IEC 60704-2-2:2009

Overview

IEC 60704-2-2:2009 - Household and similar electrical appliances - Test code for the determination of airborne acoustical noise - Part 2-2: Particular requirements for fan heaters specifies how to measure airborne acoustical noise from electric fan heaters (floor-, table-, counter- or wall-mounted) supplied from mains or batteries. It is intended to be read in conjunction with IEC 60704-1 (general requirements). The 2009 edition adds explicit provisions for measurement uncertainty and standard deviations used for declaration and verification of noise values.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Scope and exclusions: applies to electric fan heaters; excludes electric storage room heaters, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air cleaners and heaters for exclusive industrial use.
• Frequency range: sound power determination covers octave bands with centre frequencies from 63 Hz to 8 000 Hz (note: 63 Hz may be less influential on A-weighted levels).
• Measurement methods: supports direct, comparison and standard methods referenced to ISO 3743-1, ISO 3743-2 and ISO 3744; choose method based on source size and test environment.
• Test environment and mounting:
  • Reverberation room or free-field over reflecting plane with a vertical reflecting plane (absorption < 0.06) for appliances intended to be placed against a wall.
  • Specific placement rules (distance to corners, minimum reflecting-plane area, avoid resilient supports).
  • For floor-standing appliances that may sit against or away from a wall, measure both and report the higher noise result.
• Preconditioning and operation:
  • Air filters clean; running-in at highest speed and maximum heating for at least 2 h.
  • Stabilize operation 5 min immediately before measurements; oscillating function switched on if available.
  • Voltage tolerance ±0.5% during tests; heating elements switched on during measurement.
• Instrumentation: use windscreens and apply microphone sensitivity corrections to sound pressure readings.
• Uncertainty and reproducibility:
  • Estimated standard deviations: repeatability σ ≈ 0.4 dB, reproducibility σ ≈ 1.0 dB.
  • For declaration/verification (per IEC 60704-3) ranges provided: production σ 0.3–1.1 dB, total σ 1.0–1.6 dB, reference σ 1.5 dB.

Applications and users

This standard is used by:

• Manufacturers for design validation and internal noise testing of fan heaters.
• Test laboratories and acoustic consultants performing standardized sound power/pressure measurements.
• Regulatory and certification bodies assessing compliance and verifying declared noise emission values.
• Product managers and R&D teams who must specify or compare appliance noise performance.

Related standards

• IEC 60704-1 (general requirements)
• IEC 60704-3 (declaration and verification procedures)
• ISO 3743-1, ISO 3743-2, ISO 3744 (sound power measurement methods)

Keywords: IEC 60704-2-2:2009, fan heaters, airborne acoustical noise, sound power, sound pressure, measurement uncertainty, noise emission test code.