In The News
Thelander earned his certification by passing the stringent NATE exam. The exam reflects a consensus industry opinion on what the average technician should know in order to effectively install and service air conditioning equipment and systems.
The Onawa resident is the owner of Thelander Heating & Cooling. He has 25 years of experience working with heating and air conditioning equipment and systems.
Byron Thelander
Koenigs, recently completed his training in Kansas City, KS to join the ranks of an elite group of roughly 2000 certified CO/Combustion Analysts in the world. While some technicians are only taught the basics of checking for high CO, a Certified Analyst is trained to follow a rigorous national protocol for carbon monoxide testing on all fuel burning appliances in your home or business.
But this is only where their training begins. Certified technicians must pass a hands-on and written exam that tests their ability to diagnose and solve the real causes of carbon monoxide in indoor environments.
The Truth About Carbon Monoxide
Contrary to popular myth, cracked heat exchangers and birds nests in chimney flues are rarely the cause of carbon monoxide poisoning. More often, CO is produced as a result of improper system design, installation and maintenance. To truly solve the problem, all combustion appliances must be tested using highly accurate instruments and the right knowledge to identify and fix the real causes of CO production. These solutions often require flue and combustion air modifications and repairs.
“Our number one priority is customer safety, says
Byron Thelander, owner. We always felt we needed to know more about how CO is produced and how to stop it dead in its tracks, but now that we've had this training, we truly understand how to properly identify and fix potentially deadly CO conditions, and how to keep them from occurring in the first place.”“Not only that, continues
Thelander, we now have the tools and the know-how to optimize furnace and boiler performance to allow systems to operate at peak efficiency. This can save homeowners and businesses hundreds, sometimes thousands in energy bills.”Many Americans are exposed to both high and low levels of carbon monoxide every day, yet the problems often go undetected. Low level carbon monoxide poisoning can occur at levels as low as 10 ppm (parts per million) of CO, and is often manifested in flu-like symptoms, including headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, dizziness, and shortness of breath. It is also said to be linked to long-term health problems including chemical hypersensitivity, Parkinsons disease and more. At a recent international symposium on SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), medical researchers unveiled significant evidence of links between low-level CO and infant mortality.
Besides getting your home checked thoroughly by a certified CO analyst, the National Comfort Institute highly recommends the installation of one or more Low-level Carbon Monoxide Monitors for ongoing safety in your home or office. These professional-grade monitors, which notify you of CO levels over 9 ppm, are only sold through certified contractors like
Thelander Heating & Cooling.NCI Chairman/CEO, Dominick Guarino, and President, Rob Falke, founded the certifying organization in 1995. To date, the organization has trained and certified more than 6000 industry professionals in a variety of disciplines including system diagnostics and design, indoor air quality, air balancing, carbon monoxide anaysis and combustion efficiency.
Byron Thelander has offered to answer questions from our readers relating to carbon monoxide issues by phone and can be reached at 712-423-1810.
National Comfort Institute