Becoming Exceptional

Jim's deep curiosity about the unknown and desire to solve problems that others couldn't solve put him in a league of his own. Jim created many procedures for combustion performance and carbon monoxide safety, each with a story. Jim remembered how and where he learned every aspect of his craft. All his knowledge is based on hands-on field experience.

He documented his field investigations in the appendix of NCI's "Combustion Performance and Carbon Monoxide Diagnostics" class manual. His stories bring you back in time to when Jim made each discovery about combustion testing.

Some of the things Jim taught contrasted with common misconceptions. Data always backed everything he taught. Jim welcomed disagreement but wouldn't tolerate opinions. If you wanted to make a claim, Jim insisted you back it up with measurements. This was the common theme on the HVAC- Talk forum. Jim posted with his alter ego username "Captain CO."

He encouraged students to go out and start testing. He truly believed the worst thing you could do was not test at all.

When Jim started at NCI, he had lunch with Al D'Ambola (one of NCI's first instructors). At lunch, Jim asked Al, "What hours do you normally answer technical support calls from students?" Al said, "All day long, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m." Jim sat quietly for a second and said he didn't think he could do that.

"Carbon monoxide is dangerous 24 hours a day; I don't think I can turn my phone off."

And up until the morning of June 20, 2026, Jim did not turn his phone off. He always answered the phone. Jim passed away early Saturday morning, leaving a hole in my heart and in the HVAC industry.

Going From a Picture in a Magazine to a Friend

For the past seven years, I have co-hosted an entertainment-based live stream on YouTube called "HVAC Overtime." Over the years, we've had some really cool guests on the show, and I've found this to be a great way to connect with industry leaders.

One Friday night, in the summer of 2022, we were doing our live show and somehow got on the topic of combustion. At some point, the conversation shifted to Jim Davis. A few minutes later, my phone starts ringing, and I look down to see that Jim is calling me on Facebook Messenger. I didn't know what to do, and I thought it was someone pranking me. I ended up answering his call live on air. That was the first time I heard the Captain's voice. He cut right to the point and said, "I hear you guys talking about me on your video."

I invited him to come on the show and sent him a link. Suddenly, Jim popped onto the screen with his signature hairstyle. One of the first things he did was apologize for his bad hair day. He was sitting in his pajamas in a recliner with his laptop on his lap. He told stories for the rest of the live stream. When the show ended, we invited him back for a second visit.

As a result, I wanted to attend one of his classes. I saw a class scheduled for Michigan and knew this was my chance. I ended up sleeping on a buddy's floor and drove an hour back and forth to the class each day. That's how badly I wanted to learn from him.

Jim threw a combustion analyzer at me during the class, which caught me off guard. I had heard stories about him throwing things, but I still wasn't expecting it. I stood up to give it back to him, and he said, "Just throw it!" That was Jim.

We stayed in touch, and a few years later, I was offered a position with NCI. Almost weekly, I spoke with Jim about questions I had. However, there were times when we would talk three times a day. Jim was always there for me and always had an answer to my questions.

Focusing on His Legacy

For the past few months, I have worked on a team at NCI to update our combustion class. As we worked on the content, we would send it to Jim for his blessing. We had our first working meeting after he passed, and someone had a technical question about the content. Another instructor said, "We need to call Jim." Everyone went silent. It was almost like reality hadn't set in.

I have watched the days pass by, anticipating my first combustion class this October. I won't be teaching my material; I will be teaching Jim's life's work. That comes with a lot of responsibility. The content that Jim created could mean the difference between life and death for someone. He has saved countless lives over his career, both directly and indirectly.

He has given us a gift by leaving a piece of himself behind for NCI to share with the world. I will do my best to make sure his legacy continues. This is how a legend lives on.