< Previous“We allow time at the end where the interviewer can spend a few minutes with each student to give them con- structive feedback. For me, that’s the best part because students can work on eye contact, proper handshakes, etc.” Miller adds that all the teachers at Polaris come from industry and bring that industry’s insight, know-how, and work ethic into their program, and pass that along to the students. “They help students understand the importance of reliability, dependabili- ty, showing up, and being a good team- mate. They encourage students to be open to learning new things,” he adds. WHAT’S NEXT? So what does the future hold for the HVACR Program at Polaris Career Center? Reitz immediately smiles and says that the future is in the hands of young men like Jonathan Paracsi. “I’m old school, and Jonathan rep- resents the next generation of instruc- tors here. He is closer in age to the stu- dents, and having him working here is fantastic. He has the right attitude and respects the trade, himself, and others. For me, that is the core of everything we teach here. “Other exciting things happening here involve making sure we have the “He went through our Construction Trades program and found his way into the refrigeration business. You never know where that road will take you, and that’s the beauty of this envi- ronment,” Miller says. Reitz adds, “One of my beliefs is that any ‘thinking trade’ requires a lifelong commitment to learning. At Polar- is, part of our mission is to instill that into our students. We tell them Polar- is is a starting point, not an endpoint. We always encourage students to con- tinue their education. Students like Hunter and Jonathan are great exam- ples of that.” He points out that such successes directly result from allowing students to dig in and learn. THE EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS UMBRELLA Miller also says that Polaris helps students navigate the employment and job search process. “We call this the employability skills umbrella. Resume writing is part of it, but we also help students with job search, interview techniques (we con- duct mock interviews with members of each program’s advisory council), and more. We will also bring in industry members to interview our students. thinking trade,” he says. “If you’re analytical, you can make a lot of mon- ey. “In general, people have the wrong perception about the trades. From my perspective, if kids like math or engi- neering, they would probably be good at HVACR. Why? Because a lot of an- alytical thinking is required – whether you are designing systems, installing them, or servicing them.” He says that it’s not enough to know how to turn a wrench. Contractors and technicians need to know what an HVACR system is (not just the equipment, but also the airflow sys- tems), what it means to take readings and understand what those readings mean, and more. He cites students like Hunter Huff as examples of that. Another exam- ple is a young man named Jonathan Paracsi, a high-school student at Po- laris who graduated and began work- ing for Total Line Refrigeration in Avon Lake, OH. Reitz says Paracsi had six months of training at Total Line, then spent the next four years as a commercial HVACR service technician, specializ- ing in restaurant, cold storage, and su- permarket refrigeration. Recently, he joined the HVACR team at Polaris as an instructional support specialist to assist in the lab setting. “Today, Jonathan is advancing his education with the help of Cuyahoga Community College and plans to transfer to a larger institution to pur- sue a four-year degree,” Reitz adds. As an aside, Doug Miller says that the owner of Total Line Refrigeration, Chris Cornet, is also a former student of Polaris. The Polaris Career Center occupies 257,000 sq. ft. of space on 47 acres of land in Middleburg Heights, Ohio. MANAGEMENT 10 APRIL 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY (Continued from page 8)courses in college,” he says. “We encourage students to develop their skills through HVACR Industry train- ing groups, manufacturers, and dis- tributors so they can get to the jour- neyman level of skills and be certified as top professionals in this trade. And thanks to continued support from our industry partners, our pro- gram will continue to thrive and offer our students meaningful careers in a growing profession.” creased interest in Polaris HVACR students from com- panies like local utility, Dominion Energy, fire alarm companies, and others who need people with electrical and HVACR training. In the end, Reitz, Miller, and Evans all agree that their mis- sion is to help create productive citizens. Reitz concludes by saying that Polaris gives students the basics and the back- ground to be successful. They work to help students develop a love of learning and continuing education so that they can get ahead in their careers. “We are like the freshman-level right technology and equipment to ensure our HVACR students are prepared to start their careers,” he continues. “Bill Evans successfully completed a grant to provide tools to students enrolled in Polaris heavy trades pro- grams. This $50,000 grant from Stan- ley and Black and Decker provides around $400 worth of tools (includ- ing a tool bag and hand tools) to each student. “We also have a partnership with Re- frigeration Sales Corp., which allows our students to purchase required mul- timeter test instruments at a discount.” “All our students graduate from Polaris knowing how to use their tools and instruments,” Reitz says. The future also includes an in- Students engage with Al D’Ambola from NCI as he teaches them about duct leakage and static pressure. APRIL 2023 11HVACTODAY.COMthe question is, “when” should these test instru- ments be used? For personal safety, you should monitor for CO any time you are concerned for someone’s safe- ty, whether it is your own or a customer’s! Tech- nicians should do combustion testing every time they install or service fuel-burning equipment. In addition, they should test whenever they work in the area with other fuel-burning equip- ment. This test is to verify that the chang- es they’ve made don’t affect other equipment. Things change, and things wear out, so it is nev- er safe to assume anything. Just changing an air filter or cleaning an evaporator coil can have ad- verse effects on the venting of a water heater if there is excessive return duct leakage. Those who keep up with the news know that many people are exposed to carbon monoxide while at home or on vacation. THE “WHAT” OF COMBUSTION TESTING “What” needs to be checked or tested? Just be- cause you were asked to service a furnace, boil- er, or water heater, you still need to check other equipment. If you are walking down a dark street at night do you only check for dangers directly in front of you or do you check for pending danger all around you? What you check just might be lifesaving. Per- sonal field experience has shown that total aware- ness of potential hazards is the only way to pre- vent them. One of my interesting experiences occurred when we had to find a home for a stray cat. We found a family with a farm who agreed to take him. As a favor, I told the owner I would do a safety check on his equipment. The furnace and water heater checked out just fine. Then we H ow many occupations directly impact consumer health and safety? Those who do are doctors and nurses, the police, fire safety forces, and the mil- itary. Usually, these groups respond to a known danger, health, or safety issue. But when HVAC contractors enter a building, we enter a world of unknowns. If we are not ded- icating our efforts to the safety of the occupants, we are not doing our job. I know of nothing more gratifying than saving someone’s life. To do this when it is only convenient or when we have the time seems careless and disappointing. THE “WHEN” OF COMBUSTION TESTING Currently, HVAC contractors have access to some of the best test instruments for measuring carbon monoxide and combustion performance for all types of fuel-burning equipment. We also have better personal monitors to keep us safe in environments that could cause some- one to be poisoned by carbon monoxide (CO). So The When-What-Who-and-Why of CO and Combustion Testing By Jim Davis SERVICE MANAGEMENT 16 APRIL 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYwater heater or other fuel-burning equipment checked (ovens, gas logs, etc.) and tested. Next question: what does “qualified contractor” mean? If you have a truck, a uniform, and a license, does that qualify you? It is unfortunate, but the truth is that only NCI Com- bustion Performance and Carbon Monoxide Safety trained contractors have the proper knowledge and skills to perform this task to the fullest. There are other train- ing programs available, but most of them are not as thorough or based on in-depth technical and scientific research. I believe current students and NCI members are the “Who” that must do this testing. Still, the industry needs many more “Who’s” out there. NCI training helps you to trust yourselves and be confident that you have the best and proven information to per- form this task. THE “WHY” OF COMBUSTION TESTING So why do this? First and foremost, it should be every HVAC contractor’s responsibility. Is the “why” just for customer satisfaction and benefit, or are there potential benefits for you? The answer is yes. The benefit is the opportunity! What may appear as a simple ser- vice call can become a very profitable event. The difference is that every- thing you offer the customer benefits them, whether it is in health, com- fort, energy savings, or equipment life. There is nothing wrong with generat- ing more income knowing you are do- ing the right thing! Preventing harm is gratifying, but you are in business to make a profit. I believe most NCI Combustion and Carbon Monoxide students regularly apply the knowledge learned in class. However, much of what they learn may be controversial, so some hesitate to take it to the next level. Are there certain fears or obstacles that keep you from taking all the nec- essary steps to correct combustion is- sues? Are you taking advantage of all the upgrades that can benefit custom- ers? Eliminating draft hoods, add- ing barometrics, and adding safety spill switches increases safety! Liabil- ity should not be the reason you are afraid, but the main reason you do correct them! Adding fan-forced combustion air controls makes sense! Bringing in out- side make-up air to better control in- filtration and exfiltration provides a healthier environment! Many of you depend on service con- tracts to guarantee continued income. Testing equipment and making all the necessary corrections for the best went into the family room that had a wood-burning fireplace in use. That room had a vaulted ceiling, and stairs led up to the children’s bedrooms. I found no CO in the family room, but upon checking the bedrooms, I measured 40 to 60 ppm in them. These kids were being poisoned when- ever the fireplace was in use! I told the owner what would be nec- essary to correct this situation and rec- ommended a low-level carbon monox- ide monitor. Not sure about the cat’s life, but these kids certainly got an extension. So, what do you check? I know that many times technicians are in a rush and just think they don’t have the time to check all the “Whats.” Howev- er, I know we have even less time to go back and a lot more to worry about if there is a “what” that goes wrong! Even checking infiltration from an at- tached garage could be a health-saving action for the occupants. THE “WHO” OF COMBUSTION TESTING How about “Who” should check, test, and monitor? Should it be up to building occupants to take care of themselves? Do you tell them to buy a carbon monoxide alarm, and they’ll be safe? Well, the fact is, alarms don’t make people safe. Alarms only let peo- ple know there is danger after the fact. Who should customers expect to provide them with safe, efficient, and dependable system operation? As an HVAC contractor or a plumber, only you are potentially qualified to do this. Every year consumers are told they should have their HVAC sys- tem checked by a qualified contrac- tor. Rarely are they told to have their APRIL 2023 17HVACTODAY.COM18 APRIL 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY SERVICE MANAGEMENT performance should minimize the time spent on these calls and make them more profitable. It also gives you the first indication that the equipment might need replacing. Years ago, a contractor I know had a service contract with a high school. The school had boilers that were sooting up. I advised him on how to eliminate this problem, but he didn’t want to do it. It was the reason he told the school why they needed a service contract. Things change, and unexpected problems or failures can always occur. Just because you serviced someone’s system last year doesn’t mean you can assume it still operates at the highest levels. You need to test! You are your customer’s lifeline, and your customer is your lifeline. Jim Davis to Lead Summit 2023 Discussion This article is based on an upcoming discussion moderated by Jim Davis at National Comfort Institute’s 2023 High-Performance HVAC Summit in Branson, MO. In its 20th year, this event focuses on the High-Performance HVAC Contracting segment of the industry and promises to be something you and your team should not miss. The focus is how high performance starts with service. In this interactive session, attendees share their experiences and approaches to keeping customers safe while generating leads from combustion testing. If you haven’t done so, sign yourself and your team up. Plan to join your peers from across the country in Branson, MO, from April 17-20. You can learn about upcoming sessions, special events, registration savings for members, and more at gotosummit.com . Also, book your hotel rooms as part of the NCI discounted block. Jim Davis is NCI’s senior instructor. His storied career is based on curiosity and discovery as he sought to solve issues that lead to car- bon monoxide production in gas-fired equipment. Along the way he developed the first combustion testing protocols and field diagnostics using a digital combustion analyzer. You can reach him at ncilink.com/ContactMe with any questions or comments. HVAC SUMMIT 2023 HIGH-PERFORMANCEAPRIL 2023 19HVACTODAY.COM customers with above-average HVAC system per- formance increases sales volume and improves brand reputation. Customer delight extends way beyond cus- tomer satisfaction. (You do know that a “C” let- ter grade is typically considered “satisfactory” on a report card, right?) It combines little things that “wow” your customers and shows how much you care about them. Customers who are delighted with your busi- ness are loyal. In addition, delighted customers are more likely to provide glowing 5-star reviews, testimonials, and referrals to their friends, neigh- bors, co-workers, and family members. CONVERT SERVICE LEADS INTO DELIGHTED CUSTOMERS Your service technicians typically visit more customers than anyone else in your business. Service techs can start the “customer delight en- gine” that will efficiently drive your business to greater success by simply measuring and record- ing a few static pressures on each call. Why should service techs measure and record static pressure on every call? If they don’t mea- sure static pressure, how can they determine if proper fan airflow is present? How can you set the refrigerant charge to proper levels if the fan airflow is too high or too low? Without the num- bers, you’re just guessing! When you measure the performance levels of the HVAC system you are servicing, you become a better service provider. You can find and solve problems that others often overlook. You can cre- ate a safer, healthier, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient environment for your customers. That’s what really delights your customers. But static pressure measurement alone doesn’t N orth America’s typical ducted HVAC system only delivers 57% of the equip- ment’s rated capacity to the living space. That’s like getting 43 ques- tions wrong on a 100-question test! Back in my day, a score of 57 resulted in a big fat “F” on your report card. A failing grade is never acceptable. The most common customer complaints asso- ciated with a failing HVAC system include: z Flu-like symptoms (headaches, nausea, and fatigue) z Rooms that are hard to heat or cool zUncontrollable humidity levels zToo much dust throughout the space z High utility bills zNoisy, unreliable equipment. High-Performance contractors know that cus- tomers are delighted when their HVAC sys- tems operate well above these “failing grade” levels. Plus, delighting your current and future Increase Sales Success: Properly Manage Service-Generated Leads By David Holt SALESNext >