Effective March 21, 2016

Standard Information
Standard Number:
UL 1278
Standard Name:
Movable and Wall- or Ceiling-Hung Electric Room Heaters
Standard Edition and Issue Date:
4th Edition Dated March 21, 2014
Date of Previous Revisions to Standard:
3rd Edition Revised May 10, 2011
 
Effective Date of New/Revised Requirements

Effective Date (see Schedule below): March 21, 2016

 
Impact, Overview, Fees and Action Required

Impact Statement: A review of all Listing Reports is necessary to determine which products comply with new/revised requirements and which products will require re-evaluation. NOTE: Effective immediately, this revised standard will be exclusively used for evaluation of new products unless the Applicant requests in writing that current requirements be used along with their understanding that their listings will be withdrawn on Effective Date noted above, unless the product is found to comply with new/revised requirements.

Overview of Changes (Specific details of new/revised requirements are found in table below):

  • Removal of the Allowance of Detachable Power Supply Cords
  • New Static Load Test for Portable, Wall and Ceiling Hung Heaters
  • Elimination of Auto-Reset Temperature-Limiting Controls on Electric Heaters
  • Revision to Include Wall-hung Heaters Located Near Ceiling Height

Schedule: So that shipping of products with Listing Marks will not be interrupted, an approximate schedule has been established to ensure Listing Reports are found compliant by Effective Date:

  • July 23, 2015 = 8 Month Report Review – Intertek will review all Reports. Update if compliance is verified or issue Findings Letter/Quote for any re-evaluations needed
  • September 21, 2015 = 6 Month Quote Cut-off – Quotes returned for necessary re-evaluations
  • February 22, 2016 = 30 Day Warning – Client advised of all non-compliant Reports to be Suspended
  • March 21, 2016 = Effective Date – ATM Suspended for all non-compliant Reports

Fees: An initial review of Listing Report (s) will be covered by a direct billing project and will be invoiced at not more than $1000 per report.

Client Action Required:

Information - To assist our Engineer with review of your Listing Reports, please submit technical information in response to the new/revised paragraphs noted in the attached or explain why these new/revised requirements do not apply to your product (s).

Current Listings Not Active? – Please immediately identify any current Listing Reports or products that are no longer active and should be removed from our records. We will do this at no charge as long as Intertek is notified in writing prior to the review of your reports.

 
Description of New/Revised Technical Requirements
ClauseVerdictComment
16     InfoSupply Connections
16.4 

Removal of the Allowance of Detachable Power Supply Cords. Deletions are shown lined out below.

A heater shall be provided with a length of attached flexible cord and an attachment plug for connection to the supply circuit, or shall have male pin terminals that accommodate a detachable power-supply cord. The length of the detachable power-supply cord or attached power-supply cord (including fittings) shall not be less than 6 feet (1.8 m) and not more than 8 feet (2.4 m). All detachable power-supply cords and attached power-supply cords shall comply with the requirements of the Standard for Cord Sets and Power-Supply Cords, UL 817.

Exception No. 1: The length of cord for Types SRDT and SPT-3 is specified in note b of Table 16.1.

Exception No. 2: Ceiling-hung heaters may have a cord not more than 17 feet (5.2 m) in length.
18 

New section added. Static Load Test for Portable, Wall and Ceiling Hung Heaters.

Static Load Test For Hanging Means
18.1 

When subjected to the test specified in 18.2 – 18.3, a cord-connected wall- or ceiling-surface hung or direct plug-in appliance shall comply with the following:

a) The security of the attachment of the appliance to the wall shall not be adversely affected;

b) There shall be no evidence of a risk of fire or electric shock;

c) The insulation resistance between live and dead-metal parts shall not be less than 50,000 ohms; and

d) The appliance shall withstand for 1 minute without breakdown the application of a 60-hertz essentially sinusoidal potential of 1000 volts between live and dead-metal parts.
29InfoTemperature Limiting Means
29.1 

Elimination of Auto-Reset Temperature-Limiting Controls on Electric Heaters. Deletions are shown lined out below.

With respect to the Normal Temperature Test, Section 40, and Abnormal Operation Tests, Section 42, if operation of the heater in accordance with Subsection 40.2 could result in a risk of fire or electric shock due to overheating of the heater, a thermal-link or a manual reset type temperature limiting control, or a Type 2.J Action protective control shall be provided. The manual reset type temperature limiting control shall be of a type that will not operate as an automatic reset control when the reset means is held in the reset position.

Exception: An automatic reset type temperature limiting control, a manual reset type temperature limiting control that operates as an automatic reset type when the reset means or actuating member is held in the reset position or a Type 2.H Action protective control may be used as a control to limit temperatures for the heaters specified in (a) – (d) (a) and (b) below.

a) For a heater that complies with the abnormal ambient test, 41.9, and is provided with an alarm in accordance with Alarms, Section 29.

b) For a heater in which the average ²on² time per cycle over four cycles of operation on the temperature limiting control during each abnormal operation temperature test does not exceed 5 percent and the average ²on² time does not exceed 1 minute. The control used shall withstand an endurance test consisting of 100,000 cycles of operation making and breaking its rated load.

c) For a heater in which the manual reset control reset means or actuating member is arranged such that it:

1) Is recessed within the overall appliance enclosure,

2) Cannot be forced to remain in the reset position by likely methods, such as taping down a pushbutton or wedging a pushbutton in an opening through which it protrudes, and

3) Is not jammed in the reset position during the Element Support Impact Tests, Section 52 and Drop Test, Section 53, or

d) For a commercial/industrial heater.
30InfoAlarms
30.1 

Elimination of Auto-Reset Temperature-Limiting Controls on Electric Heaters. Additions to existing requirements are underlined and deletions are shown lined out below.

A heater as specified in (a) of exception to 29.1, or a heater employing an automatically reset auxiliary temperature control, shall include an audible or visual alarm to indicate that one or more controls has operated. The alarm shall become energized when an abnormal ambient condition occurs and a control functions to de-energize the heater. If the control functions to reenergize the heater the alarm may be de-energized or it may remain energized until it has been de-energized manually.

Exception: A heater employing an automatically reset auxiliary temperature control need not be provided with an alarm if the heater complies with 40.1.1 (normal temperature tests) when operated with the auxiliary temperature control operational and with the temperature limiting control bypassed under the abnormal operation conditions specified in 42.2 – 42.12.

A heater intended for residential use that is provided with an over-temperature limit control shall include an audible or visual alarm to indicate that the limit control has operated. See 30.2 and 30.3. The alarm shall become energized when the limit control functions to de-energize the heating elements. For an automatically-resetting temperature limiting control, when the temperature limiting control reconnects electric power to the heating element (s), the alarm may be de-energized or it may remain energized until de-energized manually. For a manual-reset temperature limiting control that operates as an automatic

reset type when the reset means is held, the alarm shall remain energized until the temperature limiting control is reset.

Exception: Heaters that use the following types of temperature limit controls:

a) Manual reset type temperature limit control that will not operate as automatic reset type control when the reset means is held in the reset position. See 29.1; or

b) Thermal cutoff.
40InfoNormal Temperature Tests
40.3InfoSpecified test conditions
40.3.1 

Revision to include wall-hung heaters located near ceiling height. Additions to existing requirements are underlined.

A wall-hung heater is to be supported in the intended manner on the black-painted surface of a wall consisting of 3/8-inch-thick (9.5 mm) plywood fastened to both shorter sides of nominal 2- by 4-inch (38- by 89-mm) vertical wooden studs on 16-inch (406 mm) centers. Two or more such walls are to be fastened together to form a 90-degree angle, and the height and length of the walls are to be such that they extend not less than 2 feet (610 mm) beyond the physical limits of the heater. A ceiling surface is to be added consisting of 3/8-inch (9.5-mm) plywood. The heater is to be located as close to the sides of the wall angle as its construction will permit, and it is to be placed relative to the walls that maximum heating will occur on the latter. Heaters intended to be mounted on the wall at or near ceiling height shall be tested in the corner as close to the side walls and ceiling as construction will permit.

CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: This Table and column "Verdict" can be used in determining how your current or future production is or will be in compliance with new/revised requirements.

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