Technical Guidance Note 18

TOPIC: Gas Cookers

ISSUE: 2

REVISION DATE: 27.1.98

PREVIOUS REVISION DATE: 26.1.95

BACKGROUND: A cooker manufacturer wishes to use a TCF to show compliance of a range of gas cookers. A single gas cooker, tested to EN55014, would with suitable filtering, meet the requirements for radiated power, and conducted emissions.

PROBLEM: Is it acceptable for a CB assessing against the protection requirements of the EMC Directive to use a standard which has no radiated emissions requirements, as a basis upon which to perform an assessment, where the product, containing a spark igniter, is a well established source of radiated interference?

GUIDELINES: The consensus of opinion is that it is acceptable to EN55014 for the following reasons:

1. The following extract was taken from the scope of the Generic Emission Standard EN50081-1: 1992:

"Where a relevant dedicated product or product-family EMC Emission standard exists, this shall take precedence over all aspects of this generic standard".

2. Section 7.3.7.3 of EN55014 contains specific instructions on the procedure to be adopted when testing equipment which employs gas igniters:

7.3.7.3 Electronic gas igniters.

7.3.7.3.1 Single spark on demand igniters for cooking equipment.

7.3.7.3.2 Repetitive igniters for cooking equipment.

3. Since EN55014: 1993 is a product standard it must precedence over the generic standard for all products which fall within its scope (e.g. gas cookers).

4. The following extracts were taken from the scope of EN55014: 1993:

"1.1 This standard applies to the conduction and Radiation of radio-frequency disturbances from appliances."

"1.2 The frequency range covered is 9 kHz to 400 GHz."

Items 1.1 and 1.2 above indicate that equipment which satisfies the requirements of EN55014 is considered to demonstrate an acceptable level of radiated emissions even though the standard does not measure radiated emissions directly.

Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability can be accepted by the EMC Test Laboratories Association or any of its officers or members for the contents, specifications and/or advice referred to or contained in this Technical Memorandum and/or action taken as a result of information contained in this Technical Memorandum. Note that:
1. The Association is not by supplying this Technical Memorandum providing professional advice or guidance to any specific party on any specific matter and no legal relationship is created by the provision of this Technical Memorandum.
2. Parties should take specific advice when dealing with specific situations and consult their own professional advisors in this regard.
3. Members are free to deviate from the above guidelines where they think it appropriate, unworkable, or not commercially viable. Under these circumstances, the EMCTLA Secretariat should be informed of the reasons for the deviation so that the matter can be reviewed.