Cincinnati, OH - Good Day Tools, a startup company, has started production of its Draft Simulator, a new device invented by co-owners Rich McFarland and Gene Warren. They predict the hand-held, battery-operated instrument will have major implications in furnace and boiler operations. The Draft Simulator can calibrate and test adjustable and factory-set pressure switches, procedures that until now involved crude tests such as sucking and blowing on a tube. The instrument produces a sustainable vacuum pressure, allowing HVAC technicians to simulate the pressures draft inducers produce on furnaces while determining when pressure switches open and close, all without a furnace running or the pressure switch even attached to the furnace.Perhaps most importantly, the Draft Simulator addresses safety issues, allowing you to catch a furnace problem before it becomes a tragedy. A pressure switch, which has a diaphragm and microswitch inside, senses pressure inside the furnace and lets electric current flow when the pressure is normal. If the pressure falls or reaches a dangerous level, the switch shuts off the electrical current to prevent damage. As an example of what can happen, if a furnace runs while the flue or heat exchanger is partially blocked, carbon monoxide poisoning or a deadly fire can result. Pressure switches commonly see use on induced draft furnaces. A relatively new component of modern furnaces, the draft inducer came about with the advent of government-mandated efficiency standards. A motor-driven blower is located in the gas burner compartment, and negative pressure produced by the draft inducer draws the flame into the furnace’s heat exchanger. A pressure switch senses the negative pressure it creates. A truly adjustable, or universal, type of pressure switch does exist, but until now, it has only been meant for emergency use. You can install one in the middle of a cold night for the furnace to run, say, until you can come back and replace it with the right switch. McFarland says this can be dangerous because you don’t know the exact pressure you set the switch at. With the Draft Simulator, you can set the switch exactly where it’s supposed to be and forget it. You don’t have to come back. “You can now use an adjustable pressure switch like a regular preset switch because you can set it accurately.”
For more information, visit www.GoodDayTools.com.
