It is often challenging for residential contractors to conduct appropriate combustion safety test procedures in existing homes and use effective actions to address any failures. Commonly used testing methods can be complicated to follow and may be overly conservative, producing false positive results without addressing the fundamental need for inspection of the venting system itself. Additionally, there are situations where comprehensive combustion safety tests are not necessary and prescriptive procedures can be used to address safety concerns. Methods to easily identify those situations and conduct the required actions may reduce test costs and provide a higher level of confidence that contractors are following the proper procedures to protect against combustion safety failures.
To assist in addressing these concerns and opportunities, the Building America Program hosted a free webinar that discussed both current guidelines and a field study supporting revised protocols for combustion safety testing in low-rise residential buildings.