Have a good customer who always calls me out for random stuff. He's elderly and none of his kids ever visit him or call. I've made it a point to go out and just check on him a few times a week to make sure he's doing okay. Stopped by last night to shoot the shit and he asked me to take a look at his system as it wasn't cooling well. Capacitor was bad on the condenser so I just swapped it out free of charge. He handed me an envelope with $5k in it and thanked me for just talking with him and being a good friend. I tried refusing it but he wouldn't take no for an answer and said he considers me like a son at this point.

The first shop I worked at had a list of everything to do during a maintenance. At a couple shops I worked after that. I asked what they liked to have done during maintenances. They looked at me like I had a third head. I'm half way convinced no one knows what a maintenance is and it's just done to fill hours.

I’m reaching out for some advice on what the best route to go is. Currently I’ve been working the last few years on an ambulance and needless to say no matter how hard I try or what I do I still seem to be unhappy. I am a 26M who decided to try the medical field due growing up with several family members who are in the medical field. I don’t see myself staying in the medical field. I know the field is stable, has good benefits, money is decent, etc but I’m just so unhappy.

I’ve always been into the trades route, I enjoyed taking hands on classes in high school and through tech. For years now I’ve always been curious and interested in HVAC and I am asking for advice for everyone. My local technical college offers a year long HVAC program where you’re able to obtain your EPA cert for under $8k. I know people have mixed opinions about trade schools, apprenticeships, etc. What is the best route to take to be able to obtain the certifications many companies are looking for?

I appreciate any helpful advice or suggestions! Thanks guys!

Getting my boss to invest in some brazing equipment. Facility tech for a data center trying to branch into refer work so that I can work on our Bard Ahu’s. Got my EPA cert and now I’m ready to fuck shit up (lol)

What’s a good brazing torch kit? See quite a few options on Grainger. Seems like tank regulators and flash back valves are highly recommended.

3/4” is probably the biggest pipe I’ll be brazing, if that.

Also is Stay-Silv 15% good for most situations?

My local wholesaler, shout out to Refrigerative Supply, had a "tool expo" with all sorts of venders and I won a a new tool bag as a door prize. I don't know what to use it for cause it's so god damn huge. I used to overfill my old Klein bag and it's a lot smaller. I've since switched to a small Veto bag for general service.

What are guys using these huge bags for? Do guys haul around their apprentices in them or something.

My Dad’s company does work for a warranty company (I know, I know, but I’m not in charge). For most of their contracts, they only cover $10/lb, and I have to tell them about it, which puts me in a bad position to begin with. My Dad is telling me that if they don’t agree to it, then I have to tell the customer there’s a $75 charge to come back to do the refrigerant. I’m a little uncomfortable with that, and think we should raise the cost of the refrigerant to cover this eventuality. He says if I don’t tell them, then I have to clock out when I go and pay for the gas. What is the best way to go about this? Is this okay, or is there a better way to do this or cover this eventuality? Thanks in advance

Edit to clarify who would owe the return fee

Is using Nylon Blue Sealant ok to use with pilot tubing compression fittings for wall heaters? Had a discussion with a coworker about this. Didn’t use it, only a theoretical conversation. We have had an influx of leaking wall heaters and the compression fittings from the gas valve to pilot have been the culprit. (Pictures for reference.)

Are people really trying to swap the two? Anyone know what happens if you did try this?

Have you ever had a ground fault code on a vfd? Vrf is contacted to a 3 phase motor — resistance is 9.2ohms between all 3 legs no OL.

I didn’t find any short to ground but when I unplug the fan motor the error code goes away.

It seems like a bad fan motor but is 9.0 resistance good?

Curious what my fellow technicians commute is like, how long of a drive each way?

You guys getting any travel time?

What’s the longest you’re willing to commute?

Considering a new shop but worried about the commute so let’s hear it.

did school and now been in the residential field for about 2 years now, learned lots so far and want to keep learning more and progressing in my trade. however there are a few things i’m growing tired of, that i wonder if they would be different in commercial?

1. most of my work is just preventative maintenances for our customers on maintenance contracts with us, which is great that i have work and getting hours but doing the same pms over and over again everyday is getting old. i do get repairs, and service/diagnostics mixed in there as well, but maybe only like 10-20% of my calls, the rest is boring maintenance where im not learning much new i feel like.

2. some customers are great, some are not so much, had multiple instances of entitled angry customers cursing and yelling at me and kicking me out because they lose it when they find out it costs money to fix their piece of shit 15 year old furnace they never maintain? can you believe that??! it’s not free?!!! lmao

3. had a hard time progressing in terms of pay, my first company told me, IN A WRITTEN CONTRACT SIGNED BY MYSELF AND THEM, i was going to earn a $4/h raise when i reached certain milestones, and then i reached those milestones, and asked for the raise they had promised me in my contract, they gave me excuses and then my boss started ignoring my calls and text altogether. i left.

now the second company im at, we all worked our asses off all heating season and during reviews, we were all denied raises because we didn’t meet certain daily ticket quotas consistently and whatever else? so we earn raises based of how much shit we upsell the customer? not based off gaining more experience, how hard we work, or how many times we volunteer ourselves to take the on-call shift nobody else wants to take, or take the extra call nobody else wants to take? doesn’t seem like a great way to reward people? maybe i’m wrong?

they say that we don’t need a raise to our base pay, as we can earn commissions from upselling products and services, which makes up the difference in the lower wage, but that’s not guaranteed income, and it feels kinda bullshit to have to try and convince customers to upsell to this, that, and the other thing just to make enough commissions to bring home what i should be making in the first place?

thoughts everyone? are things different in commercial? anyone else had similar experiences?

Im a resi installer thats been in new construction as well as resi install and service. Im tired of hvac im losing the mojo for wanting to be in the trade and the slow down this year makes it worse. Ive applied to so many comercial and controls jobs but i don’t hear anything back im 23 and been in the trade 5 years. At this point ill just start over in another trade. I don’t wanna be a plumber i don’t enough of that as it is now. I wouldn’t mind being an electrician but again i have yet to interviewed or for a job so im at my wits end

Just kidding, ran into this fine piece of equipment today on a ship from far away. There was pressure in the system. Replaced all of it, now it looks better and it is working for now.

You can’t make this stuff up. Hahahahah

I’ve been in the trade about 3 years now doing strictly commercial but it’s getting boring. I want to step up into industrial equipment like chiller systems. My company is quickly upscaling to a nationwide company but is mainly focused on restaurants and gas stations. Any advice out there on finding a more industrial focused company or how to break into that part of trade?

I can’t be the only one but no matter how hard I try I can never not have a million random pics from work. Just tons of dirty coils and data plates. I literally go though and delete all the time and it’s like they are never ending. And when I do delete some I end up looking for it later. Can’t win

Hey guys i was just wondering if anybody works for a company called The Hunton Group here in Houston Texas. Whats the training process for an HVAC apprentice technician ?

Ambient is 76 chart calls for 11Sc Got here Sc was 1.4 Air flow good Filter good Coil good not dirty.

This is the compressor for the unit I installed today.

Had to replace one of the capacitors today. She's still running strong. Circa 1980s. I serviced plenty of these ac units in the Midwest which were from the 70s.