NCI Article Library

High-Performance HVAC Resources

Current Category: Testing & Balancing

John’s Refrigeration, Mesa, Arizona

John's Refrigeration has served the cooling needs of the community of Mesa, Arizona since 1970. Andrew John, the company's vice president, is the Chief Airhead of the group. Andrew owns the company with his brother Steven and his Dad, Chris who is in the process of...

Hydronic Balancing: A New Frontier for NCI Contractors

by Rob "Doc" Falke

As we are in the process of developing a commercial air and water balancing training and certification program for larger systems, we have been creating hydronic balancing forms and procedures. Water systems have been an integral part of commercial air conditioning...

How Does Air Balancing Save Energy?

by Rob "Doc" Falke

How Does Air Balancing Save Energy? by Rob "Doc" Falke, President, NCI Air balancing is a relatively small specialty profession with less than 3,000 commercial supervisors certified by four major organizations. There are fewer than 7,000 residential balancing...

Fresh Air Requirements

by National Comfort Institute, Inc.

Since the ASHRAE IAQ Standard 62 has been in turmoil for over a decade, we've put together a few rules of thumb to consider when designing and testing fresh air in homes and buildings. Fresh air intake = Occupants in a building X 15 CFM To maintain an adequate...

Flue Restrictors-Neutral Pressure Point

by National Comfort Institute, Inc.

Let's say you are working on a furnace, boiler or water heater, and when you take a draft reading the draft goes off scale. This is a good sign you have plenty of combustion air but the excess draft can cause poor fuel-air mixture or increased loss of energy. Using...

Introducing the Testo 435

by Rob "Doc" Falke

For over a decade NCI has promoted the TSI VelociCalc 8386 as the best air balancing multimeter on the market, and it's still a great test instrument. It has served us well and was the instrument of choice, but is no longer manufactured. We are committed to bringing...

Interior Doors and Intermittent HVAC Comfort Problems

by David Richardson

Interior Doors and Intermittent HVAC Comfort Problems by David Richardson This cooling season, HVAC professionals across the country will be called upon to solve intermittent comfort problems they can't recreate. These frustrating and random problems often involve...

Include the Ducts in Your Service Agreements

by Rob "Doc" Falke

Adding the ducts to your service agreements is one of the best steps you can take to move your company forward in implementing air diagnostics. It's a small thing that can bring great and immediate results. Spring is the perfect time to implement this new service....

Improving Duct Renovation Quality and Profits

by Rob "Doc" Falke

NCI contractors have been testing and renovating duct systems for nearly a dozen years now. Every few years, we review the procedures and forms we provide to support your duct renovation work so they can be upgraded to keep up with the evolution of Performance Based...

Hydronic Balancing: A New Frontier for NCI Contractors

by Rob "Doc" Falke

As we are in the process of developing a commercial air and water balancing training and certification program for larger systems, we have been creating hydronic balancing forms and procedures. Water systems have been an integral part of commercial air conditioning...