Denver Building Dept.

Buckley Rumford Fireplaces
Denver, CO
1/23/15

Development Services
201 W. Colfax Ave., Dept 203
Denver, CO 80202
720 865 2705
developmentservices@denvergov.org
Residential Project Inquiries
Phone: 720 865 2710 Q 2705
Michael Stitt 720 865 2561
Date: 3/9/07
To: "Gregg Thomas"
Copy: "Larisa LaBrant"
From: "Jim Buckley"
Subject: Masonry Fireplace Emissions Testing
Gregg,
This week we are beginning to test a standard masonry fireplace to the emerging ASTM Masonry Fireplace Standard. This is within the context of parallel testing of metal fireplaces, masonry heaters and hydronic heaters. We have all agreed on a common ASTM test standard that will be applied to all wood-burning appliances and now we are working on companion ASTM fueling standards for the different types of appliances.
As we said when Larisa LaBrant and I talked with you on February 20, if you have any comments or questions - things you'd like us to test for or consider or get into the standard - please let me know.
For your information the pictures of building the fireplace and our objectives are on line at http://www.rumford.com/emissions/OMNItest07.html
Warm regards,
Jim Buckley

To: "Larisa LaBrant" , Gregg.Thomas@ci.denver.co.us
From: Jim Buckley
Subject: RE: Would like a meeting with you
Cc: "Nancy Snyder" , Superior Clay , paultiegs@omni-test.com, Richard@threewit.com
Larisa and Gregg,
Thank you both for arranging what I consider a productive meeting today on fireplace emissions. Gregg, sorry to have poured out such a barge of information. I felt a little rushed after Larisa's little accident.
The Information I left for you is basically all on line:

The Colorado Certified Rumford Manual at http://www.rumford.com/manualco.html with plans, instructions, test results and registration forms.
Why Rumford fireplaces are efficient and burn clean at http://www.rumford.com/performamce.html
Our notes and efforts to amend Regulation #4 at http://www.rumford.com/emissions/COReg406.html

We will be testing a standard masonry fireplace and a Rumford masonry fireplace starting March 5 at OMNI Labs in Portland, OR. Pictures of the fireplaces and the general testing objectives are on line at http://www.rumford.com/emissions/ASTMstd.html We are going to try to test about three or four ways to make any masonry fireplace burn clean although we haven't figured out yet exactly how to identify these clean-burning versions to the building inspectors unless they are labeled proprietary designs - the way we have been doing it, as described above in our Manual.
If you have any suggestions, questions, ideas or issues you'd like us to address please let me know. Come to observe the testing if you like. Portland is warm in March.
If you have any questions after talking with your retired consultant, again let me know and maybe I can answer them. I know you are thinking of some changes "relaxing the permitting requirement for all certified Colorado Phase III devices", but that a "conventional physical fireplace (without an insert) may still be an issue." We know that we can make masonry fireplaces burn as clean as masonry heaters and EPA certified stoves and certainly cleaner than metal fireplace appliances. If you have any doubts please let me try to marshal the evidence to convince you. All we are looking for is to be treated lake everyone else and to meet the same objective performance standards that masonry heaters and stoves have to meet.
We were glad to hear that we are in early and it might be a year before you decide what to do, if anything, about fireplaces. Since the State Regulation #4 bans fireplaces, no matter how clean-burning or efficient they are, I think we will probably ask the Commission to amend Regulation #4 to permit clean-burning fireplaces sooner rather than later. I learned this afternoon that Gary Finiol (303 692 3165) is back in charge of residential wood-burning regulations at the State.
Warm regards,
Jim Buckley
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