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REA Diagnostic Technician

Designed for auditors and technicians who perform inspections, our IREC-accredited 5-day Diagnostic Technician course prepares participants to diagnose a variety of issues that impact optimal energy efficiency. 

REA Diagnostic Technician will help students have a deeper understanding of “House as a System” concepts while strengthening their diagnostic and analytic skills. Subjects discussed will include energy loss through the building envelope, air exchange, Indoor air quality, pressure differentials, combustion appliances. The course will look at how all these topics are intertwined, especially how they affect the Combustion Appliance Zone (CAZ) and the health and safety of the occupants. 

Students will participate in a full day of hands-on training practicing the skills taught in the classroom. Hands-on activities will include all aspects of combustion safety testing including worst case depressurization, spillage and draft testing, and flue gas analysis. Training will also include pressure diagnostics, blower door and duct leakage testing, and duct airflow testing. 

The goal of this course is to learn more in-depth techniques so that auditors and inspectors have a better understanding of the interactions between different building systems and have the tools to diagnose and remedy issues between those interactions. 

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What You'll Learn: 

• How to use diagnostic tools such as a blower door, duct blaster, combustion analyzer and flow meter 

• How to test combustion appliances to assure optimal operation 

• How to use a digital monometer to measure appliance draft, combustion appliance zone (CAZ) depressurization and room-to-room pressure imbalances 

• How to utilize pressure differentials 

• Daily safety test-out procedures 

• Fundamentals of air exchange 

• Influence of air sealing on indoor air quality 

• How to assess relative humidity levels. 

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Why Choose Our Program? 

Our training is tailored to meet the needs of professionals in the weatherization industry. With a focus on practical examples, participants will gain the expertise required to complete a comprehensive evaluation of a performance-based energy audit to include requisite documentation. 

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Program Highlights: 

• Experienced instructors 

• Interactive session and hands-on exercises 

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Prerequisites 

Recommended: We highly recommend that participants complete the REA Installer Stick Built, REA Installer Manufactured Home and REA Energy Analyst prior to taking this course. 

Physical Requirements 

• Physical Requirements: Sit or stand for long periods of time. 

• Ability to access attics and crawlspaces. 

• During class time we will be in a warehouse where temperatures can fluctuate according to the weather.  Dress in layers. 

• During lab time, we recommend wearing closed-toed shoes and clothes that can get dirty, stained and cover all skin (long-sleeved shirt and long pants). 

What to Know Before I Go? 

• Students will need to pass 100 percent of basic field instruction, installation, and testing requirements to demonstrate competency in all areas under the supervision of a field exam proctor. Some instruction, activities and testing will be performed in a group while others will be independent. 

• Students will be given a written exam on the last day and must pass with a score of 70 percent or better.     

• Digital workbooks and reference materials will be available before class via the "Current Students" page on OTI’s website.  You will need to download the workbook and other reference materials before class starts, and you're able to access or print the workbook and reference materials during class. Some exercises may require internet access to complete fully. If you do not have access to a laptop computer, tablet or smart phone, please contact Lara (lara@caporegon.org) or Nick (nick@caporegon.org).