FREE MONEY!

I heard the other day that some friends of mine have a problem – they have too much money and not enough people interested in taking it off their hands. AHRI has established the REES scholarship program to encourage people to go into the HVACR field. The scholarship is named after Ted Rees, a longtime president of ARI. Money has been donated by many AHRI member companies as well as other businesses in the HVACR trades. Why? Specifically to address a critical shortage of trained technicians the HVACR field. They need applicants for the scholarships. So lets see – they will pay you to study a field with a chronic lack of trained people so you can earn a good income when you graduate. In a time when jobs are hard to get, and college costs are high, here is an industry willing to pony up cash as an incentive to train for a profession with a true career ladder, good paying jobs, and very good employment prospects upon graduation. These jobs cannot be outsourced, they will not be replaced by automation, and they require education and training to perform – you won’t be replaced by unskilled laborers. HVACR jobs are nationwide – really world-wide, so you are not tied to a particular company or location. There are many types of positions, so advancement is common. To find out more about what you can do to apply for a REES Scholarship, check out http://www.reesscholarship.org/

Why Meters Are Important

I am sometimes asked “Why should I buy …” (you fill in the expensive meter). Although I can usually come up with a good reason for any particular meter, the overall reason stays about the same: to make your job easier. Having the right tool makes all the difference. After you have beaten up a few fan blades and spent unproductive and frustrating time trying to bang blowers off of motor shafts, you realize that the money spent for a good hub puller is an investment in your time and sanity. The inexpensive socket sets from discount stores are common examples of tools that are not suited for heavy work. The handles are short, the ratchets strip, and the sockets crack. Yes, I have been there and done that. Having a quality tool that is rated for the job allows you to do jobs that just can’t be done with lesser tools. Meters and instruments are no different. You really can’t measure a vacuum without a vacuum gauge, and if you don’t measure it, you don’t know when or if you have a good vacuum. We deal in airflow, yet many technicians do not have any instruments for measuring airflow. Would you hire an electrician who did not own a volt meter? Good instruments allow us to do our job correctly, and more easily. They save time too. Rather than guessing what is going on, we can measure and know. I am not suggesting that just spending thousands of dollars on meters will make you a good technician, you still have to know how to use them. However, not having the instruments limits your ability to do your job. When considering a new meter or instrument, think about any potential time savings and what your time is worth. For example, if a leak detector does a better job at locating leaks, wouldn’t it be worth more to you than a less effective leak detector? There is another aspect of having good instrumentation – professionalism. Customers notice when you take measurements. When checking a low airflow complaint, I remember a customer remarking “the other guy just held his hand over the vent.” Having a tool and taking a measurement increased the customer’s confidence in me. It also allowed me to provide numbers showing the improvement in airflow. In a market that is increasingly customer service driven, using meters and instrumentation can help differentiate you from the pack.

The Successful Interview

Spring is the time that many HVACR firms start looking for help. Happily, this coincides with students graduating from colleges and trade schools looking for jobs. Now would be a good time for anyone who will soon be in the job market to think about the reasons someone should hire you. Remember, nobody but your mother will hire you just to give you a regular income or make sure you have health insurance. They hire you because you can solve problems, make money, or both. So ask yourself, “What can I do for my future employer?” Some little things can be important, such as showing up every day on time, being pleasant to work with, and applying yourself to the task at hand. However, none of these things separate you from the long line of applicants with no particular training. If you are just graduating from school, you have demonstrated the ability and desire to learn about HVACR. If you have taken any third party certifications, you have demonstrated some command of the terminology and concepts involved in HVACR. Both of these effectively separate you from the unskilled crowd. Speaking of certifications, you should not even consider applying for a job until you have taken and passed the EPA Certification. Having it will not land you a great job, but NOT having it can keep an employer from hiring you. Without the EPA certification you cannot legally do much besides manual labor – effectively putting you back into competition with the unskilled crowd. You should be prepared to demonstrate your knowledge. Many employers give tests. One told me that he asks any prospective employee to draw a basic refrigeration cycle, label the components, and describe the refrigerant states in each part of the system. If they can’t, the interview is over. You should also be able to confidently explain how to use a PT Chart and measure superheat and subcooling. On the electrical side, you should be able to read a schematic and recognize common electrical symbols. You should be able to check common electrical components with an ohm meter and wire a basic circuit. Your personality during the interview process is essential. You should be positive with a can-do attitude. HVACR involves a lot of interaction with people. One employer told me that the first impression he got of the person interviewing was the way he imagined they would look to his customers as well. If he did not like what he saw or heard, there was really no chance the person would be hired. Now is not the time to be shy or humble. The interview is your opportunity to convince the employer that you can perform. Don’t try to pretend you can do things that you can’t do, but don’t expect the interviewer to discover how wonderful you are completely on their own. If you wait for the world to discover how great you are, you might be waiting a while. It is a harsh fact of life that the employer is only considering what you can do for them. It is up to you to show them.

HVACR Certifications

I am sure most professional technicians and HVACR educators consider themselves fully certified. Indeed, most of us hold multiple paper credentials awarded by different industry organizations. However, I bet I can find a few that you didn’t even know existed. That is, until someone specifically requests a particular certification for a job. So I decided to put together a list of organizations that offer credentials that you can obtain that relating to the HVACR industry. Each includes a link so you can do your own research into the credentials that organization offers. My list will not cover state and local licensure – that is another very lengthy topic. All of these certifications typically involve time and money. Some require years of documented field practice before testing. Others require membership in a particular organization. Many simply require passing a test. All strive to distinguish dedicated, trained professionals from a guy with a pickup truck and a pair of channel locks. I have tried to group them into areas of interest.

For HVACR Students there are
Air Conditioning, Heating. and Refrigeration Institute Industry Competency Exam AHRI ICE

HVAC Excellence Employment Ready

For HVACR Instructors there are
Air Conditioning Contractors of America Educators Program in Instructor Certification ACCA EPIC

HVAC Excellence Certified Master HVACR Educator CMHE

For Technicians installing and servicing HVACR equipment there are
North American Technical Excellence NATE
HVAC Excellence Technician Certification
Refrigeration Service Engineers Society Certificate Member RSES  CM and CMS
National Air Filtration Association Certified Air filter Specialist NAFA CAFS

For technicians doing testing and balancing there are
National Environmental Balancing Bureau NEBB Certified Professional
Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau TABB
Associated Air Balance Council AABC

For people involved in building performance and commissioning there are
Building Performance Institute BPI
US Green Building Council LEED
Building Commissioning Association BCA

For people involved in building design and performance there is
American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air conditioning Engineers ASHRAE.

For building inspectors and code officials there are
International Code Council ICC
International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials IAPMO

HVACR & Mechanical Workshop 2012

I just got home from the 2012 HVACR & Mechanical Conference in Colorado Springs. The weather was great, the location was perfect, and the conference was really one of the best I have been to. What sets the HVACR & Mechanical Conference apart from all other conferences aimed at the HVACR educational community is the presence of the industry. Not only is the conference sponsored by a who’s who list of industry organizations, industry professionals are plentiful at this conference. National training or service reps for companies like Appion, Danfoss, Tecumseh, or Genteq are there, providing plenty of opportunities to learn beyond the scheduled sessions. I frequently found myself seated next to someone who knew a great deal more about a particular aspect of HVACR than I do. Although it can be argued in my case that it is not too difficult to find someone who is more knowledgeable than I am, I think most people attending the conference picked up valuable information during breaks or downtime from the industry professionals they were around. It was really pretty hard NOT to learn something. At breakfast on Wednesday I found myself sitting with a group of people who love what they do, have years of experience, and represent the best of our industry. I realized how much I enjoyed those informal sessions with people I truly admire. So my advice to anyone fortunate enough to attend next year’s 2012 HVACR & Mechanical Conference: find someone who knows something and share a drink, a few laughs, and pick their brains. Go ahead and save the date now: March 11–13 2013 in Colorado Springs at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort.        

HCFC 22 Rising Faster Than Gold

You may wonder why HCFC 22 has suddenly spiked in price? Although we have all been expecting it to rise because of the phase-out, the rise in the beginning of this year has been dramatic. The phase-out is not all that is behind the latest price increases. Under the phase-out rules, producers and importers must have allocations from the EPA telling them how much product they are allowed to manufacture or import. The EPA has not published the allocation for 2012, so all production stopped on January 1. Nothing drives up price more than not making any more. On January 4, 2012 the EPA published a proposed rule-making that would significantly decrease the amount of HCFC-22 produced or imported compared to 2011. On January 20, the EPA sent a letter to producers and importers promising to not fine them for making HCFC 22 so long as they produced no more than 45% of the allocation set in 2011. So for the month of January, very little if any R-22 was produced or imported. Manufactures and importers can now produce R-22 in limited quantities due to the EPA letter of “No Action Assurance.” The rule may not be finalized until just before this summer. In short, the temporary halt of production and the uncertainty created by the lack of a final allocation and ruling are driving up the price. I would not recomend hoarding R-22 as a replacement for your gold investment  - prices and the market are just too unstable for anyone to predict. Once the final allocation is announced and the panic buying stops - the price may actually come down a little. For more information check out these articles
HARDI
ACHR News

Now might be a good time to look into purchasing reclaimed refrigerant.

Kelvin Melton Sr.

One of the great pleasures of teaching is meeting so many really good people. I enjoy getting to know more about my students than just what their test scores tell me. With so many students starting a second career, we always have a variety of very talented people from all walks of life. One student used to work making custom $5,000 guitars by hand. Others worked as technicians in the telecom industry, and still others in fields such as computer networking. Among this collection of very interesting people, some individuals really stand out for their attitude and leadership. Kelvin Melton always has a smile, an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and a great overall attitude. He is a leader – taking time to help other students. But most of all, he is a consummate professional who truly loves the field of HVACR. Kelvin served his country well – doing two tours as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan. Nobody can outwork Kelvin. He comes to school in the morning after working all night and still is charged up about his studies and sits right up front in the class room. Although I am sure he has had his share of hardships, he never complains, but works diligently towards accomplishing his dream. It has truly been a pleasure to work with him these last two semesters. His enthusiasm inspires other students to up their game. Kelvin died unexpectedly at home two days ago at the age of 26, cutting his promising HVACR career short. I must admit that I am still trying to make sense of it myself. One thing I can truly say is that Kelvin was not waiting for someone else to fulfill his dreams – he was actively pursuing them with every fiber of his being. If you have something that you want to accomplish or a dream to work towards, don’t wait – start working today towards the fulfillment of your goals and dreams. When you get there you can thank Kelvin for showing you how its done.