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Progressive Water Heater Troubleshooting

Most of us wrestle with frustration when it comes to solving problems related to water heater pilot outages. Some of us admit we often give it a half-hearted effort because we think the problem should be fixed by the utility company or someone else. When in many cases...

The Problem with Open Filter Racks

by David Richardson

A common installation encountered by many Performance-Based contractors is the use of open filter racks. Open filter racks are installed to allow for easy filter access by exposing an inch or so of the filter. The problems with this accessory are that it creates a...

Prism Inspection Mirrors

by National Comfort Institute, Inc.

When using an inspection mirror to read a model or serial number, there's a small problem... the number appears backwards in the mirror. Unless you have refined your brain to interpret numbers and letters backwards off of the mirror, odds are the accuracy of your...

Preparing to Balance

by NCI Staff Writer

Before starting a balancing project, make sure you are ready to perform the job at hand. Your work begins the moment you first get the set of plans. After thoroughly reviewing the specifications and general notes, start by making a list of any questions you may have...

Pocket Thermometer Diagnostics

by National Comfort Institute, Inc.

Pocket thermometers can be very effective in demonstrating that an appliance is not venting properly, and spillage is occurring. When an appliance is operating correctly, the burner area of the heater should be drawing in room air or combustion air for proper burning....

What Can Sir Isaac Newton Teach Us about Duct Renovation

by David Richardson

What Can Sir Isaac Newton Teach Us about Duct Renovation by David Richardson When Sir Isaac Newton’s name is mentioned, many of us think of him getting hit in the head with an apple and discovering gravity. However, Newton can be credited with much more than this....

Never Downplay the Value of a Visual Inspection

by Jim Davis

While performing complete combustion diagnostics is critical, visual inspection is often what solves problems before start-up and allows us to fix them. Because environmental conditions constantly change, even the most experienced technician can be fooled using...

NCI Project Workbook: Thanks for the Feedback!

by Rob "Doc" Falke

In December we released the NCI Project Workbook -- an eight page document designed to organize the forms and procedures used during an air diagnostic sales call. We received many calls and emails expressing thanks, kudos, and best of all, ideas for improvement. The...

Measuring Air Flow on Spiral Duct Systems

by National Comfort Institute, Inc.

When measuring airflow in spiral ducts, it's often impossible to get a hood over the registers to read the airflow. Some systems prevent even one good hood reading to use to make a correction factor. In this situation, traverse the trunk duct serving the registers at...

Measure Static Pressure at the High Limit Switch

by National Comfort Institute, Inc.

Hissssssssss. That's the sound nobody wants to hear when you're drilling static pressure holes near an evaporator coil. One way to avoid this awful noise on systems with gas furnaces is to measure static pressure by removing the high limit switch. In most gas...

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NCI Article Library

Progressive Water Heater Troubleshooting

The Problem with Open Filter Racks

Prism Inspection Mirrors

Preparing to Balance

Pocket Thermometer Diagnostics

What Can Sir Isaac Newton Teach Us about Duct Renovation

Never Downplay the Value of a Visual Inspection

NCI Project Workbook: Thanks for the Feedback!

Measuring Air Flow on Spiral Duct Systems

Measure Static Pressure at the High Limit Switch

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