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Updated Information:

The EPA has stated that since the RRP Rule became effective on April 22, 2010, concerns have been raised by the regulated community regarding difficulties experienced in obtaining the rule required firm certification and renovation worker training.

The EPA has acknowledged these concerns and to facilitate the transition to full implementation of the RRP Rule, EPA will offer additional and sufficient time for renovation firms and workers to obtain the necessary training and certifications to comply as follows:

• Until October 1, 2010, EPA will not take enforcement action for violations of the RRP Rule's firm certification requirement.
• For violations of the RRP Rule's renovation worker certification requirement, EPA will not enforce against individual renovation workers if the person has applied to enroll in, or has enrolled in, by not later than September 30, 2010, a certified renovator class to train contractors in practices necessary for compliance with the final rules. Renovators must complete the training by December 31, 2010.

In view of the paramount importance of ensuring that all contractors follow the lead-safe work practices in the RRP rule, EPA will continue to enforce the work practice requirements in the rule which protect children and reduce lead exposure. Information concerning lead-safe work practices can be found at http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm#requirements.

For more information about the RRP rule and upcoming deadlines, visit: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/effectivedates.htm

Click and visit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/flpp/search.cfm?Applicant_Type=training for a complete list of training schedules.

Original Article:

LEAD? What am I talking about? Well, the long and short of it is the EPA has put forth new regulations that all contractors who do work in houses built before 1978 must now be certified in the EPA’s Lead-Based Paint Renovation, Repair & Painting Program (RRP Program). ALL CONTRACTORS IN ALL STATES AND TERRITORIES MUST BE CERTIFIED. In general, if you remodel any part of an interior of a house and you disturb more than six (6) square feet, or more than twenty (20) square feet on the exterior, you MUST follow guidelines put forth by the EPA and you MUST be certified.

We know we sent you this information in our March issue of the “Hearthside Update”, but we want to make sure everyone reads this information. I am not trying to scare you, but this is a very important issue that has been overlooked. If you have any questions, you can go to the EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead.

We've added a short new session to the OnDemand Library.  "How to Market Your NFI Status" is a 15 minute summary of what has been done, what can be done and what materials are available from NFI.  There is no cost for this presentation.  It is open to anyone.  There are two ways to take it: If you have a subscrption to HE@RTH Online Training

• Log in to the system
• Go to the subscriber's catalog
• Seach for H105, or open the OnDemand folder and scroll down until you see it
• Add it to \"My Learning\"
• Start the session

If you do NOT have a subscription to HE@RTH Online Training

• Go to http://www.hpbef.org/online
• Click on \"Course Offerings\"
• Scroll down until you find the class in the list
• Click on \"Register for Recorded OnDemand Session  **
• You will then receive a user name and password to access the system and take the class.

**It will go through the normal registration process, but it will not ask you for any credit card information since the class is free.

Hearth, Patio and Barbecue businesses have workers compensation exposures that may differ from those of a standard retailer. In store (premises) and field (installation & service work) exposures normally present challenges to insurance carriers. Following are some thoughts to help you better understand and manage your workers compensation insurance.

What is Workers Compensation?
Workers Compensation insurance covers the cost of medical care as well as lost wages for workers injured on the job .It is considered the “exclusive remedy” for on the job injuries suffered by employees. It also cover work related illnesses.

Do I need to Carry Workers Compensation?
Workers Compensation is mandated by the state in which you conduct business. Determine if you are required by your state to provide workers compensation. Some States only require an employer to provide coverage when they employ a certain number of employees. Workers Compensation insurance must be bought as a separate policy. Although In-Home Business and Business Owner’s Polices (BOP’s) are sold as package policies, they do NOT include coverage for worker’s injuries or job related sickness.

How are my premiums determined?
Your premium is calculated as a rate per $100 of remuneration (payroll) times any discounts or credits that may be applied. Because of this, it is important that you project your job classification payrolls as accurately as possible. Your loss history will also determine if any surcharges are to be applied. Be certain that your employees are classified correctly so that your business will be classified into the descriptions that best match the type of work being performed by your employees.

Monitor you payroll!
Keep an eye on your payroll throughout the year. If you find that half way through your policy year your payroll seems to be exceeding your original projections contact your agent and ask them to adjust your payroll exposure. This can help avoid a potentially adverse workers compensation audit at the end of the policy year. Conversely if, for unforeseen reasons, your payroll goes down during a policy year, premium will be reduced.

Beware of the consequences of hiring a sub contractor!
At the end of your workers compensation policy period the insurance company will audit your books. The auditor identifies that some work was performed by a subcontractor and accordingly asks to look at the certificate of insurance the subcontractor provided you. You either can not locate the certificate or the subcontractor is unable to provide the same. Your audit comes out and unfortunately you are required to pay for the sub’s workers comp while he and his crew were on your job. The basic way to head off this problem is to make sure you have current certificates of insurance for any subcontractors used during your workers compensation policy period. If your subcontractor cannot provide a certificate you are entitled to withhold a portion of payment due to him or her that will cover their exposure. Bill Koehler is Executive Vice President of Security Group International, Inc., a provider of insurance and risk management specifically for the hearth and chimney industry.E.mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Many small business owners may look at insurance as if it were a tax. It is a necessary evil but if it can be kept to a minimum all the better. This outlook is penny-wise BUT can be pound foolish!

Protecting your assets is critical to your business and your ultimate success.

Four kinds of insurance are essential.
• Property Insurance
• General Liability Insurance
• Business Automobile Insurance
• Workers Compensation Insurance

Property Insurance covers your physical assets; your building, equipment, furnishings, fixtures and inventory. Property insurance can also provide income if your business is forced to suspend operations after a covered loss.

General Liability Insurance protects your business if it is held liable for someone’s injury or property damage.

Business Automobile Insurance covers your legal liability arising out of the ownership and use of automobiles, pick up trucks, vans and trucks used in your business.

Workers Compensation Insurance provides coverage for lost wages and medical expenses for work related injuries or illnesses to your employees. Workers Compensation laws vary widely from state to state with coverage mandatory in almost every state but it is dependant on the number of employees.


Business Owner’s Policies (BOP) are commonly used for small businesses, particularly retailers. The main advantage of a BOP is that it combines property and liability under one policy. The BOP however provides only basic coverage and may not encompass the specific exposures faced by hearth-related businesses. It will not, for instance, include Professional Liability Insurance, which protects you from losses and expenses resulting from claims of errors and omissions. How much liability coverage do you need? This can be difficult to answer because benchmarks don’t really exist. While some agents and brokers may recommend that your coverage match the largest court award for a case relevant to your business, others base recommendations on company assets. Additionally, certificate holders may require you to meet certain limits. Limits of $1,000,000 per occurrence are generally sufficient to meet requirements of certificate holders as well as underlying limit requirements of Excess Liability carriers. It is important that your broker or agent review those particular requirements. The key to effective insurance is to make certain your insurance is specific to your exposures. An annual in-depth review of your insurances is a must. Make sure your insurance broker or agent has a thorough understanding of both your business and your industry. Importantly, remember cost and price are two entirely different things. Bill Koehler is Executive Vice President of Security Group International, Inc., a provider of insurance and risk management specifically for the hearth and chimney industry.E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Do Small Buisnesses Need Liability Insurance?

Operating a small business is not easy. Most small businesses struggle during their formative years and produce minimal profits. If an event occurs, resulting in a lawsuit being brought against you, the results could be devastating for you and your fragile business. That is why small business liability insurance is a smart option for small business owners.

You will need liability coverage for your business to cover yourself for any bodily injury and/or property damage that may be a result of an alleged negligent act by you or one of your employees.

There are four main types of small business liability insurance:

• General Liability Insurance - This is the most common form of coverage. Make sure you are familiar with what is and what is not covered before signing on the dotted line.
• Professional Liability Insurance - This insurance policy protects you from errors made while a service is being performed for your customer. Professional services are excluded from most general liability Insurance policies.
• Product Liability Insurance - If you manufacture or distribute a product this may be an attractive policy for you. It protects you from damage inflicted by a manufactured item that you have produced or may be distributing.
• Employment Practices Insurance - This is relatively new to small business and is for you, the employer, and covers you from lawsuits stemming from false accusations made by an employee.

Hearth related businesses have people working in the field, a store or office. Service and Installation crews working in homes and businesses of customers, installing, repairing equipment and performing cleaning services are a potential risk. There are also potential exposures on your business premises, where employees perform tasks and interact with customers. Customers may also incur bodily injury on your premises through no fault of your own.

These exposures create unique insurance needs. You may need pollution coverage for incidents involving soot, or professional liability for any errors or omissions that may have occurred during an inspection that you performed for a customer. Pollution and Professional Liability coverages are generally not provided by standard general liability policies.

Living in today’s litigious society is nerve wracking for any small business owner. The key to an effective insurance program for your business is to make certain your insurance coverage is specific to your exposures. An annual in depth review of your insurances is a must in determining proper and adequate coverage.

Bill Koehler is Executive Vice President of Security Group International, Inc., a provider of insurance and risk management specifically for the hearth and chimney industry.E.mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

You still have time to sign up for our Baltimore class. Contact the Mahpba office at your earliest convenience!

Click Here for the 2010 Education Brochure!

New Technology Clean Burn Wood Stoves

First let me say, and I know this may be a let down to some of you, that this New Technology has been around for quite some time now. As a matter of fact manufacturers have been regulated since 1990 to certain particulate emission standards depending on burn rates, airflow, firebox volume, and stove weight. Two predominant technologies rose to the top of the class when these regulations were enforced. These were catalytic and the aforementioned New Technology. I’m not going to talk too much about catalytic technology because the title of this article is not “Catalytic Clean burn Wood Stoves” In fact, I’ve said more than I wanted to about it already!

I will explain particulate emissions however. They are just what they sound like, tiny particles that are in the exhaust gasses as a result of the combustion process in a wood stove. Wow sometimes I really sound like I know what I am talking about. To be more precise the particles are a result of incomplete combustion. In the 70’s and 80’s when residential wood burning really started coming in to vogue because of high oil prices, these little particles were blamed for causing some big problems. In certain valleys temperature inversions were trapping wood stove smoke and all of those little particles. The inhabitants were literally choking on them. So people who knew how important breathing can be to good health and wellbeing decided to create some particulate emission regulations. The regulations required a reduction of the particulate production by approximately 80%. Stated in grams per hour (GPH) stoves that used to produce as much as 50 GPH were limited to producing 7.5 GPH or less.

Almost 15 years ago when I first started selling wood stoves in retail I learned about something called residence time. This is a key ingredient in making a wood stove that burns cleaner. The trick is to get heat, fuel, and air in the proper ratio, all to hang around long enough in the firebox to achieve high rates of combustion efficiency. Lucky for the wood stove manufacturers this wasn’t too difficult to accomplish.

Before I explain how it was done let me portray the combustion process in painful detail. To sustain a fire we need three things heat, fuel, and oxygen.

1-The heat initially comes from an ignition source such as a match and continues to be supplied, hopefully by the ongoing combustion process.
2-The fuel in this case is fire starter, kindling, and wood.
3-The air supplies the oxygen. Actually an air control on the stove allows us to regulate the flow depending on which stage of the combustion process we are in.

There are also four distinct stages of combustion when burning a piece of wood. They are typically all happening at once in a wood stove however.

1-The first stage is moisture evaporation and takes place as the wood is heated. (Even “dry” wood has moisture in it.)
2-As the temperature rises the second stage occurs when the wood molecules begin to break down and form hydrocarbon vapor. This is referred to as pyrolysis.
3-In the third stage as the temperature rises further the vapor ignites and combusts.
4-The fourth stage occurs when pyrolysis is complete and only charcoal is left to burn. In this stage there is little or no visible flame.

Initially when wood stoves were built they were no more than a box with a load door, flue exit, and an air control. Some had a top baffle that would create more residence time but also had an air control that could limit the airflow so much that the fire would only smolder. (These were the so- called “air-tight” stoves that people often refer to.) They were on the right track however with the top baffle, which is a horizontal plate that protrudes from the back and top of the firebox. There is a space in front of the baffle that allows exhaust to flow through and then over the baffle and ultimately out the flue exit.

The real solution for a cleaner burn was introducing a secondary air source under the baffle. The air is introduced beneath the baffle through tubes with holes drilled in them, or by using a hollow baffle with holes drilled in the bottom. There is also a design that allows the air to flow through holes in the back wall of the firebox just under the baffle. The air that flows out of these holes is routed through a manifold or in some cases an opening in the back or side of the stove. It is important to keep in mind that draft in the chimney is pulling the air through these holes.

So here is how it works! The heat in the firebox is rising as it makes its way to the exit. Much of the flammable vapor escapes the primary combustion and also rises along with the heat…stay with me now because this is the good part. All we need now for more complete combustion is air and it is waiting under the baffle. We’ve got heat, we’ve got fuel, and we’ve got air and that is all we need so we have FIRE!

As Martha Stewart would say “That’s a good thing”. This of course is a simplified version of how it happens. I’m sure our engineers could give a long drawn out dissertation on all of the intricacies that go into arriving at this happy ending, but not on my watch. Some other great benefits from this technology are more efficient stoves and cleaner, safer chimneys. It just doesn’t get any better than that!

article author: Tim Gerencer, Jotul

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