimneys. These are installed using a combination of compatible chimney components that are obtained or specified as a kit from one manufacturing source with product responsibility for the whole chimney.
Custom-built chimneys. These are installed or built on-site in accordance with a design document or local building regulations using a combination of compatible chimney components that can be from one or more sources.

The 2019 version of the standard covers both cases.

While BS EN 1443:2019 has been published, the related harmonised product standards for different chimney types are still being finalised. This means that testing with the new structure types is not yet a requirement for CE marking (or the UKCA mark). However, some manufacturers are already looking to carry out testing on their existing products to the enhanced requirements and listing the data on a voluntary basis.