UL & EPA Issues

UL Listings
Antique stoves, including those sold by Good Time Stove Company, are not UL listed.
Why? To achieve this certification, each stove must be submitted to and individually tested by the United Laboratories (UL) and this is a very expensive and impractical process.

The good news is that the a UL listing is rarely required.

To the best of our knowledge there is no code or law at any state level that bans the use or installation of non-UL listed stoves, or antique stoves. However, Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), also known as building inspectors, officials, etc., are allowed interpretations and decisions that could preclude use of an antique stove on a city level. Your local building official will have the right to make a decision when something is not clear. Because all state and local codes differ, you will need to check your local codes specifically.

In most cases, there are very few actual codes at the state end. Most states accept the guidelines provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA); localities rely on the local inspectors to interpret and enforce these codes.

It is not uncommon to find resistance to the installation of an antique or wood burning stove from inspectors who are uneducated in or unfamiliar with these stoves, or if they have never read the NFPA 211 that governs "antique", generic" and other non-ul listed stove. If that is the case for you, you may find it beneficial to provide him or her with the information from the National Fire Protection Association.
Click Here for NFPA 211 - HEATING STOVES
Click Here for NFPA 211 - KITCHEN STOVES

UL or equivalent listing (Intertek or Warnock Hersey or Omni) may be required for NEW stoves being installed in areas where building codes are heavily enforced.

Antique stoves are classified as "generic" or "antique" and do not need to have UL approval. In fact the NFPA devotes a large part of their code to "generic" or "unlisted" stoves, which proves that they are OK in the eyes of the NFPA.

EPA Regulations
Antique heaters and ranges were manufactured before the establishment of EPA standards and have therefore been provided exemption from EPA regulation. The antique stove is exempt from EPA regulation. EPA has nothing to do with UL or safety. They do not cover cook stoves, coal stoves or stoves that are not production. It may be that a state bans any non-EPA stoves. This is a separate issue from the issue of UL listing.

 

A Family Business & Blog Selling the World's Finest Restored Antique Heating Stoves and Kitchen Ranges Since 1973

Good Time Stove Company
413-268-3677, 8-4:00 pm ET
PO Box 306 Goshen, MA 01032-0306