< Previoustime, it became clear that incomplete start-up practices, and a faulty mindset and information led to dangerous equipment operational condi- tions for the occupants of the homes we test. SADLY, THERE IS LITTLE INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON GAS ADJUSTMENTS AND COMBUSTION TO ENABLE TECH- NICIANS TO MAKE NEEDED ADJUST- MENTS FOR SAFE OPERATION. Recently, a technician with whom I spent some time in the field called to ask if I found a lot of high-limit switches failing. He said he found quite a few. I explained that safety switch failures most likely were due to furnace overheating and cycling on the high limit, or causing it to trip frequently, or fail. He indicated that in the past he “solved” the issue by replacing the high limit or by increasing the temperature range of the F or decades the HVAC industry has been chasing technological advances in a quest to develop an appliance that operates effi- ciently and safely with an increasing life span. In many cases, manufacturers are driven in this quest by ever-tightening regulations and requirements in efficiency and carbon footprint. At the same time, the industry has not been a great steward to HVAC contractors who must install and startup this equipment in locations that greatly vary from the laboratories where they were developed. Many of the installation instructions provid- ed for HVAC equipment leave a lot to be desired as far as critical information that would allow to properly install said equipment, analyze, and ad- just it for the most optimum and efficient opera- tion. Over the years, this situation as well as oth- er compounding issues leave furnaces operating poorly and inefficiently. Unfortunately, in many cases, this leads to a shorter equipment life span than intended by the manufacturer. A DANGEROUS SITUATION During the last nine years working for National Com- fort Institute (NCI), I have facilitated utility training in Southern Califor- nia. One compo- nent of the train- ing is field coaching with technicians from the training classes. During this Vision Beyond Sight With Combustion Testing By Jeff Sturgeon TECHNICAL 10 SEPTEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYvalve with a warranty sticker on the adjustment screw cap that states, “Warranty is void if removed. DO NOT ADJUST.” All they want you to look at is in- coming gas pressure. For our industry to combat and con- quer the issues we face with combus- tion issues is to change the culture, information, and training that is available to contractors. Changing cul- ture means changing the MINDSET, TOOLSET, and SKILLSET of our industry’s service providers. MINDSET To change the industry mindset, we must begin by addressing the top myths about combustion. Here are several to think about: zA manifold pressure of 3.5-in. w.c. gas pressure is how to assess and tune a natural gas furnace zA manifold pressure of 10-in. w.c. gas pressure is how to assess and tune a propane furnace zThe color of the flame is how you tune a burner zPassive combustion air is automatic, and the small vents will bring in the proper amount of combustion air zThe function of a flue is to vent com- bustion gases and create draft zAttention to vent piping is not as critical with newer equipment zRust in gas appliances is from con- densation or chemicals from within the space or home zWhite powder in the burner area is a calcium build-up or from chemicals within the space zHeat exchangers crack due to long use or poor manufacturing materials zGAMA tables are computer generat- ed tables that tell us everything we need to know about venting zThey are accepted by American Gas Association Labs as an appropriate engineering methodology of de- termining venting requirements. The truths about combustion include the following: z 3.5- and 10-in. w.c. represent pres- sure potential and is the amount of force, not flow safety switch. These are temporary fixes at best. After spending more time in the field with him and teaching him how to analyze the furnace to find the problem, he became more confident and looked beyond the symptoms and simple band-aid fixes. Over the last several years the situ- ation worsened with the introduction of Ultra Low NOx furnace require- ments in many of the climate zones within California. Furthermore, many manufactur- ers also feel the pain because of field system design, function, and instal- lation issues that lead to equipment recalls, service bulletins, and parts replacement recalls. In some cases, these solutions call for no more than speeding up the inducer motor to in- crease flue temperature which lowers the output Btus. The idea is to reduce the fire box temperatures to keep the unit from overheating or worse: melt- ing the coil or catching fire. Sadly, there is little information available on gas adjustments and combustion to enable technicians to make needed adjustments for safe operation. Some of the newer Low-NOx equip- ment is being equipped with a gas SEPTEMBER 2022 11HVACTODAY.COM12 SEPTEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY TECHNICAL than code that instructs a comput- er, application, or software on how to perform without predetermined assumptions and do not consider many obstacles installed or encoun- tered in the field z A methodology is merely “a con- textual framework” that does not provide solutions for given situa- tions. GAMA Tables are not based on any actual field tests or conditions. TOOLSET Changing the mindset includes ed- ucation of the true dangers and precau- tions of combustion. Toolset begins with personal safety and awareness of your surroundings when working on combustion appliances. Having a per- sonal CO monitor is the best way to as- sure that you and your customers re- main safe when installing, testing, and repairing these appliances. For many years I worked in large machine and boiler rooms and nev- er was told the importance of moni- toring your work surroundings. The scary thing is many of us have been ex- posed to high levels of CO many times. We were not aware of the real reason why we had a headache or an afternoon of nausea and slight dizziness. We contact with a surface and then dries z Cracked heat exchangers are not normal. They occur because of excessive heat that causes metal to expand and contract beyond its design considerations and limits. Common causes are excessive fuel and or low airflow across the heat exchanger. In some cases, these units were cycling on the high lim- it switch or worse, the limit was re- placed or tampered with just to keep the unit running. Regarding GAMA Tables, here are more truths: zComputer programs are no more zThe color of the flame tells us very lit- tle about the efficiency of combustion z Passive means takes no action. Instead, they let things happen to them. Passive combustion air allows Mother Nature and other influences to do what they want with combus- tion air zThe flue is a pathway and is nothing more than a duct to provide a path for flue gases to flow zAttention to the vent piping is even more critical on higher efficiency furnaces and greatly impacts perfor- mance and the life of the equipment zDraft is established by indoor and outdoor pressure and temperature differences and imbalances can in- terrupt and effect draft. Abnormal combustion condi- tions include the following: zRust is an indicator of flue gas spillage. Carbonic acid in the flue gas contacts metal surfaces and be- gins to create rust and corrosion and can lead to chassis issues and pos- sible carbon monoxide (CO) leakage z White powder is formed as the car- bonic acid in flue gas comes in SEPTEMBER 2022 13HVACTODAY.COM TECHNICAL education, and experience. Only a well-rounded service pro- fessional who has the proper mind- set, toolset and skillset can expect to have a chance to provide the truest value and safety that customers de- serve. If your team has only one or two of these elements, they will still fall short of what we, as an industry, need to do to truly make appliances operate as designed. In the current climate culture with many states engaging in decarboniza- tion and electrification programs, the combustion appliances that remain when the programs are completed need to be operating as efficiently as possible with as minimal carbon im- pact as possible. Mindset, toolset, and skillset provide you and your field service and installa- tion teams vision beyond sight when it comes to testing, diagnosing, and solv- ing combustion issues. they encounter combustion issues. They don’t know where to install test ports, what the readings on the an- alyzer mean, or what the little white ball lifting in the draft gauge means. THE SCARY THING IS MANY OF US HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO HIGH LEVELS OF CO AND WERE NOT AWARE OF THE REAL REASON WHY WE HAD A HEADACHE OR AN AFTER- NOON OF NAUSEA AND SLIGHT DIZZINESS. This leads to incorrect assump- tions in the field where they end up addressing the symptom, but not the problem or safety issue. Skillset is that final factor that en- ables your team to deliver the value and safety your customers deserve. Skillset is achieved through training, assumed the cause was from some- thing else like not eating a good lunch, or being too tired etc. Changing the toolset just begins with personal safety. It forces us to look be- yond the classic approaches to ser- vice and installation by acquiring the proper tools and instruments to prop- erly test, assess, and adjust for proper combustion. This begins with a simple draft gauge and a quality combustion analyzer. Not having or not using a draft gauge leaves you blind to the effects of the flue and whether it is even venting proper- ly. A draft gauge is a MUST for per- forming detailed combustion testing. Yet it is not referenced at all in installa- tion instructions, or suggested or men- tioned by any manufacturer tech sup- port people. There are many conversations on what is important to monitor and mea- sure on combustion appliances. Some combustion analyzers also monitor NOx and other gases. This is terrific if you need to know gas levels, but they don’t have a direct correlation to prop- er and efficient combustion. Keep in mind that CO, O2, flue gas tempera- ture, and flue draft are more important indicators for diagnosis. Changing your Mindset and Toolset is not enough. The last element needed is the expertise and knowledge. Even with the best instruments, technicians often guess or follow misleading guid- ance from individuals who really don’t understand proper combustion diag- nostics and don’t understand what the analyzer is trying to tell them. SKILLSET Technicians without the proper skillset are left alone in the field when Jeff Sturgeon Presented at NCI Summit 2022 This article is based on a presentation given by Jeff Stur- geon at National Comfort Institute’s 2022 High-Perfor- mance HVAC Summit in Scottsdale, AZ. The Practitioner session was titled, “Vision Beyond Sight with Combustion Testing: Give Your Customers the Value They Deserve.” In this session, Jeff showed High-Performance HVAC con- tractors how the right knowledge and test instruments can give you X-Ray vision during combustion testing to help you find hidden defects. If you couldn’t attend this year’s Summit, this article should give you the key highlights of what Jeff shared with those who were there. By the way, be sure to mark your calendars for the 2023 Summit which will be held in Branson, MO from April 16-20, 2023 . Jeff Sturgeon is NCI’s Southern California Training Center Manager/Instructor. You can reach him at ncilink.com/ContactMe with any questions. HVAC SUMMIT 2023 HIGH-PERFORMANCE14 SEPTEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYour training facility. The T.E. Spall University facilities include a fun- damentals lab, a “live-fire lab,” plus a classroom with a Smart TV. We use this space every week — typically three to four training days per week. We do both live and virtual meetings from there. The live-fire lab has newer modern equipment, including two basic HVAC systems, a geothermal system, a combi-boiler system, and an inverter system. In addition to technical training, we also en- sure our dispatchers and front office people know how to handle emergency calls regarding a potential CO issue. We typically provide them training and awareness via our weekly service department meetings. We instruct our customer service representa- tives (CSRs) to inform customers whose CO de- tectors or monitors are going off to open the win- dows, exit the house, and call 911 if necessary. Then we send a service technician to assess the situation. Our local fire department will recommend us in many instances when CO alarms go off for incon- clusive reasons, according to their findings. THE IMPORTANCE OF PROCESS Another thing we do is make sure our team fol- lows the processes and guidelines that we’ve set up. We’ve made combustion analysis testing part of every maintenance and demand service call. Plus, our managers meet with the service and in- stallation teams each week to discuss any CO en- counters from the past seven days and discuss best practices used during those events. Furthermore, we include combustion testing and analysis as part of our service agreement pro- gram. We currently have 1,600 service agreement W hen it comes to gas-fired equip- ment service and repair, it is always incumbent upon HVAC contrac- tors to be aware of, trained in, and ready to resolve potential combustion issues that can lead to carbon monoxide (CO) problems in your customer’s homes. At T.E. Spall & Son, we are always prepar- ing our team of 30 service and installation tech- nicians on CO safety. However, we ramp up our focus on combustion analysis and CO safe- ty through T.E. Spall University (our in-house training program) in August and September as we head into the heating season. I like to call that “sharpening the ax.” I believe that as a professional in the HVAC in- dustry and a perceived expert in the consumer’s eye, we have a responsibility to know and under- stand these concepts to ensure the health and safety of the homes and families we serve. I TAKE THIS EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY. IT ALL STARTS WITH TRAINING Being prepared to handle any CO situations we encounter isn’t something that just happens. It takes planning and training. Long ago, we in- vested in building our own training facilities. We use them to keep our team current in the basics of combustion and CO safety and on the lat- est system testing, airflow testing and diagnos- tics, and solutions. We do regular in-house training as well as bring in National Comfort Institute (NCI) every two years to recertify our field team. We have been certified as high as 100% through- out our 19 years of training in the High-Perfor- mance HVAC method with NCI. We are currently about 30% trained with an upcoming NCI class in Getting Ready for the Carbon Monoxide Season By Tom Spall MANAGEMENT SEPTEMBER 2022 15HVACTODAY.COM16 SEPTEMBER 2022HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY access to top-of-the-line CO monitors. We are an NSI 6000 reseller for NCI, and we include information about these monitors and what makes them different than store-bought detectors on every service and maintenance call. We promote their use through all of our customer communication chan- nels as well. BEING PREPARED SAVES LIVES Late Fall one year, one of our cus- tomers’ store-bought UL CO detectors went off, and she called the fire depart- ment. They came out to her house and could find nothing wrong, so they rec- ommended she contact us to identify the problem. The woman was a new mother with a five-day-old daughter. When our technician arrived on the scene, he immediately performed combustion testing and determined that a steam boiler with improper venting was the issue. As we know, typical UL detectors can see up to 70 ppm of CO for up to four hours before alarming occupants. This is extremely dangerous for any newborn baby who doesn’t yet have a fully developed immune system. We red-tagged the appliance and provided an estimate for repairs, which we couldn’t do until the fol- lowing day. However, we provid- ed the customer with a low-level CO monitor for the evening to protect her and the baby (and would allow me to sleep that night). Our team returned to the house the next day and performed draft modifi- cations and final testing. This could have been an awful situa- tion. I have had many stories like this in my 19 years of practicing the princi- ples that NCI teaches. If you don’t already do combustion testing and CO safety training, I ad- vise you to get started. Attend an NCI training event, adopt the procedures they teach, and train your people. A fish stinks from the head down: as your company’s leader, you need to be fully onboard, or any efforts to be pre- pared for CO situations are doomed to fail. I am forever grateful for the knowl- edge I’ve gained through my training experiences. It has helped our compa- ny and me to rise above the mediocrity of the world around us. customers. It is also important to note that training on our processes is con- tinuous. Developing and working on such processes is all part of a significant cultural change we began making at T.E. Spall years ago. It started with learning about the High-Performance HVAC contracting method from NCI and continues through regular train- ing and practicing it daily. Part of our process is knowing how to use the right instruments for the job. For combustion testing, we pri- marily use Bacharach Insight analyz- ers. We issue one to every service tech- nician and lead installer. Another part of the process is that all our field per- sonnel use the analyzer as a personal protection device, zeroed outside and then brought into the home. The bottom line is that as contrac- tors, we don’t know what we don’t know. All of us in the industry who work on combustion appliances are responsible for educating ourselves to ensure the safety and health of our customers and our team. This is not an option for me! THE NEED TO COMMUNICATE Another aspect of getting ready for the CO season is to let your commu- nity know you offer these services. At T.E. Spall, we do this through market- ing and advertising using traditional print media, some television, and ra- dio campaigns, and sometimes we use billboards around town. Social media is another way we try to reach customers and explain the importance of getting their systems checked regularly. Another part of what we do to pro- tect our customers is to give them Tom Spall is the owner of Carbondale, PA-Based T.E. Spall and Son, a 38-year-old HVAC and plumbing company with a gross sales volume of $6 million. He’s been a member of NCI since 2003 and is a strong pro- ponent of High-Perfor- mance HVAC contracting. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ContactMe .SEPTEMBER 2022 17HVACTODAY.COMimportance of a company’s structure and its roles. This course will help students understand personality types, better ways to communicate with customers, how to create rapport, and ways to un- derstand customer needs better. These classes are intended for your customer service team to help set them up to serve customers better profes- sionally, and leave them with a positive experience! If you’re starting out, or have been in business for decades, there’s training that you will find helpful on your path to performance. The NCI On- line University has something for everyone in your HVAC company - at all learning lev- els. These courses are created by the NCI team and are focused on helping your organization succeed and grow, at your own pace. NCI Members receive a discount on virtually all the training in our entire on- line campus (add the Learning Excel- lence Premium or Learning Excellence Online package to your membership to get unlimited access for your whole team!). Learn more about online university at ncilink.com/OLUni. Did You Know: NCI Of- fers Trial Memberships If you have peers interested in learning more about NCI membership, you can steer them toward our trial membership program. Trial membership is free for 30-days and allows contractors to “kick” the proverbial tires and see everything they get. Here is what they get: z Unlimited Toll-Free Technical Sup- port from NCI. Call our team of ex- perts to guide you through technical issues in the field step-by-step. z Four-week membership orienta- tion program with access to unique top-level member benefits, including online training, webinars, and more. z Free Technical, Sales, and Mar- keting downloads from our mem- bers-only area of the NCI website! z Access to NCI’s High-Performance Talk™ – our email discussion forum. Get advice and technical tips from hundreds of NCI Certified Contrac- tors at your fingertips! z If they have any NCI Airflow and Air Balancing Certified Technicians in their company, those techs get Free ComfortMaxx Air™ testing and lead generation software for 30 days! z Stay informed with the NCI Mem- ber Newsletter packed with techni- cal tips, industry updates, and much more! If you want to give NCI membership a trial run, go to ncilink.com/trial and sign up today. NCI Welcomes Five New Members Membership in National Comfort In- stitute (NCI) is a step toward becoming a High-Performance HVAC Contract- ing firm. It is a commitment that has an extraordinary impact on your business and team. So, it is our pleasure to recognize and welcome those new members who joined our ranks since May 1, 2022: z 24 EVCS LLC, Denver, CO z Accuraters, Burbank, CA z Benny’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Elgin, IL z Joseph Hart, Inc., Pilesgrove, NJ z Reliance Energy Services, Riverside, CA. The entire NCI team is pleased you have decided to join our family and look forward to meeting and working with all of you. Welcome!!! Online University For Your Customer Service Customer Service is at the heart of every HVAC contractor’s business. Pro- active customer service simply means being in control of conditions instead of just reacting to them. In this National Comfort Institute (NCI) online training course, “Proactive Cus- tomer Service 101,” you’ll learn about the NCI UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2022 19HVACTODAY.COMNext >