What is HVAC?

• What does the HVAC abbreviation even mean?

The term HVAC comes from the words Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning and it’s usually used when referring to a person that renovates older homes or helps build new ones, installs general heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment and much more.

• Main Duties of an HVAC

Generally, HVAC technicians have within their job description, to install HVAC units, together with mechanical and electrical components, installation of HVAC tubes and sheet metal construction, repairing HVAC units and water or fuel supply lines. They must also preserve, set up and recycle CFC and HCFC refrigerants (old refrigerators that use a pollutant substance, Chlorofluorocarbon) and install and repair electrical connections to HVAC components and HVAC system automation components for businesses or any “smart homes”.

• Skills Required

It’s not an ideal job but someone has to do it. If a person is skilled in this area and has great mechanical aptitudes he will have no problem in working in tight, dirty places, or in hot and cold conditions. The HVAC technicians must take precautions when dealing with flammable fuel lines, CFC chemicals and electricity. They are also responsible with finding the wires and pipes in the walls when a house has to be repaired, so, given all the dust, asbestos and cement, they should also take respiratory precautions.

• Job Included in the HVAC job category

The HVAC area doesn’t only include technicians, but also manager jobs, project managers and even teaching. So do your job well and you can be promoted to manager or project manager. The salary is quite good, it can reach almost $55,000 a year if you become a manager, and even $75,000 for project managers.

• HVAC Responsibilities

Usually, those who work in HVAC work at least 40 hours per week. In this job there are also peak seasons and that is the period when they have to work overtime or irregular hours (that happens especially during the summer). Those who provide maintenance services under contract usually work in the evenings or during week-ends, since the majority of customers work during the day and cannot stay at home with the maintenance worker. The businesses installing both air-conditioning and heating equipment usually have contracts all year long, so there is never a worry about unemployment during one season or another.

• How to Become a HVAC

In order to become a HVAC worker, you don’t have to take a lot of courses. Many air-conditioning, heating and refrigeration mechanics get their training in secondary and postsecondary trade and technical schools, lasting only 6 to 2 years to complete. Other mechanics come from the Armed Forces where they received special training. One can choose different objects in high-school, such as shop math, applied physics and chemistry and mechanical drawing, in order to learn more about this area and may be promoted quicker.

• Tests and Learning process

Throughout the learning process, all HVAC technicians must take many tests to measure their skills, and for those who have the studies but less than two years of experience, a series of exams have been developed in order to test basic knowledge in residential cooling and heating, light commercial cooling and heating and commercial refrigeration. It is thought that the employment rate in this area of expertise will increase in the future by 28 %, much faster than any other average occupation, so make sure you take the right courses and start a great career growth opportunity.