Known Problems

COMcheck™ Version 3.4.2

Problem: COMcheck for ASHRAE 90.1-1999/2001/2004 and all codes based on ASHRAE 90.1-1999 does not provide projection factor credit when all orientations are specified (occurs in COMcheck version 3.4.2 and earlier).

Resolution: This is a software bug that will be fixed in Version 3.5.0, scheduled to be released in October 2007.

COMcheck™ Version 3.3.0

Problem: When certain types of mechanical equipment are entered in the software, the mechanical PDF report may not print.

Workaround: We recommend using a previous version of COMcheck or use the menu option "Save Report" and select the RTF file option, then open the RTF file in Word and print. Note: on some computers the COMcheck logo may not appear in the RTF file.

COMcheck™ Version 3.2.0

Problem: Heat Pump and Air-conditioner equipment efficiency requirements for the 90.1-2004 Standard are incorrect.

Solution: New equipment efficiencies effective from 01/23/2006 are not included in COMcheck Version 3.2.0. This known problem will be fixed in the next COMcheck update planned for April 2006. In the mean time, you may correct the value on your compliance report and inform your code official of the correction.

COMcheck™ Version 3.1 Release 1

Problem 1: View/Print Report on Windows 98 systems.
There is a known limitation in COMcheck 3.1.1 when attempting to launch the PDF report reader on Windows 98 operating systems. When using the "View/Print Report..." menu option COMcheck will attempt to start "acrord32.exe" to open the PDF report. "Acrord32.exe" is the default file name for the standard free download of Adobe Acrobat PDF reader. However, if you do not have this file on your system the application cannot be launched and thus the report will not be displayed. In this case you will simply be returned to the COMcheck application.

Workaround: To work around this limitation, you can download the standard Adobe Acrobat reader application from their website, or alternatively, you can use the menu option "Save Report..." then locate and use your installed PDF reader (assuming you have a PDF reader already installed that has a different application name) to open the saved file. Note, we no longer support Windows 98 systems.

Problem 2: Economizers exceptions in certain locations in ASHRAE 90.1-2001.

Solution: The economizer exemption provided by Table 6.3.1 of the ASHRAE 90.1-2001 Standard is not implemented in COMcheck-EZ because the design wet bulb temperature and number of hours between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. with specified dry bulb temperature limits are not available for the large number of locations included in COMcheck-EZ. The economizer exception is based on zones listed in IECC 2001 and 2003. This is a simplified, "deemed-to-comply" option for the ASHRAE 90.1-2001.

If you would like to claim the economizer exception, we recommend that you provide additional documentation from the Standard along with your compliance report.

Problem 3: The IPLV requirements for 90.1-2004 and 90.1-2001 should be the same and the software prints the correct values for 90.1-2001, but erroneously prints the 90.1-1999 requirements for the 90.1-2004.

Solution:This known problem will be fixed in the next COMcheck update planned for January 2006. In the mean time, you may correct the value on your compliance report and inform your code official of the correction.

COMcheck-EZ™ Version 3.0 Release 2b

Problem 1: Economizer Exceptions in COMcheck-EZ
The economizer exceptions provided by Table 6.3.1 of the ASHRAE 90.1-2001 Standard are not implemented in COMcheck-EZ because the design wet bulb temperature and number of hours between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. with specified dry bulb temperature limits are not available for the large number of locations included in COMcheck-EZ. The economizer exception in COMcheck-EZ is based on zones listed in the 2001 IECC. This is a simplified, "deemed-to-comply" option for ASHRAE 90.1-2001.

Workaround: If you are claiming the economizer exception in ASHRAE 90.1-2001, we recommend that you provide additional documentation from the Standard along with your compliance report. We will address this issue as a future enhancement to COMcheck-EZ.

COMcheck-EZ™ Version 3.0 Release 1a

Problem 1: For all mass walls in Georgia code, compliance fails due to a software bug related to mandatory requirements. The compliance index remains red, even when additional insulation is provided.

Solution 1: Georgia code has no mandatory requirements for mass walls. Download and use COMcheck-EZ Version 2.5 Release 1a until the next software update.

Problem 2: When the desired COMcheck-EZ printer is not the default printer the application may "hang" even after the desired printer has been selected in the Print dialog. This problem only occurs on certain albeit unknown systems.

Solution 2a: Before printing select the "Page Setup..." menu option and select the desired printer. Next, select "Print reports..." and reselect the desired printer in the Print dialog a second time.

Solution 2b: Use the "Save Report..." menu option to save the report to a file. The file can then be printed using any word processor.

Problem 3: When 90.1-1999, 90.1-2001, or Georgia is the selected code from the Code Menu, and a wall component is entered with an assembly type other than Concrete Block and then later changed to Concrete Block, COMcheck-EZ will crash.

Solution 3: Open the file, delete the original wall component, and re-enter the wall component, choosing the correct Concrete Block assembly.

COMcheck-EZ™ Version 3.0 Release 1

Problem 1: When COMcheck-EZ is opened by double-clicking a COMcheck-EZ data file (i.e., .cck), the default file path associated with the case file is not set such that if any data is changed and saved using the "Save" menu or toolbar button the a file will be created and saved to the COMCheck-EZ application folder instead of in the folder the case file was opened from.

Solution 1: When COMcheck-EZ is opened by double-clicking a COMcheck-EZ data file (i.e., .rck), use the "Save As..." menu and reselect the case file folder in the Save As... dialog.

Problem 2: When the desired COMcheck-EZ printer is not the default printer, the application may "hang" even after the desired printer has been selected in the Print dialog. This problem only occurs on certain albeit unknown systems.

Solution 2: Use the "Save Report..." menu option to save the report to a file. The file can then be printed using any word processor.

Problem 3: New York's code option is set to the 2003 IECC and should be set to the 2001 IECC.

Solution 3: New York users should use the previous version, COMcheck-EZ 2.5 Release 1a. A blast email will be sent to all New York subscribers to our software when the next release is available with the correction.

Problem 4: When 90.1-1999, 90.1-2001, or Georgia is the selected code from the Code Menu, and a wall component is entered with an assembly type other than Concrete Block and then later changed to Concrete Block, COMcheck-EZ will crash.

Solution 4: Open the file, delete the original wall component, and re-enter the wall component, choosing the correct Concrete Block assembly.

COMcheck-EZ™ Version 2.5 Release 1a

Problem: When the report is saved as an .rtf file and then opened in Microsoft Word, text may appear as Greek symbols.

Solution: Ctrl-A to select all of the text and change the font to Times Roman.

COMcheck-EZ™ Version 2.4 Release 2c

Problem: The following cities in Texas should have Heating Degree Days (HDD) of 2843 rather than 2433:

Allen, Anna, Fairview (Collin), Frisco, Lowry Crossing, Lucas (Collin), McKinney, Melissa, New Hope (Collin), Parker (Collin), Plano, Princeton, Prosper, Westminster, Weston.

Solution: The next software update (scheduled for September 2003) will contain the correct HDD for the above locations. In the mean time, please contact technical support for the updated weather data file.

COMcheck-EZ Version 2.4 Releases 2a, 2b

Mechanical Compliance Certificate Error

Problem 1: When certain heating equipment is chosen to show compliance to the 2001 IECC, the wording "Heating Capacity Unknown" is displayed in the mechanical description.

Solution 1: Ignore the text 'Heating Capacity Undefined' in Section 3 of your Mechanical Compliance Certificate printout. This is a bug in the 2001 IECC code version of the software. There are no additional compliance requirements for heating equipment based on capacity for the 2001 IECC. The Section 4 Requirements Checklist for the Mechanical Compliance Certificate is correct.

Unhandled Exception When Printing

Problem 2: When using the Windows 98 First Edition, an error occurs that causes COMcheck-EZ to terminate while printing compliance reports to some Hewlett Packard (HP) printers. The problem is very specific to the Windows 98 First Edition, with some of the Office 2000 components installed, and some HP printer drivers. The following drivers are known to produce this problem: HP LaserJet 4050, HP LaserJet 8000, and HP LaserJet 8150 DN.

Solution 2: The Postscript version of any of these drivers can be installed instead of the PCL driver, or in addition to the PCL driver. The Postscript driver does not produce this problem. If you need assistance locating or installing the correct Postscript driver, please contact our technical support staff. If you prefer, you can also save your reports to a file and then bring them into Word or any other text processor that supports rtf files. You may, however, have the same problems if you bring the report into WordPad.