So you want to be a HVAC tech?
What to expect as a HVAC tech.
TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE
PAY GRADE
Anywhere from $12.00 to $30.00 per hour dependent on experience and area.
PROS
- Pay
- No two days are the same.
- Company vehicle
- Company phone
- Meet new people daily and make good connections around town.
- Being able to help family and friends
- There is always a demand for good techs
CONS
- Working in all weather
- Some clients can have nasty attitudes and even worse,nasty houses.
- After hours calls can be annoying.
- Working in hot attics and rarely working in a place with A/C.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
In my honest opinion it is a great job and very rewarding. It will always be in demand as long as people want to be comfortable.
List of tools all HVAC techs use daily
Below I list the basic tools every residential hvac tech has on their truck,of course there are more for specialized purposes,but these are the fundamental basics and must haves.
- Multimeter
- 1/4" and 5/16" nut drivers
- copper tubing cutter
- gagues
- tape measure
- various sized screw drivers
- small and large pipe wrenches
- Small and large channel locks
- Hammer
- pipe thermometer
- wire strippers
- duct knife
- PVC cutters
- tin snips
- refrigerant scale
- 100' extension cord
- sawzall
- vacuum gauge
- vacuum pump
- Recovery machine
- recovery tank
- brazing torches and bazing rods
- Fan puller
- nitrogen tank andregulator
- Pen and notepad
- circular saw
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Comments
Nicely done Matt, I would have liked it better if you put more personal input into your article - a snap-shot of a typical work day for instance. I can sense a great sense of humor, but all in all, a much needed checklist for those (I've considered it - the turn off was other people's messy houses, and insect infested crawl spaces.... bleh) that are interested in the field...
