Every year we are reminded that Carbon Monoxide is a dangerous toxic by hearing news reports of people dying or getting sick and ending up in the hospital. Today I will be giving a brief review of the Bacharach Monoxor Plus Carbon Monoxide Analyzer. With this instrument, you can measure ambient CO as well as take direct flue measurements of CO in furnaces, gas appliances, or commercial boilers.

Yellow Jacket, a Ritchie Engineering Company, is a proud manufacturer of built in the USA Vacuum Pumps. The Yellow Jacket Bullet series is their economical line of vacuum pumps but that doesn’t mean they are cheaply made. These vacuum pumps are available in 3, 5, and 7 CFM Models depending on the size of the system you are looking to evacuate. They all feature a wide base with rubber legs to keep them in place during use.

Instruments that measure air velocity and air/surface temperatures are one of the most important tools an HVAC tech will have in his tool box. With these meters seeing everyday use, it is imperative that you understand the limitations of certain instruments and select the correct one. Having the right tool will help grow your business and will pay for itself and then some. With so many options out there, I wanted to highlight a few models from Extech and discuss what sets them apart.

With the weather beginning to change, the “Combustion Season” is again upon us. It’s time to analyze your old equipment and see what needs to be replaced. A new CD100A Combustible Gas Detector by UEi would be a great addition or replacement to your existing equipment. This detector is lightweight and can be used with one hand. There is an option for a headphone jack as well which can help if you are in a congested area or working in a noisy environment.

The UEi C155 Combustion Analyzer is a no nonsense analyzer that gets the job done. This analyzer can measure temperature (20-2400 F), CO2 (0-20%), CO (0-2,000ppm). The C155 uses a CO2 sensor and the CO measurements to calculate the O2 present which increases the shelf life of the sensors. This change eliminates the need for the O2 sensor which in turns eliminates your need to send it in for replacement every year.

Today I will be going over the TSI 9515 VelociCalc Air Velocity Meter. This meter is an excellent entry level air velocity meter for the professional HVAC technician. The TSI 9515 separates itself from the plethora of air velocity meters in this price range by having a range of 0 to 4,000 ft/min (0 to 20 m/s) and an accuracy of 5%.

Last week I wrote about the TSI HM675 Hydronic Manometer . Today I will be discussing its older brother the TSI HM685 Hydronic Manometer.  The HM685 manometer is an upgrade over the HM675 and has the same features but with a few upgrades. First the HM685 can calculate flow, heat flow, impeller diameter and brake power. This unit is also a data logger and stores up to 4,000 data points on the internal memory that can be used with the provided CompuDat Downloading Software.

Updated June 2024

Testo 320 - discontinued

It appears that logic and common sense has prevailed. In an announcement that seemed all too obvious, TSI Alnor has released a few new accessories for their TSI Alnor EBT731 Balometer. This includes a wheeled stand that can extend up to 15ft in the air and LogDat Mobile software that can be used via Bluetooth to operate the Balometer and see data, take pictures, record voice annotations and generate reports.

Finding a quality hydronic manometer can be a tough task. However, the TSI HM675 Hydronic Manometer is great choice. The HM675 can simultaneously measure and display low side, high side, and differential pressure. This unit also has a nice splash-proof case and inputs for two temperature probes. The HM675 reads pressure in H2O, ft H2O, psi, in. Hg, m H2O, kPa, mm Hg, bar and has a range of 0 to 300 psi. Great for setting balancing valves, checking pump performance, and balancing heating and cooling systems.