Online Energy Auditor Certification Training Course
  • HOME
  • PRACTICE EXAMS
    • BPI PRACTICE EXAMS
    • FREE BPI EXAM QUESTIONS
    • HERS PRACTICE EXAMS
  • NEWBIES
    • WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
    • HOW DO I DO...?
    • HOW TO CHOOSE A BPI TRAINING CENTER
    • STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
  • STUDY GUIDES
    • BPI WRITTEN EXAM >
      • Section 1 Building Science Fundamentals >
        • 1a. Basic Terms & Definitions >
          • 1. Airflow in Buildings
          • 2. Equipment Efficiencies
          • 3. Power and Energy
          • 4. Effective Leakage Area
          • 5. Area Weighted R-Value
          • 6. Baseload / Seasonal Energy Use
          • 7. Driving Forces (Including Natural and Mechanical)
          • 8. Behavior of Radiation
          • 9. Thermal Resistance / Transmittance: R and U Values
          • 10. Latent / Sensible Heat
          • 11. Total Equivalent Length
          • 12. Dehumidification / Humidification
          • 13. Convert Pressure Units
          • 14. Thermal Bridges
          • 15. Pressure Boundary
          • 16. Stack Effect
          • 17. Exfiltration and Infiltration
          • 18. Natural / Mechanical Ventilation
          • 19. Net Free Area
          • 20. Input & Output Capacity
          • 21. Peak Electrical Demand
          • 22. Permeability and Perm Rating
          • 23. Standby Loss
          • 24. IAQ (indoor air quality): Moisture, CO, Dust
        • 1b. Principals of Energy, Air & Moisture Thermodynamics >
          • 1. Thermodynamics: Conduction, Convection, Radiation, ΔT
          • 2. Factors That Affect Insulation Performance
          • 3. BPI certification online with BPI practice exams and study guides.
          • 4. Heat Gain / Loss
          • 5. Power and Energy
          • 6. Moisture Transport Mechanisms
          • 7. Identify Areas of Highest Relative Humidity
          • 8. Principles of Combustion
        • 1c. Combustion Safety >
          • 1. Combustion Analysis
          • 2. Carbon Monoxide (CO) Testing
          • 3. Combustion Appliance Venting, Draft, Combustion Air & Sizing
          • 4. Understand Combustion Safety Issues
      • Section 2 Buildings and Their Systems >
        • 2a. Building Components >
          • 1. Identify basic duct configurations and components
          • 2. Identify Basic Hydronic Distribution Configurations and Components
          • 3. Identify Basic Structural Components of Residential Construction
          • 4. Thermal Boundaries and Insulation Applications
          • 5. Basic Electrical Components and Safety Considerations
          • 6. Basic Fuel Delivery Systems and Safety Considerations
          • 7. Basic bulk water management components (drainage plumbing gutters sumps etc)
          • 8. Vapor barriers/retarders
          • 9. Radiant Barrier Principles and Installations
          • 10. Understand Fenestration Types and Efficiencies
          • 11. Understand Issues Involved With Basements, Crawlspaces, Slabs, Attics, Attached Garages, Interstitial Cavities, and Bypasses
          • 12. Understand Issues Involved With Ventilation Equipment
          • 13. Understand Basic Heating / Cooling Equipment Components Controls and Operation
          • 14. Understand Basic DHW Equipment Components Controls and Operation
          • 15. Identify Common Mechanical Safety Controls
          • 16. Identify Insulation Types and R-Values
          • 17. Understand Various Mechanical Ventilation Equipment and Strategies: Spot, ERV, HRV
        • 2b. Conservation Strategies >
          • 1. Appropriate Insulation Applications and Installation Based On Existing Conditions
          • 2. Opportunity for ENERGY STAR Lighting and Appliances
          • 3. Identify Duct Sealing Opportunities and Applications
          • 4. Understand Importance of Air Leakage Control and Remediation Procedures
          • 5. Blower Door-Guided Air Sealing Techniques
          • 6. Water Conservation Devices and Strategies
          • 7. Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Conservation Strategies
          • 8. Heating & Cooling Efficiency Applications
          • 9. Proper Use of Modeling to Determine Heating and Cooling Equipment Sizing and Appropriate Energy
          • 10. Understand the Use of Utility History Analysis in Conservation Strategies
          • 11. Appropriate Applications For Sealed Crawlspaces Basements and Attics
          • 12. Identify / Understand High Density Cellulose
          • 13. Appropriate Applications for Fenestration Upgrades Including Modification or Replacement
        • 2c. Comprehensive Building Assessment Process >
          • 1. Determine Areas of Customer Complaints / Concerns in Interview
          • 2. Understand / Recognize Need For Conducting Appropriate Diagnostic Procedures
          • 3. Interaction Between Mechanical Systems, Envelope Systems and Occupant Behavior
        • 2d. Design Considerations >
          • 1. Appropriate Insulation Applications Based On Existing Conditions
          • 2. Understand Fire Codes as Necessary to Apply Home Performance in a Code-Approved Manner
          • 3. Understand / Recognize Building Locations Where Opportunities for Retrofit Materials
          • 4. Understand Climate Specific Concerns
          • 5. Understand Indoor Environment Considerations for the Environmentally Sensitive
          • 6. Understand Impact of Building Orientation, Landscape Drainage, and Grading
          • 7. Opportunity Potential Renewable Energy Applications: Geothermal, Photovoltaic, Wind
          • 8. Understand Impact of Shading on Heating / Cooling Loads
          • 9. Awareness for Solar Gain Reduction / Solar Gain Opportunities
          • 10. Understand Need for Modeling Various Options For Efficiency Upgrades
      • Section 3 Measurement & Verification of Building Performance >
        • Section 3a Measurement & Verification of Building Performance >
          • 1. Air Leakage Test Results
          • 2. Understand Building Shell / Envelope Leakage
          • 3. Apply Fundamental Construction Mathematics and Unit Conversions
          • 4. Calculate Building Tightness Levels (Minimum Ventilation Requirements)
          • 5. Calculate Heating Degree Days and Cooling Degree Days
          • 6. Identify Proper Appliance and Combustion Appliance Venting
          • 7. Ventilation calculations and strategies
          • 8. Proper methods for identifying / testing fuel leaks
          • 9. Blower door setup, accurate measurement and interpretation of results
          • 10. Combustion Appliance Zone (CAZ): depressurization, spillage, draft, Carbon Monoxide (ambient and flue)
          • 11. Carbon Monoxide (CO) evaluation: ambient
          • 12. Proper applications and use of temperature measuring devices
          • 13. Pressure pan and room to room pressure diagnostics
          • 14. Recognize contributing factors to comfort problems
          • 15. Inspect for areas containing moisture or bulk water in undesirable locations
          • 16. Understand and inspect for basic electric safety (e.g. frayed wires, open boxes, etc)
      • Section 4 BPI National Standards & Project Specifications >
        • 1. Understand applicability content and intent of BPI National Standards – Do no harm, make buildings more healthy, comfortable, durable and energy efficient
        • 2. Recognize need for a professional local/state/national codes evaluation
        • 3. Be able to specify appropriate materials and processes needed for building performance projects
      • Section 5 Analyzing Buildings Systems >
        • 1. Recognize need for air sealing measures and their impact on other building systems
        • 2. Recognize need for mechanical equipment improvements
        • 3. Understand blower door use for identifying critical air sealing areas
        • 4. Apply blower door test results and Building Tightness Limit (minimum ventilation requirements) in development of improvement strategies
        • 5. Using combustion analysis and safety testing results to develop appropriate recommendations
        • 6. Determine appropriate method for assessing wall insulation levels
        • 7. Equipment control strategies for maximizing occupant comfort and minimizing energy consumption
      • Section 6 Conduct and Communications >
        • 6a. Conservation strategies
        • 6b. Personal Safety & Work Practices >
          • 1. Locations in which to identify indoor air quality issues
          • 2. Material Safety Data Sheets
          • 3. Isolation procedures for household pollutants
          • 4. Practice building science within your limits of professional competency
          • 5. Precautions when working around chemical biological and other potential hazards
          • 6. Understand role and responsibilities of the building analyst professional
    • BPI FIELD EXAM >
      • How To Put The House Under Worst Case & CAZ
      • What's What? Pa, CFM, CFM50, CAZ, Draft, Room Pressure
      • What To Know In The Attic
      • What To Know In The House
    • BLOWER DOOR TEST >
      • Manometer Setup
    • BPI BUILDING ANALYST STANDARDS >
      • BPI Standards Decoded
  • ESSENTIALS
    • HELP, I HATE MATH!
    • AUDITOR TO CREW COMMUNICATION
    • COMMON AUDITOR / CREW MISTAKES
    • RUN LIKE HELL
    • CONTACT
  • AFTER THE EXAM
    • START A HOME PERFORMANCE BUSINESS
    • FREE ENERGY AUDITOR MINI COURSE
    • RESOURCES
  • NEWSLETTER
  • BLOG

Passing the BPI Exam With Energy Auditor Training

FREE BPI PRACTICE EXAM

Picture

PUT YOUR HOME PERFORMANCE BUSINESS ON ROCKET FUEL

Picture

ENERGY AUDITOR NEWSLETTER

Get the only Energy Auditor Marketing Newsletter with monthly strategies and tactics to grow your home performance business.

BPI Written Exam - Section 1 Building Science Fundamentals

8. Principles of Combustion: Combustion Analysis, CO

When we refer to combustion, we are talking about gas appliances such as furnace or gas pack heating system, gas water heater, dryer, fireplace, or stove or oven.  All these appliances when natural gas, propane, oil or wood to convert the fossil fuel to usable heat for our homes or appliances.  

A general formula for the combustion process is below, which is just saying that the fuel oil reacts with oxygen to give carbon dioxide, water and heat.

Fuel oil + O2 = CO2 + H2O + heat

An important byproduct of the combustion process is CO (carbon monoxide). CO is odorless and deadly and something BPI takes very seriously.  Their motto is "Do no harm" and they mean it.  During the field exam if you do not turn your ambient CO meter on before you walk into the house... FAIL.  If you do not know how to put the house under worst case conditions to test the CAZ... FAIL.  

CO is formed when there is not enough oxygen delivered to the fuel oil or when the fuel oil and air do not mix well enough, CO will be formed.

If you find high undiltued CO levels above BPI actions levels below are some actions to take to try to fix the high CO levels.  You may ask why even test for CO espically in high efficiency furnaces where little can be changed to fix the problem?  Well the answer is that we are concerned about how the furnace (or appliance) is operating as one piece of a whole system.  The furnace's operation can be influenced by dryers, exhaust fans, AHU and duct leakage and room pressures, so we need to take all those into account.  

Please see the next section to learn more about the actual test that are performed for a combustion analysis.

In an oven
  1. Adjust the air intake valve inside the oven (when it cools down) to increase the amount of air intake (its just a lever when a dampener on it)
  2. Raise the pedals higher so that more air intake is allowed under the appliance
  3. If those methods fail, call a service technician


Furnace
  1. Inspect the valves and regulators for signs of wear or build-up
  2. Check the flame color to see that it is more blue than yellow, a blue  flame indicates a cleaner burn
  3. Check the heat exchanger with a mirror to too for cracks in the exchanger
  4. Check the flue pipe to make sure nothing is blocking it or clogged in the line
  5. If those methods fail, call a service technician


Water heater
  1. Inspect the valves and regulators for signs of wear or build-up
  2. Check the flame color to see that it is more blue than yellow, a blue  flame indicates a cleaner burn
  3. Check the flue pipe to make sure nothing is blocking it or clogged in the line
  4. If those methods fail, call a service technician


BPI has action levels to take for two types of CO readings.

  1. Ambient CO levels (CO levels in the general air of the house) 35 ppm CO is the limit where you should STOP WORK IMMEDIATELY
  2. Undiluted CO is appliance specific and measured in the throat of the appliance flue
Ambient CO meter that clips onto your belt
Picture
A different monitor, allows us to test undiluted CO measurements in the throat of the flue by sticking the metal rod in the hot flue, once the appliance has been on for ten minutes and comes to a steady state.
Picture
Picture
When BPI says "combustion analysis," we are referring to several tests.  These are important to know and get straight as they are often mixed up by trainees. 

  1. Ambient CO levels
  2. Draft test
  3. Spillage test
  4. Undiluted CO test 
 Numbers 2-4 are all done under worst case conditions.  What does worst case actually mean?  Let's go to the next section to find out.

Next Section

1a. Basic terms and definitions
  1. Understand airflow in buildings / ducts: CFM, CFM50, CFM25, ACHn, ACH50, FPM
  2. Understand equipment efficiencies: AFUE, SSE, SEER, EER, HSPF
  3. Understand power and energy: watts, BTU/hr, ton of refrigeration  watt-hours, BTU, therm, decatherm
  4. Understand effective leakage area
  5. Understand area weighted R-Value
  6. Understand baseload / seasonal energy use
  7. Understand driving forces (including natural and mechanical: Pressure, temperature, moisture differential
  8. Understand behavior of radiation: emissivity, reflectivity, absorbtivity
  9. Understand thermal resistance / transmittance: R and U Values; including conversions
  10. Understand latent / Sensible heat: evaporation, condensation / specific heat, heat capacity
  11. Understand total equivalent length
  12. Understand basics of dehumidification / Humidification as well as measurement equipment
  13. Understand and convert Pressure units: Inches of Water Column (iwc), Pascal (Pa)
  14. Understand, identify thermal bridges
  15. Understand pressure boundary 
  16. Understand/define stack effect 
  17. Understand and define exfiltration and infiltration 
  18. Natural / mechanical ventilation 
  19. Understand net free area 
  20. Understand input / output capacity 
  21. Understand peak electrical demand 
  22. Understand permeability and perm rating 
  23. Understand standby loss 
  24. IAQ (indoor air quality): moisture, CO, dust
1b. Principals of energy, air & moisture
  1. Thermodynamics: conduction, convection, radiation, ΔT including air movement due to temperature gradients
  2. Factors that affect insulation performance: density, installation, moisture
  3. House pressurization/depressurization by various forces
  4. Heat gain / loss: internal, solar, heat transmission, air leakage 
  5. Power and energy: BTU content of fuels, capacity of combustion appliances and electrical appliances 
  6. Moisture transport mechanisms: bulk water, air leakage, diffusion, capillary action 
  7. Identify areas of highest relative humidity 
  8. Principles of combustion: combustion analysis, CO 
1c. Combustion science
  1. Combustion analysis: oxygen, flue-gas temperature, carbon monoxide 
  2. Carbon Monoxide (CO) testing of combustion appliances 
  3. Basics of: Combustion appliance venting, draft, and combustion air including identification of proper sizing/vent tables 
  4. Understand combustion safety issues: Combustion air, draft, worst case / baseline depressurization, spillage, backdrafting, unvented combustion appliances 
Copyright 2021 Building Science Training Center LLC
For Trainers - License BPI Course Material & Slides
Terms and Conditions