< Previous20 OCTOBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY nace models we sell did not always pass on startup. THE COMMUNITY IMPACT Our distributor has three staff mem- bers who are NCI CO/Combustion certified. After demonstrating our test to them, they arranged a meeting with the manufacturer to share this finding. At the meeting, the manufacturer toured us through their production line and showed how they had identi- fied what caused this issue and point- ed out the procedure and the change they implemented to remedy it. This was a major thing for me, as NCI and Jim Davis had provided me with the tools to find and affect change on products used nationally. As you implement this culture, the quality of everything you do also im- proves. Your staff becomes focused on knowing that they and the company are who prevent the preventable. As bold as this statement seems, we believe we improve our community’s lives by bettering the health and safety of people in northwest Colorado. By the way, I no longer use a light- er to determine Pass/Fail for combus- tion safety. patcher told him the alarm, which was placed on the nightstand where he had told her to put it, went off the previous night at 114 ppm. She shut down her furnace. We went out to her house and found a huge breach in the heat exchanger. The breach allowed the blower fan to fill the exchanger with room air to the point where CO “pegged the analyz- er” and spilled over above the burners into the house. ● Our company developed a proce- dure to identify breached or cracked heat exchangers. The procedure is de- signed from several sources. Using a combustion analyzer, we determine if the blower fan affects the combustion when ‘on’ compared to when ‘off.’ Us- ing this test, we found that new fur- MANAGEMENT Vic Updike and his wife Amy own Masterworks Mechan- ical LLC of Craig, CO. Vic has worked in the HVAC Industry as a technician, service manager, as well as other positions for nearly 30 years. If you’d like to learn more about their CO culture, reach out to him at ncilink.com/ContactMe. This failed heat exchanger was also found by our service techncian who tested it using a combustion analyzer. OCTOBER 2020 21HVACTODAY.COM F ive years ago, a fellow named Bob Baker challenged NCI Leadership to give away its most carefully guarded test method. He said, “Offer to write an ASHRAE stan- dard showing how to score an installed HVAC system, then gift it to the world.” Bob coached us through the application process, then quietly passed away. Let’s take a look at how this challenge result- ed in a new industry standard. This article will also focus on how it may be used by HVAC pro- fessionals to create, build, and field verify one of the highest efficiency products that can be deliv- ered today. With these goals in mind, an engaged and dis- tinguished American Society of Heating, Air con- ditioning, Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE), committee was formed. Initially, half the com- mittee supported the test method, while the oth- er half either opposed or questioned the concept of scoring an installed system. The committee consisted of HVAC and me- chanical contractors, engineers, PhDs, manufac- turers, utilities, energy consultants, compliance personnel, and representatives from a national energy laboratory and NASA. While maintaining mandatory ASHRAE lan- guage, the committee was instructed to write the test method “in the language of the common field technicians.” These instructions led to the cre- ation of a new breed of standard that can be used directly by field personnel. For more than four years the committee worked vigorously to both expand and then simplify three field test methods. It received and responded to every one of nearly 300 comments during three full public reviews. This feedback greatly im- proved the standard’s accuracy and effectiveness. ANSI/ASHRAE STANDARD 221-2020 This standard legitimizes and details test meth- ods enabling field technicians to publish a score that documents how well a field-installed HVAC system performs. It also reveals previously un- detected system interactions and inefficiencies during live operating conditions. The same test may be applied to the system before or after re- pairs to quantify the impact of improvements made. You can find the full standard publication at the ASHRAE Bookstore: ncilink.com/ASHRAE221. Keep in mind that 221 is not an installation standard. It is, however, an installed system test method standard that identifies losses and de- fects in previously built systems. When a system earns a low score, it becomes a call to action of- ten resulting in the decision to make repairs to in- crease the system’s performance and score. The standard may be used as a bolt-on to an New ANSI/ASHRAE Standard Creates a New Contractor Product By Rob Falke TECHNICAL Equipment and an installed system are two separate products and should be rated or scored separately22 OCTOBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY of equipment is a stand-alone product. The installing contractor selects and fabricates many parts and pieces to as- semble the selected components and build a new and different product, an HVAC system. New ASHRAE definitions included in Standard 221 clearly separate these two different products. It does this by enabling a new field-measured and documented efficiency score for the installed system. This method honors the standards supporting stand-alone equipment capacity and efficiency rat- ings. Installed system scoring pro- vides an easily understood test and documentation method that helps consumers compare their installed system to published equipment effi- ciency ratings. TEST METHOD DESCRIPTION This test method is applied to forced-air residential as well as com- mercial heating and cooling systems of any size. The test requires the use of several airflow, temperature, and elec- trical test instruments by a technician qualified to use them. Field technicians report the test and scoring typically takes one hour for systems with 10 tons or less of cool- ing capacity. Larger systems require an additional hour of testing for each additional 10 tons. Test times will vary due to an abnor- mal number of registers and grilles or difficult access. To score a system’s performance, qualified HVAC professionals will fol- low this abbreviated test procedure. existing installation or maintenance standard. It is employed when the technician finds it necessary to make further improvements to increase comfort and efficiency. SYSTEM OR EQUIPMENT EFFICIENCY? For many decades, the published equipment efficiency rating number has been mistakenly interpreted to represent the installed system efficien- cy rating. Equipment and an installed system are two separate products and should be rated or scored separately. Equipment is built and rated by the OEM (Original Equipment Manufac- turer). It is normally packaged for sale and ultimately delivered to an install- ing contractor. Remember, each piece TECHNICALOCTOBER 2020 23HVACTODAY.COM SYSTEM SCORING REVEALS THE UNSEEN An installed system’s score ex- presses the percent of the equip- ment rated capacity delivered into the building by the installed system delivered capacity. Field testing pinpoints defects that de- teriorate system and equipment performance. Then each flaw can be correct- ed allowing the equipment to operate within published speci- fications. Your ability to increase and document the performance of an installed system defines this new product. It is measurable, quantifiable, and a product most consumers demand once the Abbreviated Test Procedure to Score System Performance 1. Start the system and allow it to stabilize. Leave the system in its present operating condition to reveal the same conditions your customer experiences. 2. Measure airflow from each supply register to find total airflow entering the building. 3. Measure outdoor ambient air and the equipment entering air wet-bulb temperature to help determine equipment-rated capacity under test conditions. 4. Measure the average air conditions (dry bulb temperature in heating mode, enthalpy in cooling mode) from a minimum of three supply registers and into two return grilles. Average the register and grille air conditions to find the system’s indoor temperature or enthalpy change. 5. Calculate the system delivered Btuh into the building by multiplying the total system supply air into the building, by the measured temperature or enthalpy change, then by the appropriate Btu multiplier. 6. Divide the system delivered Btuh by the equipment rated Btuh capacity under test conditions to find the heating or cooling system performance score. 7. If the system has an economizer, the economizer Btuh is added or subtracted from the total system Btuh depending on test conditions. 8. You may also divide the system delivered Btuh by the system measured operating watts to find the Installed Cooling System EER (energy efficiency ratio).24 OCTOBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY FAR BEYOND TYPICAL ENERGY UPGRADE PRACTICES Scoring a system was created for those dedicated to delivering com- fort and efficiency to their custom- ers in the field. The magic required to make an installed system operate as it should is not a blanket prescription. It is different for every system. An im- provement of a system’s score is not manufactured in a plant in a faraway city. It is a unique on-the-job creation. What you need to increase installed system performance is found by testing and through proper diagnostics — one system at a time. It is custom made in a hands-on manner by those with the skill and ability to do so in the field. For decades, the path to energy effi- ciency has been to throw the latest and greatest scientific inventions (and the kitchen sink) at HVAC systems and then deem the outcome as increased energy savings. Measuring and scoring the operat- ing system enables the contractor to quantify efficiency and comfort losses, pinpoint each systems’ specific prob- lems, then make surgical repairs fo- cused on specific outcomes. Standard 221 calls for field test data to be compared with equipment man- ufacturers’ specifications, industry standards, and practical laws of phys- ics. When conditions measured are outside of reasonable boundaries, hid- den system defects become obvious. Now you can create a scope of work to address these unseen deficiencies and correct them. score reveals to them the impact on their comfort, efficiency, safe- ty, and health. More importantly, the custom product is discovered, designed, built, and documented by you, the installing contractor. From the re- sults of your work, your custom- ers are delighted to receive a typi- cal increase in system performance exceeding 50%. Your compensa- tion is, as it should be, equally re- warding. Meanwhile, HVAC professionals who become skilled in using this test method will hold an extreme advantage over others who are un- willing or unable to quantify system losses or discuss how to increase in- stalled system efficiency. TECHNICALOCTOBER 2020 25HVACTODAY.COM pairs are often aimed toward getting the system running again. When testing, diagnostics, and scor- ing show that a customer’s system is operating at 50% of capacity, the con- versation changes. Solutions promis- ing to increase system performance separate the contractor from the com- petition. This opens the door to many more repairs and upgrades that will deliver higher documented efficiency, quantifiable comfort, and verifiably more healthy and safer environments. The solutions and score become the product and value sold, which carries far more value than parts and labor alone. For decades, the National Comfort Institute (NCI) mission has been to en- able HVAC professionals to test, diag- nose, and resolve undetected system defects. Thanks to a dedicated com- mittee and standards organization, the industry now has a standard that im- proves and legitimizes the way you test and score HVAC system performance. The outcome is your increased abil- ity to create, deliver, and verify the results of your unique and profitable custom product: an increased perfor- mance score. Home and building owners want so much more than energy efficiency. Testing and diagnostics uncover sys- tem issues that may have been accept- ed and lived with for years. CUSTOM, OFTEN NON-CONVEN- TIONAL SYSTEM UPGRADES HVAC contractor’s business models are supported when employees find, repair, and replace HVAC system com- ponents. System scoring reveals defi- ciencies that are repaired by non-con- ventional as well as every-day repairs. The HVAC industry is plagued with low value, competing on low price for the same limited number of repairs or replacements that fall within the knowledge and capability of techni- cians with only basic skills. These re- Rob “Doc” Falke serves the industry as president of National Comfort Institute, Inc. (NCI), an HVAC-based training company and membership organization. You can contact Doc at ncilink.com/ContactMe or call him at 800-633-7058. Go to NCI’s website at nationalcomfortinstitute.com for free information, articles, and downloads.26 OCTOBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Duct Temperature Loss Di- agnostics . Your instructor, Jeff Sturgeon, will help you learn how to measure, calculate, and repair duct temperature losses and help customers see the im- mediate impact on their com- fort and utility bills. Where NOT to Measure System Tem- peratures . This lab is presented by Casey Contreras who will demonstrate the incor- rect temperature testing locations through- out an HVAC system. He’ll also address how to avoid inaccurate duct, equipment, flue, and grille temperature readings. Package Unit Static Pressure Diag- nostics Using the AirMaxx™ App. NCI’s Justin Bright will demonstrate how to use the AirMaxx App in less than 10 minutes to test and diagnose system static pressure and engage customers when you are selling, servicing, or install- ing HVAC systems. COVID-19 Ventilation Solutions – Measure Economizer Airflow and Air Changes Per Hour. Scott Fielder and Jeff Sturgeon will tag-team to teach the principles driving outside air standards and required room air changes stemming from the battle against the COVID pandemic. You will also learn how to accurately measure air- flow through an economizer. Condensing Furnaces – Advanced Diagnostics and Solutions , presented by David Richardson. Explore how to quickly test and de- termine the cause of rising CO in con- densing furnaces. You’ll learn appropri- ate repairs for each problem. You can find the entire Virtual Summit 2020 event schedule at ncilink.com/ Summit20Sched. October 2020 PowerPack — Get It Now!!! This month we provide you with some additional content to help you with car- bon monoxide testing and more. Some of the tools included each month may not be normally accessible with your membership subscription pack- age. However, you will be able to access these tools through this PowerPack por- tal during the current month. Here is what the October 2020 Power- Pack includes: ■ How to Perform Draft Interference Testing (Recorded Webinar) ■ Carbon Monoxide Visual Inspection Form (Download) ■ SafeMaxx™ CO Test Report (Download) ■ Heating System Temperature Mea- surement Procedure (Download) ■ Cold Feet? Heating Postcard (Download). Go to ncilink.com/PwrPak to access it today. If you have any questions, or if you are unable to access any of the tools in this program, please contact us at 800- 633-7058. We think you’ll find these tools and training materials very helpful as you continue to grow your High-Performance HVAC business. National Comfort Institute’s (NCI) High-Performance Town Testing and Diagnostic labs re- turn to Summit this year. These virtual sessions consist of three labs, Tuesday, October 6th and Wednesday, October 7th. Here you will experience the advanced tests and calculations used to diagnose and resolve air system issues that can lead to highly profitable system up- grades. The labs will perform just like your technicians do in the field. Besides the instruction and virtual hands-on training, you will receive new detailed NCI procedures and quick re- ports to integrate into your leadership teams coaching after Summit is over. Instructors for High-Performance Town 2020 are NCI’s Rob Falke, Jeff Sturgeon, Scott Fielder, David Richardson, and Justin Bright. The labs will include the following: Estimate and Measure A Single Room’s Airflow , presented by Rob Falke. In this session you’ll learn about NCI’s easy method to estimate and measure room airflow in less than 10 minutes using a new single-page report and procedure. NCI MEMBER UPDATE High-Performance Town Returns to NCI’s 2020 Virtual Summit OCTOBER 2020 27HVACTODAY.COM PHOTO OF THE MONTH “Repurposed Baking Pan” — Scott Thompson, The Lee Thompson Company, Houston, TX American ingenuity really knows no bounds, especially in the HVAC universe. For example, this customer needed a drain pan and decided a Do-It-Yourself approach was called for. The overflow line goes into this pan and shuts off if it ever fills up. Genious! Scott Thompson from The Lee Thompson Co. is the October 2020 winner of our Photo-of-the-Month contest in the “Bad” category, as voted on by the subscribers to the High-Performance HVAC Today magazine and visitors to the website ( hvactoday.com ). He will receive a $25 gift card. You can too – submissions are always welcome. If you’d like to submit a photo for consideration in our Photo-of-the-Month contest, go to ncilink.com/POMSubmit and fill out the information as requested. THE NOVEMBER CONTEST OPENS ON OCTOBER 09, 2020. That gives you plenty of time to submit something in any of our three categories: The Good, The Bad, and the WTH (What the heck).28 OCTOBER 2020HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY HVAC SMART MARTOCTOBER 2020 29HVACTODAY.COM Advertiser Index HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYHVAC TODAY TM AD INDEX To Subscribe to High-Performance HVAC Today: ONLINE: Visit HVACToday.com/subscribe for a FREE digital subscription. PRINT: 1 year/$72; single copy $7. Canada: 1 year/$92; single copy $9. Payable in advance with U.S. funds. Prepaid subscriptions may be sent to: High-Performance HVAC Today, PO Box 147, Avon Lake, OH 44012. Phone: 440-949-1850; toll free 800-633-7058; or visit HVACToday.com/subscribe to order online. Publisher Dominick Guarino Editor-in-Chief and Associate Publisher Mike Weil Art Director Connie Conklin Online Development Director Brian Roseman Circulation Manager Andrea Begany- Garsed Editorial Assistant Marge Smith Go to ncilink.com/ContactMe with your comments and questions. Arzel Zoning Technology, Inc. | www.arzelzoning.com ................................................ 6, 16 Bacharach | www.MyBacharach.com ........................................................................................ 23 Baker Distributing Company | www.BakerDist.com .................................................... 15, 27 CI Web Group | www.CIWebGroup.com ................................................................................... 15 Duct Saddles | www.DuctSaddles.com ..................................................................................... 28 Dwyer Instruments, Inc. | www.dwyer-inst.com .................................................................. 10 FieldEdge | www.FieldEdge.com ................................................................................................... 6 Goodman Manufacturing | www.GoodmanMfg.com .................................................. 2, 32 Jackson Systems | www.JacksonSystems.com ........................................................................11 Lazco Corp. | www.LazcoCorp.com ............................................................................................ 17 Online-Access, Inc. | www.hvacwebsites.com ..................................................................... 20 R.E. Michel Company | www.REMichel.com ..................................................................... 4, 25 The New Flat Rate | www.TheNewFlatRate.com ........................................................... 7, 28 To Your Success | ToYourSuccess.com ...................................................................................... 28 Trinity Warranty Solutions | www.trinitywarranty.com ..................................................... 24 United Refrigeration Inc. | www.uri.com ................................................................................. 29Next >