Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine November 2025

HVACR NewsMagazine November 2025

State National Chapter News

When it comes to a detailed package of training that identifies combustion deficiencies and explains corrective action, National Comfort Institute (NCI) has long been the premier trainer for understanding and tuning of combustion equipment largely in part of Jim Davis. Jim approached the issue of combustion tuning to prevent CO poisoning with relentless energy. Jim’s methods and formulas have been in the books for decades. Only on the other side of this life, will we understand the impact of life saving fundamentals Jim taught. Jim always thought operation costs and maintenance savings were secondary to life safety. Jim taught us not to worry about the cost of a quality combustion analyzer. He explained you don’t gamble on life safety with cheap equipment and the better the analyzer, the easier the problems are to solve. NCI’s training identifies a combination of scenarios to solve any number of problems found in the field. Fortunately, there are several choices in quality analyzers available today. After my initial training with NCI over two decades ago, I recalled a Mark Twain quote; "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." As a first step this season, you might purchase personal CO monitors for technicians. They are a great way to protect your employees and give instant notification in unfavorable conditions on

the job, but a combustion analyzer and training is the best way to begin.

This article was furnished by Tom Turner, The Air Evangelist. You should get to know Tom. His knowledge and commitment to the industry is greatly appreciated.

Reprint from Mayo Clinic:

Carbon monoxide poisoning: Symptoms

Carbon monoxide poisoning affects the brain and heart the most. Exposure over time might lead to symptoms that can be mistaken for those of the flu without the fever. Clearer symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning can include:

Headache. Weakness. Dizziness.

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Nausea or vomiting. Shortness of breath.

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Confusion.

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Blurred vision.

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Sleepiness.

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Loss of muscle control.

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• Loss of consciousness. Symptoms related to the nervous system and brain can come on after recovery from carbon monoxide poisoning. The risk of these is higher in older people and people who lost consciousness from breathing carbon monoxide. Symptoms might include: Movement problems. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be especially dangerous for people who are asleep or have used illicit drugs, alcohol or medicines that make them very sleepy. Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause brain damage or death before anyone realizes there's a problem. • Memory loss. • Personality changes. •