Ecuador Updates Technical Regulations for Household Refrigerating Appliances
On March 5, 2018, the Ecuadorian Standardisation Service (INEN), through the Ecuadorian Ministry of Industry and Productivity, replaced RTE INEN 009 of 2005 on Household Refrigerating Appliances. The new mandatory technical regulation was approved by Resolution №18084 and came into force since March 5, 2018.
Conformity assessment procedures will be effectinve from March 5, 2019.
This Technical Regulation establishes requirements for the following domestic refrigerating appliances ensuring its safe use:
refrigerators with or without freezers
refrigerators with or without low-temperature compartments
freezers
The Regulation includes the prohibition of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) in foaming agents and stipulates that cooling fluid must not contain CFC’s, HCFC’s or Hydroflourocarbons (HFCs) for refrigerating systems.
All parts of the appliance must be accompanied with instructions in Spanish, which are clear and legible.
Each unit of the equipment must contain an identification plate with the following information:
Name of the manufacturer
country of origin
serial number and/or date of manufacture which can be encoded
total gross volume in cubic meters or litres
the class symbol (ST and T)
designation and mass in grams of the refrigerant
all information related to the energy consumption including those established in the safety regulations (voltage, power, and frequency)
freezing capacity in KG (if applicable)
energy consumption expressed in kWh/year
The packaging should be easily readable and contain the following information:
Model
serial number and/or date of the manufacture which can be encoded
the class symbol (ST and T) with their meaning
voltage and frequency
Prior to customs clearance, importers must show the compliance with this RTE through a mandatory Certificate of Conformity issued by a certification body accredited by the National Accreditation Body of Ecuador (SAE) or authorized by the Ministry of Industry and Productivity (MIPRO) and other acceptable bodies.
