THANK YOU GUYS for stopping in the comments section! (the all caps is to get your attention) I have a feeling that some comments may be a bit passionate.. I would love to keep all the comments but comments that have swear words in them automatically get sent to the scam folder. (there are a lot of comments in there.. Manually retrieving them is time consuming) So if possible, just use **** or select a more creative word :) Thanks guys!! Can't wait to hear your stories!
@@maazkhan-tc5ir Hey man! Unfortunately I haven't worked on those units so I would not be able to tell you off the top of my head what that could be. Perhaps someone else will have an answer for you.
I work in the industry, I will NEVER work for anyone that makes me sell unnecessary stuff, if I wouldn't change it on my own unit, i won't change it on someone else's.
A few days ago, I applied for an HVAC apprentice job that seems like the perfect fit for me and I was very excited when they called me back but one of the things I noticed during the phone call was that he mostly spoke on SALES and how important it was that I would be good at it and the reason being, it makes the tech alot of money as well as the company. With me just starting out, it did stand out to me as a bit greedy but I was so excited to be offered the job that I didn't let it bother me...that is until I saw this video and ran across this comment! I think that I will just wait patiently for something else to come around. Thank you guys!
After 22 years of working construction and having 2 to 4 bosses over my shoulder when working....being alone at work is like a breath of fresh air to me. Thats a plus in my book✊
I've been in Residential HVAC for 15+ years and I get through the bull by this philosophy. It may sound corny to some but I work for the Lord, my family, the customer and then the company in that order.
I DID HVAC-R FOR 49 yrs ,the last 17 yrs was with Hershey Co.I always worked out all my life ,I'm now 68 yrs old ,back knees etc. Still good ,under no medications ,retired 2yrs ALWAYS WEAR protection I did hat ear protection etc. HERSHEY gave us lunch 30 Minutes, on call rotation, and the best guaranteed 40 hrs a week and Union,hands down the best job I ever had,the hottest or coldest day of the year I was on a rooftop unit member of RSES CM always took classes and kept up with technology, fell on ice two times, stich my hand twice only missed work 1 week ,it was the fall on the ice,I guess I was lucky for those 49 yrs , made great money,life is great!
Awesome man! How were the hours? Looking for a trade with good life balance! I dont mind working hard. Working too much, now that is not something I'm looking for. Currently a carrier for usps and I'm working too many hours. I need balance and a well paying trade
Working by myself is the best part. I worked in a commercial building for 12 years and you have to deal with the same negative people and drama day after day. Plus I'm a introvert so I love working by myself.
3 years in the field. Rough trade at times. This past week I had ALOT of call backs. Makes you feel worthless or incompetent. When before, work is just cake. Glad to know its not just me.
Michael Martinez You’re definitely not alone...my first year in HVAC put me into a serious depression. I had done service work for 6 years prior. One year in HVAC and I was a mess. Finishing my 2nd year now and I have way more good days than bad days. You gotta take care of yourself first, and then the customer. and stay positive, you’ll find a lot more things go right.
I'm retired, and today I do electrical and HVAC basically as a side thing for family, friends, neighbors, etc. Rule #1...After checking obvious current terminals with your meter, Voltage Pen EVERYTHING in the area you're about to work on even if certain everything is off. You NEVER know. I got zapped more than once and a while back by 3 phase 460v which I thought was and should have been dead although wasn't. Luckily, it threw me back from the monster 20 hp air compressor I was working on and didn't kill me.
My boss shares a story where he accidently burned this old couple's home to the ground brazing behind a wall. He said insurance covered it, but it must have been traumatizing as hell for all parties involved.
We always feed the techs/repair people that work on our home. We ask them what they prefer and we make them homemade pizza, sandwiches, chili, fresh coffee, etc... We treat them respectfully and they have always done the same and have done quality work for us. Treat others as you want to be treated... very easy and essential!
For #9, bring a banana or two, and a bag of lightly salted almonds or hazelnuts and eat them throughout the day. The nuts and banana have fiber which keeps you feeling full longer, healthy unsaturated fats and the banana has potassium which helps your muscles repair faster. Drink milk every day for calcium for muscles and bones. That's what I do.
Again I am amazed by your knowledge with the ability to express that knowledge in an informative way to others.Being a tech can be very satisfying.You show an excitement towards your profession that seems to be lacking in our trade.Please don't burn yourself out.We need people that won't end up on one of those hidden camera shows ripping off those that are already dealing with an unexpected expense.You give me hope for our honest servicemen.You make me smile about the future.THANK YOU!!!
Hello Jay. Back in the day I had customers taking me to dinner, setting me up on dates, offering all kinds of things :-). One time I remember well, customer drove me to parts store in his newly purchased exotic vehicle. Then we both completed job, big tip and thanks for working late into the night. Huge property, he needed full time maintenance person. Offered me 2 bedroom townhome type house on property plus descent wage. I politely declined. I rode bikes back then, I enjoyed my lifestyle and freedom. I think he was politician or agent. Worst service call, elderly couple with so many cats the odor in home made me ill. Opened rooftop unit panel an threw up. Left property, ended day sick. Called authorities for welfare check, they later called company thanking me for all assistance they received. New doors an Windows, water heater and city replaced central air. They received medical attention they needed also. It was so sad to see elderly living in poverty.
The first part of the comment is awesome! :) I wish more customers were like that! As for the elderly couple, that one is sad.. It is a good reminder for me not to jump to conclusions and instantly judge homeowners for the state their house is in. You never know the whole story... It's really cool that your actions were able to get them the help they needed though! You're a boss! Thank you for sharing that!
Jake buddey, I was working on a complete install in a house in North Carolina one time and I live in Tennessee. On my last day, I started I believe 8:30 that morning my brother and I thank God he was there didn’t get home until I believe 10:30 the next day. About 25 1/2 hours of grueling labor. This was a complete job, duct work, units, wireing everything in about 3 days I believe.
I’m 58 years old I have learned as far as eating I used to rarely get to, I’ve learned to start the day with a protein drink. I stay away from junk food and soft drinks and sugar as much as possible now. I take a lot of vitamins. Take care of yourself dude. NOW, don’t wait until you get older.
I have a coworker who, when he was a rookie like me, didn’t discharge a capacitor when he was changing it out and he got shocked and thrown back a couple feet and fell into the customers bushes behind him. He said he’s lucky because he had both hand on it when it shocked him. Good reminder to always respect electricity and discharge those capacitors!
I check capacitors without discharging. Just turn off the power to the unit at the disconnect box. Then unplug the herm and fan wires. Leave common on. Test.
I do install and my lead and I are both Hispanic and one day we were at a customer's house and when he opened the door he told us he didn't want any Spanish speaking people in his house. That was a fun experience.
It happened to me couple of times because I'm an Asian. I knocked on customers house as soon as they opened the door I said good morning! And they just look at my face and didn't say anything no response to me. It made me felt like I am so unworthy on Earth but I was strong enough not to cry. But after all over 90% of them love me. :-)
@@goodkao Thanks. It disgusts me that some people can think so horribly. You have to be taught to think that way. It's awful! I wish everyone could realize their worth without it hurting them what others think. But reality is TY hat we're all subject to being affected by how others treat us. It's sad that so many people are so horrible.
If you're working for any company that wants you to sell stuff that the customer doesn't need, you should find another place to work. But if you don't have morals, then stay.
there are several comments by techs who don't like being pressed to compromise their morals by selling things people don't need..it's good to hear. Someone saying they are just miserable because they were pressured to do things that went against their consciences. I live in WV, and some people here are like that, but there's a whole other mentality in others who are proud to be thick skinned and ruthless. But the best people literally can't tolerate going against their consciences.
I try so hard to be the nicest friendliest guy I can be when I go to someone’s house. I tried so hard to instill in my helpers when I have one to always respect a persons house, no matter if it’s a million dollar house or a getto house. That makes a lot of difference when dealing with a customer.
I have been in havc trade for very short of time. Worst house I have ever been to is a house unoccupied for 2 years.The raccoon , rat,mice, squirrel,,etc.broke Ito the house, In the basement, full of insulation pieces, big,small animal dropps. I was afraid of getting sick after...
I worked in the trade and enjoyed it for a while. however the company I worked in was commission based. So service was after sales. Which is not a good thing.
I love HVAC and was working with a company that was all about selling and lots of pressure, I went back to apartment maintenance and convinced them to let me do all there HVAC work, no more selling!!
I've been in the HVAC Industry under a year. I try and eat mostly healthy. I like to stop at Walmart because I can get more for my money. I'll usually get their pre made chicken wrap and and an organic drink (been doing that for about a month).
We had a customer pull a gun on one of our techs. The tech was a former Army ranger and LEO. The Tech took the gun away from him, and held him down until the police showed up. Customer went to jail. And was charged for service call.
I got short story and a tip for #7 Before I started doing service, I did installations. I was maybe a year into my career. I was replacing the condenser outside and the disconnect to it. I asked the owner if I can see his electrical panel so I can turn the power off and replace it. He said "No worries, I can do that" thinking 'Okay, that's cool of him' Took the old disconnect out no problem, wasn't even thinking about the 2 hot lines touching the metal or my hands. Pop the hole in new disconnect, and put those 3 wires in and BANG. Like a firework in your face. My ears were ringing. My finger and nails were black. I couldn't see for a 10 minutes. Moral of the story, always test the wiring and only you turn on and off the power if your working on it.
Wow, crazy story!! I hope you fully recovered from that. Good reminder for the rest of us to never trust the customer to turn off power for you.. If they insist, I always double check before touching anything and have had a few times where it was still on. Thank you for watching and sharing your story!
When I started learning about electrical safety, for some reason I always thought about customers offering to turn off power for you and thought how would you know if they really cut it off for you. And Jay just commented that there were times when they offered and the power wasn't even off when he double checked! Lol.. I'd rather follow them to make sure they're cutting it off or just cut all the power myself. Can never be too careful! Electricity is very scary and dangerous!!
Jay, I appreciate you sharing the knowledge. You did all the classroom, and field work, then you share it with us. You have helped me immensely in repairing my HVAC. While watching my first video of yours trying to determine if my circuit board was bad, I remember saying you were trying to get somebody killed, lol. Even still, I watched it again, followed the steps, and determined it was a bad board. Replacing it proved it to be true. “If there’s power going in, but no power coming out..” pure logic. Thanks for what you do!
I have been an industrial electrician for most of work career. During this time I also became a self tout HVAC technician by reading books, buying all the necessary equipment for the job. I like how you said about the good, bad and the ugly. I have been retired for 10 years now and still doing HVAC for just family and friends. I would recommend HVAC to anyone interested of making it a career. As with any job you choose there is the good, bad and the ugly.
That's awesome that you were able to self-teach HVAC to yourself! I am sure your family and relatives are happy to have you around. Thank you for watching and affirming what was said in the video!
@NorthernCaliWay I really liked the industrial electrical tech side of the trade. Even though working with very high voltages like three phase 46,000, 7200, 4160, 480 and down to 120 volts it was the best job ever. I had a few close calls but loved my job. Yes there are times when you have some heavy lifting but you hardly ever work by yourself. I was also and electronic tech because electrical and electronics control go hand on hand. I worked alot on PLC's, Simon drives, convertors, inverters, upload, download and programming. Alot of HVAC maintenance, communications and you name it but it's all part of being an industrial electrician. You have to really like it and give it all you got with your heart and you will never have any regrets. Like my teacher when I was an electrical entern once said " electricity is like an open story book with no ending". You can be the best you can be as long as you stay up with technology.
@NorthernCaliWay The company I worked for send me to school for plc training. About 90 percent was on the job train. You learned as you go and real quick since down time is big concern for loss of production. I was also self tought on instrumentation and is why my company kept me and didn't want me to retire when the time came for me to go. I was the first to be classified as Senior Technition because of all my different skills from about 160 other electrical maintenance electricians. So the more you know and apply yourself you will become a great asset to your company you work for.
@NorthernCaliWay I worked for Freeport McMoran which is a big copper mine . There the wages and benefits were great compared to any other city, county, and federal jobs of the same trade. Nowadays all new interns have to learn electrical, instrumentation, HVAC, welding before they qualify for industrial electrician. The internship is four years.
I change careers in 2011 went back to tech school started doing residential soon thereafter didn't take long for me to realize I didn't like residential. So went back to school got some more training went into commercial and now work for a Non Profit with 8 buildings I love it. I show up to work at 7 AM and I leave at 3:30 weekends off.
I have been a HVAC/R Technician for over 31 years, I do all commercial and industrial. I love the profession and enjoy my job and am fortunate to work for a good company. I can honestly say that there are not many good companies to work for. As far as company owners, managers and salesmen the field has so many assholes that it needs a full-time proctologist!
I can relate to long hours brother, I work 19 days in a row with 12hr weekends, and thank you for sharing your knowledge with the "DIY" people. God bless bro
I worked the trade HVAC and piping industry, worked both residential and industrial, Union trained, worked a lot of hours. Made a very good living had very good benefits. Today I have two grandsons working the trade and love it.
Nice talk. The grossest environment Ive been in was a 3 door prep table in a fried chicken restaurant. The table had a leak and they only kept raw chicken inside the table. I remember opening the door and chicken juice was everywhere on every wall. I prayed the leak wasnt on the evaporator. Luckily it was a leaky schrader.
I love Jim Rohn he’s so charismatic, I especially like to start with that mentors motivation in the morning, Tony Robins, Les Brown, etc. and yeah that is something I love about working in the industry, you have a lot of time to feed the mind with good stuff.. spiritual books and/or talkings are always recommended. #5 is so true, there’s always something to learn, Thank you 🙏 for sharing man 👍
I do listen to podcast but my favorite is to listen to movies. Especially the ones I've seen because you can picture the whole movie in your mind while working.
If you knew how many times I have been hit by high voltage you wouldn’t believe it. The worst time I was under a crawl space and a number 6 wire was laying on the ground probably on a 60 amp breaker. That knocked me flat on my back.
The only difficult thing you mentioned to me was the times you may work long hours or not enough. Still not discouraged but it does give me something to prepare for. I am looking forward to your next video 👍
Thanks Aaron! Glad you enjoy the videos! Fortunately the very long hours don't happen too often so it evens itself out. (unless the company you work for is understaffed...)
I'm struggling with being pressured to sell anything...because my mind says these people can go completely without an air scrubber or surge protector and they'd be just fine but my employer pushes me to "offer" things the reality is I DONT LIKE THAT...maybe this is not for me....ugh
I worked for a cable company that pushed hard for the techs to sell and upgrade while on service calls. I never did, not once. I knew they wouldn’t fire me over it because they need good techs more than salesmen.
I completely agree the company I work for wants technicians to be salesman and not technicians. The company got bought out a few months back and they've raised the prices on everything and they expect us to sell UV lights that are $1,600.
I’m 23 and I’ve been in the buisness for 4 years. One young guy to another in the trade: GET A GYM MEMBERSHIP AND EXERCISE! Those compressors and Freon drums get lighter over time I’m telling ya😂
My neighbors were so bad to show up at my door anytime day or night. I would get so aggravated. I finally moved after about 18 years, and it’s been paradise not getting nailed every time I walk out my door by someone. I litterally use a PO Box now and try not to let people know where I live. True story.
I had a guy pull up a chair and watch silently the entire time as me and my lead installed a furnace and humidifier... it's was extremely tense and the most awkward install I've ever done
Just ran across your channel, I have 33 years experience in HVACR and appliance repair. I agree with what you have said. I also like to watch HVAC millionaire, he also has some books for sale. Keep up the good work. Enjoyed the video.
Hey love your videos! And integrity!! Im not in the field , and I have always asked companies in the past if their techs worked on commission. And if they did I didn’t use them. I told the office folks why also. Took a while to find a reliable honest company to use but I found one. The commission system is not fair to the techs or the customer. Really appreciate your videos helping me help myself! Appreciate it!
When working in Market Refrigeration, I once worked a 22 hour shift. To be fair I did work the whole day, arrived to hvac class for 2 hours (small break) and went directly back to work. Very fun and memorable
Alone time is the tough part, some days... but I do love that Heat rush in the summer $$!! YES physical job , BUT the core muscles we work 💪keeps us FIT!! I do stretching and YOGA after work ! 🧘🏼♀️ About to hit 50 🎉 and 7 years of experience in installation and service calls. 💪
You have great advice. Very sincere. Be very careful! I have always been the homeowner, if I can't be in there or under there why would I want someone else there? The rule I live by, treat others as you want to be treated. Again, Be Careful!
I had to cut a dead possum out of a basement overhead plentum duct and it started dripping on my shoes and face.. so, so nasty, the homeowner gave me a tip for new clothes.. bad day. I've been in the trade for 21 years finally opened up for myself.(much better) not as many busy days.
I tested an electric line with a 110 tester. It did not light. So I cut through it with insulated wire cutters. A huge spark burned the blades and basically welded them. It was a live 220 line. Now I use a meter!
Wow. I just bought one of those a few days ago 120/240 v Something to think about. Possible malfunction or blown bulb on voltage checker can be very dangerous
In terms of nutrition I have my own system thats worked perfectly for me in getting enough healthy calories for years...... 1) 5:30am Big Breakfast at home 2) 10:00am Protein Granola Bar or Protein Shake w handful of nuts 3) 1:00pm Sandwich 4) 4:00pm Protein Granola Bar or Protein Shake w handful of nuts 5) 630pm Big Dinner at Home ***the times are approximate based on that days schedule but I have found this set up allows me to eat a lot of food at home while consuming easy and quick items at work **I always pack at least 3 x 500ml bottles of water and a few sticks of beef jerky just in case I have to work super late
One topic I thought would have been important to some more than others is to anyone with severe allergies or reactions to bee stings, through out all seasons bees, wasp, hornets will nest and heavily populate the majority of a unit and can be very aggressive in warmer conditions. At least in northern california
Lol I was just in a place on friday, furnace call, I walked in and could smell urine so bad, my throat and eyes started watering...cats and dogs and down stairs in the basement, rabbits in a cage, free to roam...top 5 sickest places ever...nice neighbourhood, expensive houses...but theres always that 'one'
This is a small list of things that happened to me while working the trades. Some are from pre- cell phone, GPS, or computer days...... 1) Customer won't come to the door because I was 1 minute late. 2) Dog attacks from neighbors dog. 3) Girls at office scheduling me unrealistic travel time. Was often given 20 min to travel from one county to another, Which I couldn't have made even in a helicopter..... 4) Women customers coming out of the shower (naked) to ask a question. 5) Jailbait daughters walking around in their undies, flirting with us while we try and finish up and get the hell out 6) Accused of breaking antiques in the house. 7) Accused of taking things from the house. 8) Customers asking us to move furniture or other which goes beyond what we were there to fix.... 9) Worked in homes that smelled so bad I would throw up... 10) Customer would try to steal equipment from van... That is a very small list of things that have happen to me.... But at least no one was stupid enough to aim a gun at me.....
Oh man.. Sounds like the area you work in is way worse then what I have to deal with. That's some crazy stuff! Thank you for taking the time to share you experiences!
I agree with your joke, but c'mon man.. A woman loves to get the advantage over a man by attracting him sexually and then rejecting him and screaming rape
In the trade for many years. Started as a helper,worked my way up to be an estimator. Sold $980,000 my best year. My boss signed up to be a Hone Depot installer. Estimated a house for a 4 ton load based on a Manual J calculation. Customer had no existing ductwork or equipment. Install went perfect. Customer complained to Home Depot how I oversized his system. He neglected to tell Home Depot that he repaired computers in his basement and had multiple machines running all the time.Home Depot wanted my load calculations, paperwork... I even sent them pictures of the running computers. In the end, I was fully paid, and Home Depot had to appease him. After the warranty period was up, lwe fired the customer.
This one time my co worker an I went to the wrong house. The address was the same but one was place an the other one was Avenue. Ok so we went to the house. The ironic thing about this house their furnace was down also . So my co worker an started taking off the inducer motor. Then the other hvac company came in. Like what's going on here. Called my boss an told us me forgot to tell us that it was Place not Avenue. We was so mad that day
I've been in the trade 36 years and you got me beat by 2 hours I worked a 20 hour shift one time and it was for New years Eve through New Year's and the weather was freezing.
Commercial comes with way more life threatining situations. The upside is you dont have a lot of interaction, just with the manager. You submit a quote,, they pay, and your done.
I wasn’t in HVAC but in telecommunications as an installer and repairman and had most of the experiences you described in your video. I was very much able to relate to your descriptions.
So same stuff there as well.. It seems like almost all the trades who have to enter customer homes deal with similar bad things. Thank you for watching and leaving a comment!
I've been a hvac tech for 2 and a half years now. I've had people try to get free calls, I've had the engineers, and the angry unpleasant customers. I call people who hover over you "helicopters" and yes they suck. I once had a lady follow me into the attic. And she had no clue what I was doing.
The major key to your better future is you. One of the best Jim Rohn seminars. Love your videos. I'm having trouble finding good resources on beginners level load calculation, duct design and construction. Any ideas? Thanks for the videos!
Ah yes, I think all his seminars are great! We are fortunate to be able to listen to many of them for free now. As for load calculations and duct design... Unfortunately I am not a good source for that kind of information. I only do residential service work (no installs) so my experience and up-to-date knowledge on that topic is limited. I know there's quite a few videos on this topic on UA-cam but most of them are not what you would call basic or beginner. You would just have to dig around and keep browsing until you hit the gold mine you are after :) Sorry that I can't be of much help on this.
Man I'm 21 just graduated with full certifications with my NATE Core and I'm having trouble finding a job best advice for job searching or securing a job I'm very nice and kind with people and i definitly make it a priority to let them know I'm motivated. I see tons of job hiring just not what they want, they all want experienced people. Should I just call up there and ask.
Don't give up keep looking until someone is willing to hire you. When your new Never talk Politics, Never say you want your own company, be careful with your Coworkers cause now your ah thread if your smart, tell your boss your ah Company Man. N you love your job. Get enough experience n in four years go get your own Contractors Licence. Working long ours for someone Else Sucks. Get your licence n Start your own business. Advertise what you can afford. I love the HVAC Business especially when you can set your own Hours. Good luck young Man.
Have you ever noticed if your like me you will get several call backs in the same week or so. It’s made me question myself more than once, but I’ve noticed other techs I know also have them. That makes me feel a little better, lol.
The worst place I've been, I helped on a install with a boiler and I've been to hoarder homes. But this one was horrible. Couldn't see the floor. The house was covered in new and old food. Garbage everywhere and had food and water cases stacked to the ceiling. I dont even know how we got the boiler in the house
When it comes to newer units that you are stumped by, tech support is always your best friend in my experience. Pride has less value than making my repairs and moving on to the next call. The more time you spend on a single call, the more money is coming out of your pocket. As for selling, I never sell what customers don't need. But you can make good commission just by being honest. Hard start kits, saftey switches, surge protectors, air scrubbers. These things benefit customers, and you don't have to be shady to make those sales. You're already there doing the maintenance or fixing a problem, it doesn't hurt to mention things that will help the IAQ or prolong the life of their unit. Easiest way to sell a saftey switch is to equate it to a smoke detector. You don't need it; but it's there for peace of mind. I tell my customers I'd rather come home to a hot house than water damage due to a clogged condensation drain.
Yeah, those guys can be really good! Thank you for pointing that out. But if you call tech support, you better have all your measurements ready.. (pressures, temperatures, superheat, subcooling, wet bulb, etc..) They will be asking.
@@WordofAdviceTV Absolutely! Unless the system isn't running at all, there's no reason you shouldn't have your numbers in my opinion. This may contradict my previous statement, but you shouldn't just go straight to tech support. But don't be afraid to call them if you've exhausted all your troubleshooting knowledge or a call is taking a little bit longer trying to narrow down a problem.
@@Wharblegurbleh451 It's all good, this applies to me firsthand! :) Thank you for explaining all this! Every time I've called tech support, I was always impressed at how good those guys are.
1)I have a few story’s. One I was changing a filter in a return grill in the ceiling and was reaching up over my to to put the filter in and a lady that was all messed up on drugs jumped on my back and tried to help me. 2) I told a man from let’s say another country his heat exchanger was cracked and he attacked me physically. I whooped that dude pretty good. And supervisors and police were all out. But he apologized and said it was a certain medication he took that made him angry. He knew regardless that even though he was beat up he was still in trouble and I was defending myself. 3) I worked two and half months straight without a day off. And I was so tired and going to fast. Well needless to say I made a mistake. I put a can of easy seal on the high side of a package unit on the ground. It turned into and instant bomb and blew my hand open and broke my hand in two places. It could have been way worse though because the can actually blew through a stucco wall and that could have easily been my face. Obviously there are other story’s but pretty common for all techs. You will always run into the A-Holes of the world. I just put them on a do not service list. They can call someone else.
Wow, your stories were crazy!! Especially the easy seal bottle exploding, yikes! And leading up to it you worked for two and a half months straight! I thought working 3 weeks straight was a lot.. Welcome to reality... You had one heck of a tough career it sounds like, I'm glad you're alive and well to be able to share your story. Thank you very much for taking the time to share the incredible stories!!
Word of Advice TV Thank you for the reply. I’m still going strong in the HVAC world. Probably going to be 23 more years before I can retire. But here in Southern,Az Air conditioning is a must.
This wasn't when I was in HVAC, but when I did serivce work for a commercial tire company servicing down broken Semi trucks & trailers. I was on call on a long weekend from Saturday 5pm to tuesday 7am, and I had a backup on call person to help if I was ever flooded. I worked non stop saturday to tuesday and got a total of 3 hours of sleep, and thats changing semi tires over and over and over again.
Many of these "negatives" also apply to the PC (personal computer) technician job. People want everything free and have no problem demanding your time and expertise for nothing. We have had excellent HVAC techs and we really appreciate them!
The worst is doing water lines on eye wash stations in -20 weather due to a company not wanting to get heated pipes. Job told me to be prepared for that
This is no different from any other professional career. I wanted to get into nursing, and I would rather still get into HVAC then dealing with patients pooping in my face. This is more of an encouragement to get into the trade
My brother in law retired as an Oil Burner repair tech for an oil company. He went into a basement to check the problem, then tried to go to the truck for a part. The customer locked him in the basement and told him he wouldn't let him out until the oil burner was fixed. My brother in law climbed out a basement window and drove off. He called the company, told them what happened. The company wanted him to go back to the house to continue the repair - they were told a BIG NO.
i was working in a vacant unit in an apartment building. power shut off by electric/ power company. i was working on the dishwasher. and got shocked when i got to removing the power connection. it turned out the dishwasher was wired and powered by the apartment next door.
1 year in this job. Already been in a crawl space with two dead dogs, and a basement that was filled with 4 feet of sewage. The backup was shown on the walls.
My name is julian,and I am from Florida and I went to school for hvac and I been in the field approximately about 4 months,alot of the people I've had known and met so far in hvac they either endup working for their selfs,but agree with what you saying dealing with customers and people's houses it can be a nightmare,so far I haven't experience a real bad one yet,but I been to some homes that residents can be real filthy and nasty and how they lived.
Good overall presentation and covering the bases. I liked the electrical part about what's hot or what's not, nothing like 480 standing in water etc. Too many times whether it be high or low. I remember once being cranked up for about 4 hours afterwards. Almost makes you wonder if you get used to it as in how to automatically react.
@@michaelwesely3097 Thanks for saying hi, in the general maintenance field things will happen. Something else that's fun(?) is walking into a cloud of ammonia (refrigeration system),tends to stop you in your tracks. Hope all is well, GS.
I did a call at a mobile home that was so infested with roaches that afterwards while in my van I had one crawl out of my shirt and up my neck.. a little bit later one was in my pants crawling up my leg.. after stopping and thoroughly searching my body for more which I found none. a few minutes later one was crawling accross my dash board. I've had one call at a severe hoarders home where there was so much junk starting at the front door I was walking 2 feet off the floor and I had to duck down when going thru doorways the lady had many cats and her home smelled of mold and cat piss. I've only done a few calls like the ones above but I've done THOUSANDS of calls that made me feel good afterwards. rescued countless people in the middle of a HOT summer night when no other company would even answer the phone. I've been the hero of the day or night countless times in every situation imaginable..
Preach it brother! Took every word out of my mouth. I walk in the front door for the meet and greet and in the first 10 secs my helper already knows by my looks and actions... Infested houses.... Dont dare bring my tool bag into.. Plenty afternoons riding back to the shop in my boxers, uniform bagged up.. I dont wont bugs in anything i own or operate... Nasty animal owners... Ugh... Man the more i write the more i think of... Service and installs i like... Working for people not so much.. Lol but theres good bad and ugly days
@@joeyd2105 Buy permetherin and treat all your clothes with it, and your tool bag. I can't say for sure it works for roaches, but it works for biting insects. Ticks, flies, fleas, mites. it is a neurotoxin, so apply outdoors, wear gloves, and let the treated articles dry thoroughly before wearing. cats can be sensitive to it, so it may not be a good fit for cat owners.
I don't usually have issues with customers being mad. What I do have issues with though is customers using me to troubleshoot the problem and then trying to get me to give them the part to replace themselves or wants to call someone else / a friend to actually replace the part. My prices are all very reasonable but some people are just extremely cheap. What's even better is when I get a call back later because of this and they want me to now fix the issue after their buddy did it wrong.
Yeah.. There's that too.. Luckily trip fees and charging for diagnosing a system /hr compensates for that somewhat. Thank you for watching, commenting, and adding one more bad aspect!
One thing. Take care of your hands. I worked in factory automation which is similar except that you guys can use a screw gun. You might turn hundreds of screws on terminal blocks in a day and they are often obstructed and too delicate for a drill. I have thumb arthritis and you never know how useful hands are until they don't work well. My hands remember whenever I pick up a screwdriver.
I was working commercially as a food service technician. I worked on a fryer & there was literally electricity running through the grill next to it & the fryer & not only did it shock me but it also shocked the guy making sandwiches
I stoped listening to music and tailk radio as well. And only listen to things that benefit me educational. My life changed dramatically. You be surprised what can happen to you when you stop listing to thing that dont benifit you. And things that wil!!
THANK YOU GUYS for stopping in the comments section! (the all caps is to get your attention) I have a feeling that some comments may be a bit passionate.. I would love to keep all the comments but comments that have swear words in them automatically get sent to the scam folder. (there are a lot of comments in there.. Manually retrieving them is time consuming) So if possible, just use **** or select a more creative word :) Thanks guys!! Can't wait to hear your stories!
Hi bro , how's u doing??
I am getting E8 alarm in cassette unit of Carrier, can u please help how can I remove it.
Waiting for Ur reply
@@maazkhan-tc5ir Hey man! Unfortunately I haven't worked on those units so I would not be able to tell you off the top of my head what that could be. Perhaps someone else will have an answer for you.
Try Jordon Peterson.
I work in the industry, I will NEVER work for anyone that makes me sell unnecessary stuff, if I wouldn't change it on my own unit, i won't change it on someone else's.
Good man! :) I wish all techs were like that! Thank you for watching and commenting!
If that's true (no reason to doubt it), you are very different from a lot of them.
A few days ago, I applied for an HVAC apprentice job that seems like the perfect fit for me and I was very excited when they called me back but one of the things I noticed during the phone call was that he mostly spoke on SALES and how important it was that I would be good at it and the reason being, it makes the tech alot of money as well as the company. With me just starting out, it did stand out to me as a bit greedy but I was so excited to be offered the job that I didn't let it bother me...that is until I saw this video and ran across this comment! I think that I will just wait patiently for something else to come around. Thank you guys!
@kendrasmith8838 did you find something better?
@@jjDub331💀
After 22 years of working construction and having 2 to 4 bosses over my shoulder when working....being alone at work is like a breath of fresh air to me. Thats a plus in my book✊
I've been in Residential HVAC for 15+ years and I get through the bull by this philosophy. It may sound corny to some but I work for the Lord, my family, the customer and then the company in that order.
Words to live by, Thanks. Im just getting into the industry
Your a good man sir. God bless
Great advice always have God in my first place as well
Very well said! 🙏🏾❤️
I like that alot!
I DID HVAC-R FOR 49 yrs ,the last 17 yrs was with Hershey Co.I always worked out all my life ,I'm now 68 yrs old ,back knees etc. Still good ,under no medications ,retired 2yrs ALWAYS WEAR protection I did hat ear protection etc. HERSHEY gave us lunch 30 Minutes, on call rotation, and the best guaranteed 40 hrs a week and Union,hands down the best job I ever had,the hottest or coldest day of the year I was on a rooftop unit member of RSES CM always took classes and kept up with technology, fell on ice two times, stich my hand twice only missed work 1 week ,it was the fall on the ice,I guess I was lucky for those 49 yrs , made great money,life is great!
Awesome man! How were the hours? Looking for a trade with good life balance! I dont mind working hard. Working too much, now that is not something I'm looking for. Currently a carrier for usps and I'm working too many hours. I need balance and a well paying trade
Walter, that is awesome!!!!
Definitely doesn't sound like residential service. That's likely how you got away with it.
Working by myself is the best part. I worked in a commercial building for 12 years and you have to deal with the same negative people and drama day after day. Plus I'm a introvert so I love working by myself.
3 years in the field. Rough trade at times. This past week I had ALOT of call backs. Makes you feel worthless or incompetent. When before, work is just cake. Glad to know its not just me.
Yeahh.. Happens to all of us. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Some times it feels like you can’t get anything right and other times you feel like a genius. Very humbling trade
Michael Martinez You’re definitely not alone...my first year in HVAC put me into a serious depression. I had done service work for 6 years prior. One year in HVAC and I was a mess. Finishing my 2nd year now and I have way more good days than bad days. You gotta take care of yourself first, and then the customer. and stay positive, you’ll find a lot more things go right.
If u never had call backs ur not the tech on site ur the helper
It’s the rough times learning that make you a better technician
I'm retired, and today I do electrical and HVAC basically as a side thing for family, friends, neighbors, etc. Rule #1...After checking obvious current terminals with your meter, Voltage Pen EVERYTHING in the area you're about to work on even if certain everything is off. You NEVER know. I got zapped more than once and a while back by 3 phase 460v which I thought was and should have been dead although wasn't. Luckily, it threw me back from the monster 20 hp air compressor I was working on and didn't kill me.
Wow, scary stuff!! Indeed, always double and triple check! Thank you for sharing and for stressing safety! Better triple check then get killed..
That's cool and sounds fun; not the zappy part lol
My boss shares a story where he accidently burned this old couple's home to the ground brazing behind a wall. He said insurance covered it, but it must have been traumatizing as hell for all parties involved.
My teacher told me a story how he drove a company truck into a lake 😂😂
😲 WOW!!!
thats alsome thats so funny
But how did the fire start?
@@social3ngin33rin google brazing
We always feed the techs/repair people that work on our home. We ask them what they prefer and we make them homemade pizza, sandwiches, chili, fresh coffee, etc... We treat them respectfully and they have always done the same and have done quality work for us. Treat others as you want to be treated... very easy and essential!
The world needs more people like you🙂 God bless you🙏🏾
For #9, bring a banana or two, and a bag of lightly salted almonds or hazelnuts and eat them throughout the day. The nuts and banana have fiber which keeps you feeling full longer, healthy unsaturated fats and the banana has potassium which helps your muscles repair faster. Drink milk every day for calcium for muscles and bones. That's what I do.
And dont forget garlic to boost of testarone
Again I am amazed by your knowledge with the ability to express that knowledge in an informative way to others.Being a tech can be very satisfying.You show an excitement towards your profession that seems to be lacking in our trade.Please don't burn yourself out.We need people that won't end up on one of those hidden camera shows ripping off those that are already dealing with an unexpected expense.You give me hope for our honest servicemen.You make me smile about the future.THANK YOU!!!
Hello Jay. Back in the day I had customers taking me to dinner, setting me up on dates, offering all kinds of things :-). One time I remember well, customer drove me to parts store in his newly purchased exotic vehicle. Then we both completed job, big tip and thanks for working late into the night. Huge property, he needed full time maintenance person. Offered me 2 bedroom townhome type house on property plus descent wage. I politely declined. I rode bikes back then, I enjoyed my lifestyle and freedom. I think he was politician or agent. Worst service call, elderly couple with so many cats the odor in home made me ill. Opened rooftop unit panel an threw up. Left property, ended day sick. Called authorities for welfare check, they later called company thanking me for all assistance they received. New doors an Windows, water heater and city replaced central air. They received medical attention they needed also. It was so sad to see elderly living in poverty.
The first part of the comment is awesome! :) I wish more customers were like that! As for the elderly couple, that one is sad.. It is a good reminder for me not to jump to conclusions and instantly judge homeowners for the state their house is in. You never know the whole story... It's really cool that your actions were able to get them the help they needed though! You're a boss! Thank you for sharing that!
Jake buddey, I was working on a complete install in a house in North Carolina one time and I live in Tennessee. On my last day, I started I believe 8:30 that morning my brother and I thank God he was there didn’t get home until I believe 10:30 the next day. About 25 1/2 hours of grueling labor. This was a complete job, duct work, units, wireing everything in about 3 days I believe.
I’m 58 years old I have learned as far as eating I used to rarely get to, I’ve learned to start the day with a protein drink. I stay away from junk food and soft drinks and sugar as much as possible now. I take a lot of vitamins. Take care of yourself dude. NOW, don’t wait until you get older.
I have a coworker who, when he was a rookie like me, didn’t discharge a capacitor when he was changing it out and he got shocked and thrown back a couple feet and fell into the customers bushes behind him. He said he’s lucky because he had both hand on it when it shocked him. Good reminder to always respect electricity and discharge those capacitors!
I check capacitors without discharging. Just turn off the power to the unit at the disconnect box. Then unplug the herm and fan wires. Leave common on. Test.
I do install and my lead and I are both Hispanic and one day we were at a customer's house and when he opened the door he told us he didn't want any Spanish speaking people in his house. That was a fun experience.
Sorry to hear that! I'm a white guy who doesn't care what color anyone's skin is. Don't let the jerks get you down.
It happened to me couple of times because I'm an Asian. I knocked on customers house as soon as they opened the door I said good morning! And they just look at my face and didn't say anything no response to me. It made me felt like I am so unworthy on Earth but I was strong enough not to cry. But after all over 90% of them love me. :-)
@@yepper1165 You are one of the true human beings. God bless you for who you are.
@@goodkao Thanks. It disgusts me that some people can think so horribly. You have to be taught to think that way. It's awful! I wish everyone could realize their worth without it hurting them what others think. But reality is TY hat we're all subject to being affected by how others treat us. It's sad that so many people are so horrible.
Haters gonna hate, keep up the good work
If you're working for any company that wants you to sell stuff that the customer doesn't need, you should find another place to work. But if you don't have morals, then stay.
Unless you like making money while working
there are several comments by techs who don't like being pressed to compromise their morals by selling things people don't need..it's good to hear. Someone saying they are just miserable because they were pressured to do things that went against their consciences. I live in WV, and some people here are like that, but there's a whole other mentality in others who are proud to be thick skinned and ruthless. But the best people literally can't tolerate going against their consciences.
Whatever man
New staff is always better then old staff anyway! So , no problem with moral .
@@yuriigorg721 he said morals, not "moral", as in "selling parts that people don't need is immoral".
greenspringvalley
Ok...
However, sometimes, people don’t understand what they really need because they are not professionals in HVAC.
I try so hard to be the nicest friendliest guy I can be when I go to someone’s house. I tried so hard to instill in my helpers when I have one to always respect a persons house, no matter if it’s a million dollar house or a getto house. That makes a lot of difference when dealing with a customer.
I like the alone time.
I have been in havc trade for very short of time. Worst house I have ever been to is a house unoccupied for 2 years.The raccoon , rat,mice, squirrel,,etc.broke Ito the house, In the basement, full of insulation pieces, big,small animal dropps. I was afraid of getting sick after...
I worked in the trade and enjoyed it for a while. however the company I worked in was commission based. So service was after sales. Which is not a good thing.
I like how you said that! "Service is after sales". That's exactly what ends up happening! It's unfortunate that many companies are like that.
I love HVAC and was working with a company that was all about selling and lots of pressure, I went back to apartment maintenance and convinced them to let me do all there HVAC work, no more selling!!
Nice! Yeah, it's definitely freeing to not be pressured to sell anymore! Kudos to you for tracking down a job you wanted!
He really does articulate words of advice very well
@@earthling94 Lol, thanks Steve!
They're ALLLLLL about selling!👎
Very smart move. Me to and it's alot more laid back. More consistant 40 as well and benifits
I've been in the HVAC Industry under a year. I try and eat mostly healthy. I like to stop at Walmart because I can get more for my money. I'll usually get their pre made chicken wrap and and an organic drink (been doing that for about a month).
We had a customer pull a gun on one of our techs. The tech was a former Army ranger and LEO. The Tech took the gun away from him, and held him down until the police showed up. Customer went to jail. And was charged for service call.
Wow. That is impressive for multiple reasons! Thank you for sharing!
I got short story and a tip for #7
Before I started doing service, I did installations. I was maybe a year into my career. I was replacing the condenser outside and the disconnect to it. I asked the owner if I can see his electrical panel so I can turn the power off and replace it. He said "No worries, I can do that" thinking 'Okay, that's cool of him'
Took the old disconnect out no problem, wasn't even thinking about the 2 hot lines touching the metal or my hands. Pop the hole in new disconnect, and put those 3 wires in and BANG. Like a firework in your face. My ears were ringing. My finger and nails were black. I couldn't see for a 10 minutes.
Moral of the story, always test the wiring and only you turn on and off the power if your working on it.
Wow, crazy story!! I hope you fully recovered from that. Good reminder for the rest of us to never trust the customer to turn off power for you.. If they insist, I always double check before touching anything and have had a few times where it was still on. Thank you for watching and sharing your story!
When I started learning about electrical safety, for some reason I always thought about customers offering to turn off power for you and thought how would you know if they really cut it off for you. And Jay just commented that there were times when they offered and the power wasn't even off when he double checked!
Lol.. I'd rather follow them to make sure they're cutting it off or just cut all the power myself. Can never be too careful! Electricity is very scary and dangerous!!
Moral of the story is NEVER trust anyone but yourself go do it yourself I've learned that the hard way
Jay, I appreciate you sharing the knowledge. You did all the classroom, and field work, then you share it with us. You have helped me immensely in repairing my HVAC. While watching my first video of yours trying to determine if my circuit board was bad, I remember saying you were trying to get somebody killed, lol. Even still, I watched it again, followed the steps, and determined it was a bad board. Replacing it proved it to be true. “If there’s power going in, but no power coming out..” pure logic. Thanks for what you do!
You're welcome! :) Glad to hear that my videos were helpful! Thank you for watching them and leaving a comment!
My longest day was 19 hours. That’s when I was green in the field. I won’t do anything over 12-13 hours in a day now
Thank God!!!
Thank God!!!
I had that long one weekend and now I can do it in eight hours.
I have been an industrial electrician for most of work career. During this time I also became a self tout HVAC technician by reading books, buying all the necessary equipment for the job. I like how you said about the good, bad and the ugly. I have been retired for 10 years now and still doing HVAC for just family and friends. I would recommend HVAC to anyone interested of making it a career. As with any job you choose there is the good, bad and the ugly.
That's awesome that you were able to self-teach HVAC to yourself! I am sure your family and relatives are happy to have you around. Thank you for watching and affirming what was said in the video!
@NorthernCaliWay I really liked the industrial electrical tech side of the trade. Even though working with very high voltages like three phase 46,000, 7200, 4160, 480 and down to 120 volts it was the best job ever. I had a few close calls but loved my job. Yes there are times when you have some heavy lifting but you hardly ever work by yourself. I was also and electronic tech because electrical and electronics control go hand on hand. I worked alot on PLC's, Simon drives, convertors, inverters, upload, download and programming. Alot of HVAC maintenance, communications and you name it but it's all part of being an industrial electrician. You have to really like it and give it all you got with your heart and you will never have any regrets. Like my teacher when I was an electrical entern once said " electricity is like an open story book with no ending". You can be the best you can be as long as you stay up with technology.
@NorthernCaliWay The company I worked for send me to school for plc training. About 90 percent was on the job train. You learned as you go and real quick since down time is big concern for loss of production. I was also self tought on instrumentation and is why my company kept me and didn't want me to retire when the time came for me to go. I was the first to be classified as Senior Technition because of all my different skills from about 160 other electrical maintenance electricians. So the more you know and apply yourself you will become a great asset to your company you work for.
@NorthernCaliWay I worked for Freeport McMoran which is a big copper mine . There the wages and benefits were great compared to any other city, county, and federal jobs of the same trade. Nowadays all new interns have to learn electrical, instrumentation, HVAC, welding before they qualify for industrial electrician. The internship is four years.
I change careers in 2011 went back to tech school started doing residential soon thereafter didn't take long for me to realize I didn't like residential. So went back to school got some more training went into commercial and now work for a Non Profit with 8 buildings I love it. I show up to work at 7 AM and I leave at 3:30 weekends off.
That's awesome! That's what I want
The number 1 thing I hate after 3.5 years is that there’s not really any growth/advancement/ranking up; unless you start your own business of course
I have been a HVAC/R Technician for over 31 years, I do all commercial and industrial. I love the profession and enjoy my job and am fortunate to work for a good company. I can honestly say that there are not many good companies to work for. As far as company owners, managers and salesmen the field has so many assholes that it needs a full-time proctologist!
😆 lol so true!!!!!!!!!
Found that out recently. LOL
I can relate to long hours brother, I work 19 days in a row with 12hr weekends, and thank you for sharing your knowledge with the "DIY" people. God bless bro
30 years here you are correct on everything your talking about. I can totally relate . I like the service end. I have my own business.
Thank you for confirming what was said in the video! Especially since you are one of those people whose experience exceeds my age :)
I worked the trade HVAC and piping industry, worked both residential and industrial, Union trained, worked a lot of hours. Made a very good living had very good benefits. Today I have two grandsons working the trade and love it.
25 years doing heating and air-conditioning, I gutta agree with ya on all the topics, remember in hvac, everything either sucks or blows
Been there Done that....retired HVAC service tech 29 years...great video all true .....you forgot to mention required to do after hours on call
Nice talk. The grossest environment Ive been in was a 3 door prep table in a fried chicken restaurant. The table had a leak and they only kept raw chicken inside the table. I remember opening the door and chicken juice was everywhere on every wall. I prayed the leak wasnt on the evaporator. Luckily it was a leaky schrader.
Oh man.. Chicken juice everywhere! That's a new one. Glad you lived to tell the tale! ;) Thanks for watching and commenting!
I worked at Chick-fil-A for 6 years and now I’m In HVAC. There’s no way you’re not talking about CFA
I’ve been in the residential market for about 15+ years and if you’re working from principles then once you’re comfortable working on almost anything
I love Jim Rohn he’s so charismatic, I especially like to start with that mentors motivation in the morning, Tony Robins, Les Brown, etc. and yeah that is something I love about working in the industry, you have a lot of time to feed the mind with good stuff.. spiritual books and/or talkings are always recommended.
#5 is so true, there’s always something to learn,
Thank you 🙏 for sharing man 👍
Disconnect the power to unit before working on it. Then verify the power has been disconnected with a voltmeter.
I do listen to podcast but my favorite is to listen to movies. Especially the ones I've seen because you can picture the whole movie in your mind while working.
That route is more entertaining for sure! :) I've done that before too. Thanks for watching and commenting!
If you knew how many times I have been hit by high voltage you wouldn’t believe it. The worst time I was under a crawl space and a number 6 wire was laying on the ground probably on a 60 amp breaker. That knocked me flat on my back.
The only difficult thing you mentioned to me was the times you may work long hours or not enough. Still not discouraged but it does give me something to prepare for. I am looking forward to your next video 👍
Thanks Aaron! Glad you enjoy the videos! Fortunately the very long hours don't happen too often so it evens itself out. (unless the company you work for is understaffed...)
Aaron, same here being married with four children. I did get a bit discouraged but I am prepared for it now that I'm aware.
I'm struggling with being pressured to sell anything...because my mind says these people can go completely without an air scrubber or surge protector and they'd be just fine but my employer pushes me to "offer" things the reality is I DONT LIKE THAT...maybe this is not for me....ugh
I worked for a cable company that pushed hard for the techs to sell and upgrade while on service calls. I never did, not once. I knew they wouldn’t fire me over it because they need good techs more than salesmen.
I completely agree the company I work for wants technicians to be salesman and not technicians. The company got bought out a few months back and they've raised the prices on everything and they expect us to sell UV lights that are $1,600.
I’m 23 and I’ve been in the buisness for 4 years. One young guy to another in the trade: GET A GYM MEMBERSHIP AND EXERCISE! Those compressors and Freon drums get lighter over time I’m telling ya😂
Starting school next month, cant wait to get in the field.
My neighbors were so bad to show up at my door anytime day or night. I would get so aggravated. I finally moved after about 18 years, and it’s been paradise not getting nailed every time I walk out my door by someone. I litterally use a PO Box now and try not to let people know where I live. True story.
Lol
I had a guy pull up a chair and watch silently the entire time as me and my lead installed a furnace and humidifier... it's was extremely tense and the most awkward install I've ever done
I cannot stand that. I gives me anxiety and more likely to make a mistake.
Bros a psycho
Just ran across your channel, I have 33 years experience in HVACR and appliance repair. I agree with what you have said. I also like to watch HVAC millionaire, he also has some books for sale. Keep up the good work. Enjoyed the video.
Hey love your videos! And integrity!! Im not in the field , and I have always asked companies in the past if their techs worked on commission. And if they did I didn’t use them. I told the office folks why also. Took a while to find a reliable honest company to use but I found one. The commission system is not fair to the techs or the customer. Really appreciate your videos helping me help myself! Appreciate it!
When working in Market Refrigeration, I once worked a 22 hour shift. To be fair I did work the whole day, arrived to hvac class for 2 hours (small break) and went directly back to work. Very fun and memorable
8-10 customers a day average? That's nonsense. Do those guys teleport to their next call or something?
Alone time is the tough part, some days... but I do love that Heat rush in the summer $$!!
YES physical job , BUT the core muscles we work 💪keeps us FIT!! I do stretching and YOGA after work ! 🧘🏼♀️ About to hit 50 🎉 and 7 years of experience in installation and service calls. 💪
I love the positive attitude! May you keep on going strong and retire on your own terms and not because you have to!
You have great advice.
Very sincere.
Be very careful!
I have always been the homeowner, if I can't be in there or under there why would I want someone else there?
The rule I live by, treat others as you want to be treated.
Again, Be Careful!
Thank you! That is a wonderful golden rule, thank you for reminding us of it! "Treat others as you want to be treated."
Just finished my first summer as a tech. It is tough but I want to make 6 figures so at it we go!
You got this man! :) Thanks for watching and commenting!
You better work for an industrial HVAC company
LVrd the wild boa
6 figures great!!! When is your grand opening to start your hvac company?
Have you made 6 figures?
I had to cut a dead possum out of a basement overhead plentum duct and it started dripping on my shoes and face.. so, so nasty, the homeowner gave me a tip for new clothes.. bad day. I've been in the trade for 21 years finally opened up for myself.(much better) not as many busy days.
I tested an electric line with a 110 tester. It did not light. So I cut through it with insulated wire cutters. A huge spark burned the blades and basically welded them. It was a live 220 line. Now I use a meter!
Wow. I just bought one of those a few days ago 120/240 v
Something to think about. Possible malfunction or blown bulb on voltage checker can be very dangerous
Can’t wait to get in the field, i really love the ALONE time
In terms of nutrition I have my own system thats worked perfectly for me in getting enough healthy calories for years......
1) 5:30am Big Breakfast at home
2) 10:00am Protein Granola Bar or Protein Shake w handful of nuts
3) 1:00pm Sandwich
4) 4:00pm Protein Granola Bar or Protein Shake w handful of nuts
5) 630pm Big Dinner at Home
***the times are approximate based on that days schedule but I have found this set up allows me to eat a lot of food at home while consuming easy and quick items at work
**I always pack at least 3 x 500ml bottles of water and a few sticks of beef jerky just in case I have to work super late
That sounds like a great food schedule! Thank you much for sharing it! You are the first to do so :)
I'm from the automotive industry but if somebody say I know everything or I can build my own car, theyre usually full of crap stay away from them.
One topic I thought would have been important to some more than others is to anyone with severe allergies or reactions to bee stings, through out all seasons bees, wasp, hornets will nest and heavily populate the majority of a unit and can be very aggressive in warmer conditions. At least in northern california
Ah yes bees and fire ants can be a problem as well. Thank you for pointing that out!
Lol I was just in a place on friday, furnace call, I walked in and could smell urine so bad, my throat and eyes started watering...cats and dogs and down stairs in the basement, rabbits in a cage, free to roam...top 5 sickest places ever...nice neighbourhood, expensive houses...but theres always that 'one'
Ugh... Loose pets all over the house really brings about some of the worst odors. Glad you survived and were able to write this comment! ;)
What the heck is it with older ladies and their pets
This is a small list of things that happened to me while working the trades. Some are from pre- cell phone, GPS, or computer days......
1) Customer won't come to the door because I was 1 minute late.
2) Dog attacks from neighbors dog.
3) Girls at office scheduling me unrealistic travel time. Was often given 20 min to travel from one county to another, Which I couldn't have made even in a helicopter.....
4) Women customers coming out of the shower (naked) to ask a question.
5) Jailbait daughters walking around in their undies, flirting with us while we try and finish up and get the hell out
6) Accused of breaking antiques in the house.
7) Accused of taking things from the house.
8) Customers asking us to move furniture or other which goes beyond what we were there to fix....
9) Worked in homes that smelled so bad I would throw up...
10) Customer would try to steal equipment from van...
That is a very small list of things that have happen to me.... But at least no one was stupid enough to aim a gun at me.....
Oh man.. Sounds like the area you work in is way worse then what I have to deal with. That's some crazy stuff! Thank you for taking the time to share you experiences!
What's wrong with #4 and #5??? 🤷♂️👍LOL!
I agree with your joke, but c'mon man.. A woman loves to get the advantage over a man by attracting him sexually and then rejecting him and screaming rape
Yup! just be careful. People are looking for an easy way to make money. Don't get sued by beautiful women.
I've owned my own HVAC business for 18 years and I've never had any of that to happen except the smells and nasty
In the trade for many years. Started as a helper,worked my way up to be an estimator. Sold $980,000 my best year. My boss signed up to be a Hone Depot installer. Estimated a house for a 4 ton load based on a Manual J calculation. Customer had no existing ductwork or equipment. Install went perfect. Customer complained to Home Depot how I oversized his system. He neglected to tell Home Depot that he repaired computers in his basement and had multiple machines running all the time.Home Depot wanted my load calculations, paperwork... I even sent them pictures of the running computers. In the end, I was fully paid, and Home Depot had to appease him. After the warranty period was up, lwe fired the customer.
This one time my co worker an I went to the wrong house. The address was the same but one was place an the other one was Avenue. Ok so we went to the house. The ironic thing about this house their furnace was down also . So my co worker an started taking off the inducer motor. Then the other hvac company came in. Like what's going on here. Called my boss an told us me forgot to tell us that it was Place not Avenue. We was so mad that day
Yung Flex hahaha funny, but that would suck
@@HVACToolReview yeah it's funny af now 😂😂😂
Try completely pumping down and disconnecting a unit to find out that’s not the one 🤣
@@abhijeetchandra4657 Yea that's tuff lol
Try showing up to an elderly persons home. But they forgot they called you and you show up and there's another company installing already
I've been in the trade 36 years and you got me beat by 2 hours I worked a 20 hour shift one time and it was for New years Eve through New Year's and the weather was freezing.
Commercial comes with way more life threatining situations. The upside is you dont have a lot of interaction, just with the manager. You submit a quote,, they pay, and your done.
I wasn’t in HVAC but in telecommunications as an installer and repairman and had most of the experiences you described in your video. I was very much able to relate to your descriptions.
So same stuff there as well.. It seems like almost all the trades who have to enter customer homes deal with similar bad things. Thank you for watching and leaving a comment!
I've been a hvac tech for 2 and a half years now. I've had people try to get free calls, I've had the engineers, and the angry unpleasant customers. I call people who hover over you "helicopters" and yes they suck. I once had a lady follow me into the attic. And she had no clue what I was doing.
LMAO!!!
LOL
The major key to your better future is you. One of the best Jim Rohn seminars. Love your videos. I'm having trouble finding good resources on beginners level load calculation, duct design and construction. Any ideas? Thanks for the videos!
Ah yes, I think all his seminars are great! We are fortunate to be able to listen to many of them for free now. As for load calculations and duct design... Unfortunately I am not a good source for that kind of information. I only do residential service work (no installs) so my experience and up-to-date knowledge on that topic is limited. I know there's quite a few videos on this topic on UA-cam but most of them are not what you would call basic or beginner. You would just have to dig around and keep browsing until you hit the gold mine you are after :) Sorry that I can't be of much help on this.
Dave Ramsey is a good listen as far as money goes. It's every day folks calling in to get money advice.
Yeah, Dave Ramsey is good! Not as much for investing as helping one get out of debt though. Thanks for watching and the suggestion!
I listen to Ramsey driving around and while working lol, hes great!!
Man I'm 21 just graduated with full certifications with my NATE Core and I'm having trouble finding a job best advice for job searching or securing a job I'm very nice and kind with people and i definitly make it a priority to let them know I'm motivated. I see tons of job hiring just not what they want, they all want experienced people. Should I just call up there and ask.
Don't give up keep looking until someone is willing to hire you. When your new Never talk Politics, Never say you want your own company, be careful with your Coworkers cause now your ah thread if your smart, tell your boss your ah Company Man. N you love your job. Get enough experience n in four years go get your own Contractors Licence. Working long ours for someone Else Sucks. Get your licence n Start your own business. Advertise what you can afford. I love the HVAC Business especially when you can set your own Hours. Good luck young Man.
Have you ever noticed if your like me you will get several call backs in the same week or so. It’s made me question myself more than once, but I’ve noticed other techs I know also have them. That makes me feel a little better, lol.
That’s because you’re a humble and a very honest guys with a awesome potential knowledge god bless you
The worst place I've been, I helped on a install with a boiler and I've been to hoarder homes. But this one was horrible. Couldn't see the floor. The house was covered in new and old food. Garbage everywhere and had food and water cases stacked to the ceiling. I dont even know how we got the boiler in the house
When it comes to newer units that you are stumped by, tech support is always your best friend in my experience.
Pride has less value than making my repairs and moving on to the next call. The more time you spend on a single call, the more money is coming out of your pocket.
As for selling, I never sell what customers don't need. But you can make good commission just by being honest. Hard start kits, saftey switches, surge protectors, air scrubbers. These things benefit customers, and you don't have to be shady to make those sales. You're already there doing the maintenance or fixing a problem, it doesn't hurt to mention things that will help the IAQ or prolong the life of their unit. Easiest way to sell a saftey switch is to equate it to a smoke detector. You don't need it; but it's there for peace of mind. I tell my customers I'd rather come home to a hot house than water damage due to a clogged condensation drain.
Yeah, those guys can be really good! Thank you for pointing that out. But if you call tech support, you better have all your measurements ready.. (pressures, temperatures, superheat, subcooling, wet bulb, etc..) They will be asking.
@@WordofAdviceTV Absolutely! Unless the system isn't running at all, there's no reason you shouldn't have your numbers in my opinion. This may contradict my previous statement, but you shouldn't just go straight to tech support. But don't be afraid to call them if you've exhausted all your troubleshooting knowledge or a call is taking a little bit longer trying to narrow down a problem.
not you specifically but in a general sense lol
@@Wharblegurbleh451 It's all good, this applies to me firsthand! :) Thank you for explaining all this! Every time I've called tech support, I was always impressed at how good those guys are.
I hate being pushed to sell things that are WAY over priced and not necessary.
1)I have a few story’s. One I was changing a filter in a return grill in the ceiling and was reaching up over my to to put the filter in and a lady that was all messed up on drugs jumped on my back and tried to help me. 2) I told a man from let’s say another country his heat exchanger was cracked and he attacked me physically. I whooped that dude pretty good. And supervisors and police were all out. But he apologized and said it was a certain medication he took that made him angry. He knew regardless that even though he was beat up he was still in trouble and I was defending myself. 3) I worked two and half months straight without a day off. And I was so tired and going to fast. Well needless to say I made a mistake. I put a can of easy seal on the high side of a package unit on the ground. It turned into and instant bomb and blew my hand open and broke my hand in two places. It could have been way worse though because the can actually blew through a stucco wall and that could have easily been my face. Obviously there are other story’s but pretty common for all techs. You will always run into the A-Holes of the world. I just put them on a do not service list. They can call someone else.
Wow, your stories were crazy!! Especially the easy seal bottle exploding, yikes! And leading up to it you worked for two and a half months straight! I thought working 3 weeks straight was a lot.. Welcome to reality... You had one heck of a tough career it sounds like, I'm glad you're alive and well to be able to share your story. Thank you very much for taking the time to share the incredible stories!!
Word of Advice TV Thank you for the reply. I’m still going strong in the HVAC world. Probably going to be 23 more years before I can retire. But here in Southern,Az Air conditioning is a must.
This wasn't when I was in HVAC, but when I did serivce work for a commercial tire company servicing down broken Semi trucks & trailers. I was on call on a long weekend from Saturday 5pm to tuesday 7am, and I had a backup on call person to help if I was ever flooded. I worked non stop saturday to tuesday and got a total of 3 hours of sleep, and thats changing semi tires over and over and over again.
Many of these "negatives" also apply to the PC (personal computer) technician job. People want everything free and have no problem demanding your time and expertise for nothing. We have had excellent HVAC techs and we really appreciate them!
The worst is doing water lines on eye wash stations in -20 weather due to a company not wanting to get heated pipes. Job told me to be prepared for that
Im 2 weeks away from the beginning of my HVAC career. Watching videos on UA-cam to see what is in store 👍
I love Jim he’s a great speaker/ mentor
Hey J. You doing a great job for the new tech in the field. Im Jimmy, I'm always watching you. Thank you for your advice
This is no different from any other professional career. I wanted to get into nursing, and I would rather still get into HVAC then dealing with patients pooping in my face. This is more of an encouragement to get into the trade
My brother in law retired as an Oil Burner repair tech for an oil company. He went into a basement to check the problem, then tried to go to the truck for a part. The customer locked him in the basement and told him he wouldn't let him out until the oil burner was fixed. My brother in law climbed out a basement window and drove off. He called the company, told them what happened. The company wanted him to go back to the house to continue the repair - they were told a BIG NO.
Wow, that is crazy stuff! No way in heck I would go back either! Thank you for sharing!
Should of called the police.
"JIM ROHN" YESSSS, BRO you just became my best friend!! thanks for all your advice and knowledge 🙏 God bless you my man!!
The part of being alone is my favorite parts on this trade. I do the same, I listen to the same kind of you tube videos u mentioned.
i was working in a vacant unit in an apartment building. power shut off by electric/ power company.
i was working on the dishwasher. and got shocked when i got to removing the power connection. it turned out the dishwasher was wired and powered by the apartment next door.
1 year in this job. Already been in a crawl space with two dead dogs, and a basement that was filled with 4 feet of sewage. The backup was shown on the walls.
My name is julian,and I am from Florida and I went to school for hvac and I been in the field approximately about 4 months,alot of the people I've had known and met so far in hvac they either endup working for their selfs,but agree with what you saying dealing with customers and people's houses it can be a nightmare,so far I haven't experience a real bad one yet,but I been to some homes that residents can be real filthy and nasty and how they lived.
MOST trade jobs are 'hours are random'... you know that when you go into the business, they warn you several times about that issue.
Good overall presentation and covering the bases. I liked the electrical part about what's hot or what's not, nothing like 480 standing in water etc. Too many times whether it be high or low. I remember once being cranked up for about 4 hours afterwards. Almost makes you wonder if you get used to it as in how to automatically react.
480 is unforgiving. Glad your alive I'm
@@michaelwesely3097 Thanks for saying hi, in the general maintenance field things will happen. Something else that's fun(?) is walking into a cloud of ammonia (refrigeration system),tends to stop you in your tracks. Hope all is well, GS.
I did a call at a mobile home that was so infested with roaches that afterwards while in my van I had one crawl out of my shirt and up my neck.. a little bit later one was in my pants crawling up my leg.. after stopping and thoroughly searching my body for more which I found none.
a few minutes later one was crawling accross my dash board.
I've had one call at a severe hoarders home where there was so much junk starting at the front door I was walking 2 feet off the floor and I had to duck down when going thru doorways
the lady had many cats and her home smelled of mold and cat piss.
I've only done a few calls like the ones above but I've done THOUSANDS of calls that made me feel good afterwards.
rescued countless people in the middle of a HOT summer night when no other company would even answer the phone.
I've been the hero of the day or night countless times in every situation imaginable..
Preach it brother! Took every word out of my mouth. I walk in the front door for the meet and greet and in the first 10 secs my helper already knows by my looks and actions... Infested houses.... Dont dare bring my tool bag into.. Plenty afternoons riding back to the shop in my boxers, uniform bagged up.. I dont wont bugs in anything i own or operate... Nasty animal owners... Ugh... Man the more i write the more i think of... Service and installs i like... Working for people not so much.. Lol but theres good bad and ugly days
Nice man I'm enrolling for the HVAC course at my college hope it works out and can someday share stories
@@joeyd2105 Buy permetherin and treat all your clothes with it, and your tool bag.
I can't say for sure it works for roaches, but it works for biting insects. Ticks, flies, fleas, mites. it is a neurotoxin, so apply outdoors, wear gloves, and let the treated articles dry thoroughly before wearing. cats can be sensitive to it, so it may not be a good fit for cat owners.
I don't usually have issues with customers being mad. What I do have issues with though is customers using me to troubleshoot the problem and then trying to get me to give them the part to replace themselves or wants to call someone else / a friend to actually replace the part. My prices are all very reasonable but some people are just extremely cheap. What's even better is when I get a call back later because of this and they want me to now fix the issue after their buddy did it wrong.
Yeah.. There's that too.. Luckily trip fees and charging for diagnosing a system /hr compensates for that somewhat. Thank you for watching, commenting, and adding one more bad aspect!
One thing. Take care of your hands. I worked in factory automation which is similar except that you guys can use a screw gun. You might turn hundreds of screws on terminal blocks in a day and they are often obstructed and too delicate for a drill. I have thumb arthritis and you never know how useful hands are until they don't work well. My hands remember whenever I pick up a screwdriver.
When your coworker gives you the wrong model number or part 🥴
Volt meter...Volt meter...Volt meter. Dont trust a customer or coworker to turn off the power. Always check
I was working commercially as a food service technician. I worked on a fryer & there was literally electricity running through the grill next to it & the fryer & not only did it shock me but it also shocked the guy making sandwiches
I stoped listening to music and tailk radio as well. And only listen to things that benefit me educational. My life changed dramatically. You be surprised what can happen to you when you stop listing to thing that dont benifit you. And things that wil!!
Amen!! :) I totally agree with your comment!
@Chris Baldwin. While you are at work?