9781422276860

heating and cooling technicians or formal training through the military. Many cities, states, and countries require heating and cooling technicians to be licensed. Most HVACR technicians love their jobs because this career provides a great combination of rewarding and constantly-changing work, good pay (without having to earn a four-year degree), and the chance to help others.

■ ■ Heating and cooling technicians and instructors discuss the rewards of working in the field and the trades in general, occupational specialties, and the work environment.

What Heating and Cooling Technicians Do Your job duties as a heating and cooling technician will vary somewhat depending on where you work: residential (homes, condominiums), commercial (grocery stores), or industrial (factories, oil refineries, natural gas processing plants, etc.) settings. For example, refriger- ation technicians install, maintain, and repair refrigeration components in refrigerated trucks, grocery stores, cold-storage facilities, sports stadiums, and any other place that has refriger- ation equipment, while technicians who serve residential customers would not work on such systems. With that said, most heating and cooling technicians perform the following duties: • Review blueprints, wiring diagrams, and schematic designs before installing new HVACR systems or repairing old ones • Plan the layout of pipework and ducts for new installation jobs • Provide cost estimates to customers detailing the cost to repair or replace a system • Install new HVACR systems by using hand and power tools and other equipment • Measure and cut piping and connect pipes, ductwork, and other components • Connect HVACR systems to air ducts, fuel and water supply lines, and other components

13