which combustion analyzer to buy

[steve_ray1]

hi all, great place with real people and lots of info, I love this site!!

I'm curently looking at regeistering with Tssa as a contractor and I need to purchase a Combustion Analyzer, my questions are:

Do I buy a cheap one for now???
Should I go all out and buy something that will last me for years?
Should I buy one that reads NOx???
What brand are you guys using or recommending?? and what should I expect to spend??
What about maintenance and calibration costs?


Thanx
Steve

[Admin]

I haven't been very happy with my TPi 712 analyser.  It costs me around $200 a year for calibration and replacement sensors.  The natural gas detector never seems to work when I need it to.

Alot of my techs have been using Testo Analysers and seem to be happy with them.  The calibration costs are about $100 - $150 per year depending on wether or not sensors are required.

In Ontario we don't deal with NOx readings.  The state of California is the only place I know that has NOx guidelines.

[steve_ray1]

Thank you for that I was debating between the testo and and tpi??? is a gas sniffer needed for tssa interview?

[Admin]

When I had a compliance audit by the TSSA they never asked to see a flue gas analyser or natural gas leak detector.  The only equipment they asked to see was a pressure test gauge.

There is no written requirement that a heating contractor or gas fitter have a flue gas analyser, that I am aware of.

[steve_ray1]

Your right that's interesting, because in general I think most people think you do need to havea combustion analyzer to get registered as a contractor.

[Admin]

You don't even need a gas licence to register as a TSSA contractor, just an employee who has one.  I don't think you'll be put thru the typical compliance audit as you're starting a business and don't have jobs to inspect yet.  It should be a 2 hour visit by the TSSA.  They will just want to see your business documents, code book etc...  Once you're issued a contractor's registration number you can label your vehicles.

You can probably expect a full compliance audit after 1 year.

See this thread for some of the changes to the contractor registration process.