Wading into the Combustion Safety Arena

Q: I recently read in the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration News about a death due to CO poisoning and a subsequent lawsuit in a Florida apartment building. As an HVAC contractor, I have been aware of these issues for some time, but have been hesitant to involve myself in this area. I would like some help in getting started.

Hesitant in Texas

HVAC expert John Proctor responds:

A: Combustion safety and CO mitigation are not peripheral issues to being an HVAC contractor. To the contrary, these concerns represent great growth opportunities. The number of CO alarms installed is growing very fast, and that growth is projected to continue. The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) committee on residential ventilation for indoor air quality has proposed a standard that would require the installation of a CO alarm. Furthermore, the Consumer Product Safety Commission advises homeowners to get a professional to inspect their fuel-burning appliances every year. When the CO alarm goes off, when the customer wants an inspection, the professional that the consumer will be calling is you! Answering this type of call translates into a serious profit potential for you, and also elevates the standing of your firm relative to your competition.

I know many contractors are hesitant to take on this type of issue because they feel insufficiently prepared. There is also a stigma associated with talking to customers about the safety of their combustion appliances. This comes from the old days when customers were scared into buying a new furnace, because "you have a cracked heat exchanger and will die."

We have come a long way since then. What follows are my suggestions for improving your ability to address these issues:

• Get an initial introduction to modern combustion safety diagnostics from an expert. One of the best places for this is at an Affordable Comfort Conference. (You can also get an introduction to combustion safety checks in "Combustion Safety Checks," HE Mar/Apr '95, p. 19. This article can be read on the Web at www.homeenergy.org.) After this introduction, be sure to get some hands-on training on how to do the tests, how to interpret them, and how to repair the problems you will find.
• Train your technicians to tout the benefits of modern diagnostic procedures. This will position you above your competition.
• Use a consistent step-by-step procedure and enforce the procedure with your technicians. Record the results of the tests (by recording pretest and posttest performance) along with any actions taken. The procedure should at least include measuring the venting performance (draft) and measuring the CO in the flue.

Mistakes to Avoid

Buying the wrong equipment. Don't buy equipment for yourself or your technicians before you get the introductory training. For example, too many people have bought CO test equipment that is inappropriate for testing in the flue, where high temperatures are the norm. They immediately feel burned (no pun intended) because of the money they just wasted.

Inheriting a preexisting problem. Don't work on a unit that you or your technician suspect may have a combustion safety problem without checking and repairing it. This warning even applies to air conditioners that use furnaces as the air handler. As an HVAC contractor, you are the expert.

John Proctor, P.E., is the principal owner of the Proctor Engineering Group and is the developer of the CheckMe! programs.

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