NCI Article Library

High-Performance HVAC Resources

How to Get Diagnostic Work

Nearly all systems are in need of air-side and combustion diagnostic, but getting permission to test the systems, and getting the customer to agree to pay for repairs requires more than technical genius. We asked a number of successful NCI Performance-Based...

How to Generate Leads With HeatMaxx™

Ok, so you've trained your techs on how to test initial system performance with HeatMaxx™. You've got the forms and the right tools. So how do you generate leads form your service calls, and just as important, how do you follow up a lead from a low-scoring HeatMaxx™...

How to Determine Combustion Air Performance

Combustion air testing is performed using a draft gauge and a CO analyzer. When the draft in the flue of an appliance is low or below -.01" to -.02" W.C. and when CO reading are rising, combustion air problems are present. Carbon Monoxide diagnostics consistently...

How to Adjust Barometric Dampers on Gas-Fired Appliances

The procedure and purpose for adjusting barometric dampers for gas appliances is completely different from the reason you adjust barometric dampers on oil equipment. Let's take a look at each method to get a clearer picture of what we're trying to accomplish. OIL...

How Much Cooling Can Your Fan Afford?

The quest for higher efficiency cooling equipment is hitting a barrier. Unsuspecting installing contractors are being handed hidden liability that is difficult to identify and resolve. Certain cooling coils are being built for the highest possible SEER rating, but...

Homer Nine and Sons of Beaver, Pennsylvania

Dale Nine, owner and General Manager of Homer Nine and Sons of Beaver, Pennsylvania (about 20 miles North of Pittsburgh) is the May, 2010 NCI Member of the Month. The company name Homer Nine goes way back. Dale's first name is Homer. He is the son of Homer "Buck"...

How Does Air Balancing Save Energy?

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...

How Change Orders Keep a Job Profitable

A substantial amount of the work many of us do is based on a fixed price quote, taken from a predefined scope of work. Plan and spec work has, just as the name implies, a set of plans and specifications that we are bound by contract to follow. But what happens when...

How Airflow Affects Heating Efficiency

Airflow is critical to proper heat transfer in heating and air conditioning systems. Most of us know the rule that temperature drop over a cooling coil should be 18 to 22 degrees. If the temperature drop increases, it is evidence that airflow is low. If the...

Honest Abe Wouldn’t Guess: He’d Measure

Honest Abe Wouldn't Guess: He'd Measure by David Holt The measure of a great country are the people who lead it. Each February, the United States of America celebrates the birth of our greatest -- the 16th President of the United States -- Abraham "Honest Abe" Lincoln...