HVAC 235 - Hydronic and Oil Heating Fundamentals

1. Demonstrate knowledge of heating oil types and values.
   1. Identify types of fuel oils.
   2. Identify the BTU value per gallon of fuel oil.
   3. Identify the effects of climate on fuel oils.
   4. Identify the effects of moisture on fuel oils.
   5. Identify storage systems for fuel oils.
   6. Identify types of supply lines for fuel oil systems.
   7. Identify the components of a fuel oil line system.
   8. Identify types of oil nozzles.
   9. Identify fuel to air ratios.
   10. Identify the products produced by burning oil.
   11. Identify what happens to oil under high pressure.
   12. Identify the preferred combustion characteristics of an oil furnace.
   13. Identify fuel line filter types and locations.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the components of an oil burner.
   1. Identify oil burner components and functions.
      1. Pump motor
      2. Oil pump
      3. Air blower wheel
      4. Pump inlet, outlet, bypass, return ports
      5. Nozzle and filter strainer
      6. Ignition electrodes
      7. Transformer
      8. Cad cell
      9. Pressure regulator and adjustment
      10. Primary control
      11. Air tube
      12. Flame retention head
      13. Adjustable air inlet collar
      14. Flexible coupler
      15. Blower housing
      16. Static disc
      17. Oil line
      18. Nozzle tube
   2. Identify purpose of a two-stage oil pump.
   3. Identify the components of an oil burner nozzle.
      1. Stainless steel distributor
      2. Tangential slots
      3. Orifice
      4. Stainless steel orifice disc
      5. Swirl chamber
      6. Brass body
      7. Retainer
      8. Sintered filter
   4. Identify the components of a single-stage piping system.
   5. Identify the components of a two-stage piping system.
   6. Identify spray types and cone shapes of oil nozzles.
   7. Identify methods of adjusting oil pressure.
   8. Identify methods of bleeding the system of air.
   9. Identify methods of adjusting the ignition contacts.
   10. Identify five rules for installing a cad cell.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of combustion chamber characteristics.
   1. Explain the purpose of refractory material in the combustion chamber.
   2. Identify heat exchanger materials.
   3. Identify heat exchanger shapes.
   4. Identify how the oil must burn in the heat exchanger.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of electrical components and wire diagrams.
   1. Identify these electrical components.
      1. Thermostat
      2. Primary control
      3. Cad cell
      4. Pump motor
      5. Blower motor
      6. Fan limit control
      7. Stack switch
      8. Oil burner transformer
      9. Ignition electrodes
      10. 24-volt transformer
      11. Safety limit switches
      12. Low voltage terminal box
   2. Trace an electrical safety circuit in a primary control.
   3. Trace an electrical safety circuit using a stack safety switch.
   4. Trace a complete oil furnace diagram.
   5. Describe the safety rules for pushing reset button.
   6. Describe safety rules for transformer and ignition contacts.
   7. Develop a safety checklist for an oil furnace.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of combustion testing.
   1. Identify the perfect combustion process.
   2. Identify these tests.
      1. Draft test
      2. Smoke test
      3. Net Temperature (stack temperature)
      4. Carbon Dioxide
      5. Combustion efficiency tests.
   3. Perform a draft test on an oil furnace.
   4. Perform a smoke test on an oil furnace.
   5. Net Temperature (stack temperature test) on an oil furnace.
   6. Perform a Carbon Dioxide test on an oil furnace.
   7. Perform a combustion test on an oil furnace.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of special tools for servicing oil furnaces.
   1. Identify usage of an electronic combustion analyzer.
   2. Identify how to use a CO2 analyzer.
   3. Identify how to use a draft gauge.
   4. Identify how to use a smoke tester.
   5. Identify how to use a chemical (Ferrite) combustion analyzer.
   6. Identify how to use an electrode gauge.
   7. Identify how to use a nozzle wrench.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of basic hydronic system.
   1. Describe a basic hydronic system.
   2. Describe the reasons for a basic hydronic system to have more than one zone.
   3. List three heat sources commonly used in hydronic systems.
   4. Develop a safety checklist for a hydronic system.
   5. Identify these hydronic components and how they operate.
      1. Air to tank or vent
      2. Return water
      3. Supply water
      4. Air eliminator
      5. Air trap cast in section
      6. Flow control valve
      7. Relief valve
      8. Pressure reducing valve
      9. Compression tank
      10. Air troll boiler fitting
      11. Air troll tank fitting
      12. Air vent
      13. High limit control
      14. Air cushion tank or expansion tank
      15. Water regaling valve
      16. Booster pump
      17. Zone control valves
      18. Centrifugal pumps
      19. Expansion joint
      20. Balancing valves
   6. State the reason a boiler is constructed in sections or tubes.
   7. Identify the purposes for eliminating the air in a system.
   8. Describe the purposes of low water cutoff devices and limit controls.
   9. Describe the purposes for an air cushion or expansion tank
   10. State the purposes of zone control valves.
8. Demonstrate knowledge of pumps and zones.
   1. Identify the components of a centrifugal pump.
      1. Motor
      2. Coupling
      3. Oil port
      4. Oil reservoir
      5. Pump impeller
      6. Pump inlet
      7. Pump outlet
      8. Shaft seal
   2. Describe how a centrifugal pump operates.
   3. Describe how a centrifugal pump performance curve is developed.
   4. Identify why a centrifugal pump is not a positive displacement pump.
   5. Develop eight charts showing changes in pump capacity (gpm) as the pump is required to  pump against a greater head pressure.
   6. Describe the relationship of pressure (psig) to height.
   7. Describe the operation of finned tube baseboard units.
   8. Describe how finned tube heating units are rated in BTUH/ft of pipe in two different flow rates.
   9. Determine how many feet of convection heat tube is needed for a given room and BTUH.
   10. Describe how an expansion valve works.
   11. Describe how a balancing valve works.
   12. Describe how a flow control valve works.
9. Demonstrate knowledge of hydronic heating piping systems.
   1. Describe how a series loop hydronic system works.
   2. Diagram the piping for a series loop hydronic heating system.
   3. Describe how a one-tube hydronic heating system works.
   4. Diagram the piping for a one-tube hydronic heating system.
   5. Describe a two-pipe reverse return system.
   6. Diagram the piping for a two-pipe reverse flow system.
   7. Describe a two-pipe direct return system.
   8. Diagram the piping for a two-pipe direct return system.
   9. Describe how a multi-zone system works.
   10. Diagram a three-zone system.
   11. Describe how a radiant panel system works.
   12. Diagram a radiant panel system using zone control valves and balancing valves.
   13. Describe how a return mono-flo valve works for radiators above the main normal resistance.
   14. Describe how a supply and return mono-flo valve works for radiators above the main high resistance.
   15. Describe how supply and return mono-flo valves work for radiators below the main.
10. Demonstrate knowledge of burners and ignition systems used on boilers.
    1. Test gas pressure.
    2. Test flame sensing current and devices.
    3. Check for proper gas valve operation.
    4. Test combustion efficiency.
    5. Test boiler efficiency.
    6. Clock the gas meter for proper fuel consumption.
    7. Test thermostat operation.
    8. Check safety limit operation.
    9. Remove, clean, and replace the gas burners.