NCI Article Library

High-Performance HVAC Resources

Current Category: Combustion Safety

Generate New Work With CO & Combustion Testing

In addition to keeping your customers safe and saving them money, CO and Combustion Testing can be a very lucrative source of revenue for your contracting company. One of the main benefits of testing is the repair work it generates. These repairs are offered by few of...

Gas Pressure Adjustments Done Right

by Jim Davis

Whether starting up new equipment or servicing existing equipment you should never assume that the recommended gas pressure of an appliance will assure safe or adequate operation. Performance cannot be determined until combustion testing has been completed. There are...

FisherAir Heating & Air Conditioning Services, Brea, CA

by National Comfort Institute, Inc.

Alan Fisher, President of FisherAir Heating and Air Conditioning Services in Brea, California, was one of the first technicians certified by the National Balancing Institute (now National Comfort Institute) in the early 1990’s. His company has kept the flame burning ever since.

Equipment Red Tagging Procedure

by Jim Davis

Equipment Red Tagging Procedure Revisited When following National Comfort Institute's Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Combustion protocols and procedures, there is a good chance you'll uncover a dangerous or potentially hazardous condition. Checking ambient CO is always the...

Electronic Combustible Gas Leak Detectors

by Jim Davis

Combustible Gas Leak Detectors should be one of the most valuable tools in our arsenal of equipment. They are time savers and income generators. However there seems to be somewhat of a mistrust in their operation and ability "I only use bubbles!" I've heard than...

Duct Leakage in Mechanical Rooms and CO

by Jim Davis

Mechanical rooms housing heating equipment are required to maintain a neutral or slightly positive pressure to prevent combustion gasses from being pulled back down the flue into the room. The only appliances that this would not affect would be sealed combustion or...

Don’t Put That Analyzer Away!

by Jim Davis

While some of us are already dealing with summer air conditioning work, in many parts of the country some of us are still dealing with heating. There's also a large number of contractors that aren't doing heating or cooling work because it is between seasons. This...

Does CO Certification Impact Your Liability?

by Jim Davis

What's my liability when I make the job right? This is a commonly asked question once contractors are taught how to diagnose and fix combustion safety and efficiency problems. My first response is another question: "Does ignoring or not diagnosing problems reduce your...

Dealing With Venting-Related Moisture Issues

by Jim Davis

Most technicians are familiar with the term Pre-Purge used to define the mechanical operation of a burner fan or draft fan prior to ignition of a burner. The main purpose of pre-purge is to operate the fan or blower to clear the combustion chamber or heat exchanger of...

Commercial Boiler Combustion Testing

by Jim Davis

Commercial burners may appear to be intimidating and you might feel they're too big to for you to work on. But when you gather the nerve to get your hands on one you'll find they are not that complicated and are quite simple to combustion test and adjust. Commercial...