HVAC

Any heating and air guys here? I'm going through the courses right now at trident tech in charleston. I'll be done in December. Just seeing if y'all work on your own or with a company. I plan to when I get done, if not earlier, work for a bigger known company to get my feet wet and get good experience and the. Eventually try to start my own thing

 

I take that you are concentrating on the "wet" side of HVAC (service) is this right ??

 

Yes this is correct

 

Ive worked for both Johnson Controls and York, Universal certified.

IMO Johnson controls have came along way in the electronics and digital control field. Although York has more gov and military contracts (York Marine packs are on Navy ships)

 

Oh man buzz did that for over 10 yrs. rough in's, installs & service. Then went into valve controls & automation, the HVAC field is tuff over in NJ right now, no one wants to pay for maintenance, companies are closing and getting bought out left and right. Customers wait until it fails and then they want it fixed yesterday. Don't miss that mess.

Good Luck to you Sir.

 

Do you enjoy workin for Johnson controls? How is the pay in this field generally

 

I feel like its the opposite here. I've heard all the bigger and medium sized companies here are thriving. I'm not really sure what drew
Me to do this field so I really hope I don't regret it haha

 

You should look into Carrier Corp. I have a few friends there they seem to like it. they are a union shop.

 

I'll think about that! I really hope my age doesn't affect wether I get hired or not. Did y'all work with any younger guys like me? I'll be 20 in July

 

oh yea, we all have to start out some where. I started when I was 18 in that field. We had a few young guys. I don't know whats in your area but look for those companies that are in the union. you will make out better in the long run. better pay, benefits company van, ect.

Carrier
Monsen Eng.
JCI

 

Thanks man I appreciate it. I'm glad to hear that because my main worry was if a big company would wanna hire someone as young as me

 

Although I've been a commercial installer for over 20 + years, I started out doing cut-ins/as builts/ retro fits/change outs , etc; with a small shop where we did all the high/low voltage controls, ran black iron gas pipe when needed, ran all condensate (PVC & Copper) ran line sets, etc; . my point is a good service guy will NEVER be out of work & being a good service tech means being well versed in all aspects, including humpin' duct like I have, Carrier is a great company/school I got my certs thru them....

You picked a great trade ...


I still love hanging this shit, dont know why tho' haha ...

 

What was yalls least favorite part of the job? I feel like mine will be hangin duct work

 

Compressor change outs can be a real ball buster (heavy) & if you encounter one that has failed due to "acid burnout" (sounds like a term from the 60's) it can be down right fatal if you fuck up discharging capacitors without a resistor, basically its a bomb waiting for ignition (spark from shorting out capac.)

When i was in Carrier school, they showed us what can happen when a careless service tech improperly discharged a capac. on a normal , relatively small uprite side by side refrigerator/freezer..

Seems it was in the basement of house & after the explosion (yes, explosion) you looked up & all you saw was a charred 3.5 ft hole in the floor up above, splintered & broken 2x12's & not much left of reefer or said technician , it was brutal, it was graphic & made a lasting impression on all of us....

You may have to hang duct, you should know how to competently stick duct together not only so it stays together but it stays somewhat air tight (within reason of course, but if they call for an air balance with a dye test for blow outs (leaks) it'd better seal, I've seen more than one job fail inspection for lack of proper ducting & sealing...

 

I work for a very small company that does appliance repair and residential HVAC.

There is hanging duct in commerical buildings, like 4WD does, and then there is doing residential installation work. You do NOT want to do residential installs. Miserable work. Service isn't bad, but installs suck.

Become a service guy, or do commercial only installs. The bigger money is going to be in commercial, but keep in mind that everything in commercial is bigger and heavier. That includes equipment, tools, and parts. And commercial usually means you're on the roof working. Climbing a 20 foot ladder and then pulling your tools up after you with a rope isn't my idea of a good time. Don't underestimate the physical demands on your body over a long career.

I personally am okay with making an good hourly rate doing residential work. I am capable of more, but that would mean carrying and climbing 20 foot ladders with tools and parts on a regular basis. I kinda like my small part changeouts and generally not needing more than a six foot step ladder. I told the boss a long time ago that I will do an install for him every now and then, but I am NOT an installer. Half an hour in an attic to diagnose and repair a forced air unit isn't bad, but eight hours pulling and hanging flex ducting blows!

 

HA!, amen to that brother.....

 

We had a 19 year old guy working with us for the last couple of years. He had gone through trade school (UTI in Arizona) and had his EPA certificate before he applied. He knew his stuff pretty well and was good with customers. He recently went into business with his dad, so we lost him.

If you take it seriously, finish your schooling and are willing to learn and take direction, I don't think you'll have a problem getting hired. The only problem we had with our young guy was that some customers (residential) would call the shop and complain that "you sent some kid out here and he just quoted me $400 bucks to fix my furnace!" We just told them "that kid knows his job well. Do you want your furnace fixed or not?"

 

Yeah I know the installs are gonna suck. And I say I'm gonna hate the duct work cause I work now for a fire protection company and we do some duct work when we install hoods and I hate doin that haha

 

And yeah that's another worry about the Job too. I don't want people questioning me all the time cause I'm so young

 

People never stop questioning you if you're in a service type trade. I'm 33 and still get treated like a thief and/or dumbass every day. Being young just makes it more frequent.

Just stay confident and stand your ground. By the time you're 25 you won't notice it anymore, it will just be the way it is.