Rees Scholarship Deadline Approaching

I have mentioned the Rees Scholarship in the past. Now is the time to encourage deserving students to apply. Copied below is a letter from Misha Adams of AHRI explaining a bit about the scholarship and how to apply.

Our July 1 fall scholarship deadline is approaching quickly!

The Rees Scholarship Foundation has awarded nearly $335,000 to 195 students enrolled in HVACR programs nationwide since 2003 – and we would like to expand our reach.

The Clifford H. “Ted” Rees, Jr. Scholarship Foundation was established to assist with the recruitment and competency of future HVACR and water heating technicians by awarding up to $2,000 to qualified students enrolled in an accredited school. The Foundation awards motivated students with a genuine interest in the HVACR and water heating field, helping some of the most promising candidates to successfully enter the industry.

This year, the Rees Scholarship Foundation would like to award more scholarships than the 43 scholarships we provided last year, and we need your help.

We truly believe instructors and staff play an essential role in not only educating and motivating students, but assisting them in finding opportunities to help them complete their education successfully. The numbers support this: Over 70 percent of our past applicants learned about Rees from their instructors. With that in mind, we would like to provide you and/or your school’s HVACR department with resources about Rees you can give to your students. These include brochures, flyers, and posters for the classroom. 

Brochures and flyers are also available for download at  http://reesscholarship.org/site/311/Schools/Resources

To learn more about the Rees Scholarship and the submission process, review our FAQ  at  http://reesscholarship.org/site/314/Apply/Frequently-Asked-Questions

Download an application at

http://reesscholarship.org/site/292/Apply

Please encourage your students to apply!

Feel free to reach out to me directly as well should you or your students have any additional questions. Also, please feel free to forward this message to your HVAC department colleagues and/or related staff members.

Sincerely,

Misha Adams
Rees Program Specialist
Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute
2111 Wilson Blvd, Suite 500
Arlington, VA 22201
Phone: 703-293-4839
E-mail: MAdams@ahrinet.org

Cleaning Condensate Lines

In the southeast, it is a given that the evaporator condensate line will get clogged with slime. The only questions are how long will it take and how messy will it be to clean up? What we often did in the past was to cut out the section of drain near the coil, blow out the drain line, and rebuild the drain with new PVC ells and pipe. However, that means the owner is constantly paying for you to rebuild something that should be cleanable. That is why every evaporator condensate line should have a way to open the drain to facilitate cleaning. In fact, this is now required in the most mechanical codes. You can add cleanout spots by replacing ells with tees, or by using a manufactured product made just for that purpose. Rectorseal and MSD Research both market drain cleanout devices which make complying with the mechanical code and cleaning the drain easier. Ideally, you should be able to clean out the line in both directions – from your cleanout to the evaporator and from your cleanout to the outside.

A Gallo gun using CO2 charges works well for blowing out the drain line. Nitrogen does a good job too, but getting a nitrogen cylinder to the cleanout spot can be difficult. Another option is a sludge sucker. It uses nitrogen to create a vortex, which sucks the condensate and goo out of the drain line. The sludge sucker typically connects to the drain outlet. Some techs use wet vacs and connect to the drain outlet, or to points on the condensate cleanout. Even if the drain is not stopped up, clearing the evaporator condensate line should be part of normal service. Don’t make the customer call you back later because the condensate line plugged up.

Pot Use Cuts Career Short

There is lot of press these days about marijuana becoming more widely accepted. However, you should be aware that marijuana use can have a very negative impact on your career. Employers can legally refuse to hire people who test positive for marijuana use. Many employers require drug tests for prospective employees, some use random drug tests on current employees. Since these tests can detect marijuana in your system for up to a month after using it, you basically need to not use it – even on your own time. I am writing about this topic because it has recently cut short the career of a promising student. He graduated and got a job in the field working with a good company. He was excited to get the job, and the company was happy to have him. He seemed to be working out – everyone was happy. Then he failed the drug test. End of job. The student really needed the job. The company was disappointed because they needed the help. However, they can’t afford to keep him. Their insurance won’t allow it. This is not just about someone’s idea of morals or right and wrong, it is about common sense. People who are not in full command of all their mental faculties should not be working around high voltages, driving, using torches, or any number of other potentially dangerous things air conditioning techs must do. There may be some companies that are OK with drug use – generally speaking these are not good places to work. First, they know you can’t get a job elsewhere, so the pay is low. Second, do you really want to work in a potentially dangerous field around a bunch of people who may not be fully conscious? Even if you don’t blow yourself up while you are high, the guy next to you might. If you want a full, productive career – stay clean.

Mission HVAC

Shuretape has launched an initiative to follow three students at Athens Technical College through their studies in the Air Conditioning Technology Program. To support the students, Shurtape is challenging them each to a series of missions. They complete the mission and report their findings on the Shurtape blog. They have chosen three students with different backgrounds and different ages: Matt Morris, Daniel Buth, and Josue Treo. By following these three students’ blog postings, you can gain some perspective on what it is like to be an HVAC student preparing to enter this profession. They receive a new mission every month. The best way to find out more about these three outstanding students and their mission is look at the Shurtape blog http://www.shurtape.com/blog