Course Outlines

Course #101 – Basic Oil Burner Installation and Service

This 160-hour course is designed to provide students the required skills to install and service residential oil heat. Theory in the classroom is combined with hands-on experience in the laboratory. Areas of instruction include, but are not limited to fuel system, combustion, electrical, controls, efficiency testing, troubleshooting, and customer service.

Course #101A – NORA Silver/Bronze Certification Exam

One-day review and exam is given for certification as an oil heat technician. Successful completion of exam and a minimum of 3 years experience results in silver certification, less than 3 years experience a bronze certification.

Course #101B – NORA Gold Certification Exam

Advanced study of oil heat systems with an exam and certification for technicians with a minimum of 5 years experience and silver certification.

Course #102 –Residential Oil Burners.

A 24-hour introduction to basic operation and servicing of residential burners for entry-level service people and as a refresher for the more experienced. Theory in the classroom is combined with hands-on experience in the laboratory. Covers fuel, elements of combustion, basic burner concepts, ignition systems, draft and venting.

Course #103 –Residential Oil Burners.

This course is designed to enhance the knowledge of oil heat technicians or installers emphasizing specific burner service and system troubleshooting. Factory training by representatives of Beckett, Carlin, and Riello are included.

Course #104 - Annual Tune-up and Combustion Efficiency Testing

This 16-hour course is designed to give a technician the proper procedures for performing an annual tune-up, including but not limited to oil tank safety inspection, burner adjustment, cleaning techniques, safety lockout testing, combustion efficiency testing, and record keeping.

Course #105 – Tanks, piping, fuel units and oil valves

This 8-hour course concentrates on installing the fuel storage and delivery side of the heating system. NFPA regulations will be studied as well as proper filtering and change-out of tanks.

Course #106 – Oil Heat Systems Servicing Procedures

This 24-hour course examines system troubleshooting, emergency (no-heat) troubleshooting, testing procedures, and the technician’s role in customer service.

Course #107 – Oil Heating Systems

In this 24-hour course the student will study how steam, warm air and hydronic systems work. Hydronic zoning will be practiced with a hands-on training board. Direct and indirect domestic hot water systems will also be studied. Hydro air systems and radiant heat will be discussed.

Course #108 – Hydronic Heating Systems Design

This course should only be taken by those who have completed Course #304 or are familiar with running heat loss calculations. IBR manuals will be used to design a complete "conventional" hydronic system for a house plan brought in by the student or provided by HTT. Alternative systems will be discussed.

Course # 112 – Combustion Efficiency Testing

The student studies the importance and mechanics of CET. Hands-on testing is performed on various units in the laboratory. Students are encouraged to bring the test equipment they will be using in the field.

Course # 113 – Oil Heat Emergency Troubleshooting

This 12-hour course concentrates on troubleshooting oil-fired systems in an emergency setting. Focusing on after hours no-heat calls from simple to difficult, the student should be able to identify and rectify problems to provide the customer with heat. Problems associated with the fuel system, electrical system, and heat delivery (air, hydronic, or steam) system are covered.

Course #201 – Pipe, Valves, and Fittings

This 3-day course concentrates on the various types of pipe, valves, and fittings used in the HVACR industry and their applications. Types of welding gasses will be discussed. Students will work in the laboratory with cutting and threading iron pipe, cutting, reaming and bending copper. The student will also perform flaring, swaging, sweating and brazing of copper. Students are encouraged to bring their own tools and tanks to class.

Course #301 - Residential A/C for the Oilheat Technician

Course #301 is a combination of #301A and #301B. The course is designed for experienced oilheat technicians who wish to gain a working knowledge of residential A/C systems. The course covers fundamentals of refrigeration principles, equipment and tools required. Included is the installation, piping, dehydration, charging, and troubleshooting of a split system. Federal law requires all technicians handling refrigerant to have Section 608 EPA certification (see Course #302).

Course #301A – Basic Residential Air Conditioning

This course focuses on the fundamentals of air conditioning including the refrigeration cycle, theory, components, installation, proper evacuation techniques, and charging a system. This class also covers the EPA requirements for safe refrigerant handling. Completion of this class will give the attendee a solid knowledge of residential air conditioning systems and their components, and the tools and skills needed to install them. Students will install a split system A/C unit.

Course #301B – Residential Air Conditioning Diagnosing and Troubleshooting

This course focuses on using the proper tools and instruments to diagnose and troubleshoot a residential air conditioning system. This course builds on the fundamentals presented in course #301A. Air side and refrigeration side problems will be discussed and analyzed. Students will get hands-on experience.

Course #302 – EPA Refrigerant Handling Certification (Section 608)

The preparatory manual is provided for home study upon registration. A review of the exam material is held prior to the administration of the exam given under the authority of ESCO Institute. Core information, basic refrigeration cycle, and all four types of EPA certification are covered.

Course #303 – R-410A Safety & Training

This course studies the refrigerants proposed to replace the phase-out of R-22 in residential A/C systems with an emphasis on R-410A being used by numerous manufacturers. The considerations of components, service tools, charging procedures and safety involving R-410A as well as the theory of the refrigerant are discussed and studied. Successful completion of the exam given at the end of the course will result in a nationally recognized certification.

Course #304 – Heat Loss & Cooling Load Calculations

Students will calculate heat loss and gain of house plans provided by the student or HTT. Reading plans and specifications of new construction as well as surveying existing houses will be studied. Calculations will be based on ACCA manuals. Students need to bring a calculator.

Course #305 – Duct Sizing

A one-day course for students who are familiar with heat loss/gain calculations or have completed Course #304. Airflow volume, velocity and static pressure are studied. The student will lay out a duct system complete with grilles, registers and diffusers. Practical versus theoretical selection is discussed and practiced. Students need to bring a calculator.

Course #306 – Troubleshooting and Servicing Heat Pumps

After a review of the principles of refrigeration this course examines heat pump operation, four-way valves, defrost systems, electrical operation, accessories and controls. Heat pump servicing and troubleshooting are discussed. Students get hands-on experience with a heat pump system in the lab.

Course #307 – Residential A/C Systems Design

Student needs to have completed Courses #304 & 305 or have an understanding of heat load calculations and duct sizing. The student will design an A/C system for a house plan provided by the student or HTT. Equipment and material selection is emphasized. Students are encouraged to bring catalogs of preferred equipment manufacturers. Student will need to bring a calculator.

Course #401 – Basic Electricity for Oil Heating Service

A course designed to familiarize the student with basic electrical theory, safety, wiring practices and electrical code compliance. Wiring diagrams and symbols are studied and put into practice. Analog and digital multimeter use are discussed and practiced. Students participate in hands-on wiring from very simple to fairly complex.

Course #402 – Introduction to Residential Oil Heating Controls

A course designed to familiarize the student with oil heating system controls. The course covers basic control theory and circuitry. Transformers, primary controls, cad cells, aquastats, fan/limit controls, and switching relays are covered in lecture. Students have the opportunity to work with the controls in the laboratory using the skills developed in Course #401.

Course #403 –Basic Electricity and Introduction to Controls for Oil Heating Service

A 24-hour course covering the lectures and hands-on included in Courses #401 and #402.

Course #404 Oil Heat Controls

This course continues where #403 leaves off. Controls are studied in depth with an emphasis on troubleshooting. Zone valve wiring and troubleshooting is studied and practiced in the laboratory.

Course #405 Practical Electricity for the Technician

This course is designed for the technician who knows enough about electricity to be dangerous. Fundamentals of electrical theory and power distribution from the pole to the heating appliance will be discussed. Compliance with the National Electrical Code as well as safety is emphasized. Wire gauge, ampacity, over-current protection and electrical hardware are discussed. Student will see and practice proper wiring techniques.

Course #406 Hydronic Zone Valves

This course is designed to familiarize the technician with the fundamentals of zone valve operation and troubleshooting. The course utilizes a training board with the most common zone valves found in the field. The technician can wire the valves and test them for proper operation.

Course #500 Gas Heating for the Oilheat Technician

This course introduces the oilheat technician to the controls and sequence of operation of gas heating appliances. The student should have a working knowledge of oil-powered heating systems. Hands-on training with live fire units is coupled with lecture sessions.

Course #501 Medium and High Efficiency Gas Furnaces

Course #502 Fundamentals of LP Service

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 Updated 2006/01/19