HVAC Contractor - What and Who That Is

A brief over view on the HVAC tech training and job prospects to work on HVAC systems.

HVAC is the acronym for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and it is something most people are familiar with as the heat and a/c for their office buildings or home. The heating, ventilation and cooling systems are set up to share the same duct system that runs throughout the whole building to push heat through in the winter time and cold air during the hotter months of summer. In order to keep the system running smoothly it is generally maintained, repaired and installed by a HVAC tech.

In order to do this rather complex job, a tech has to be able to understand how the system works, how to read blue prints, as well as troubleshoot the system when things quit working correctly. The road to becoming a HVAC technician isn't too complex but it does require a commitment to learning.

A prospective tech must attend a two year program offered through either a trade school or community college. And while doing time in the classroom learning how to read blue prints, stay safe around electrical equipment and operate the mechanics of the heating and cooling system, the prospective tech must also undertake hands on learning in the field as an apprentice.

After the classroom training is complete, an apprentice tech will spend another two to four years continuing their apprenticeship under the guidance of a certified HVAC technician.

During their training period, technicians will select the area they want to specialize their training and skills in. Technicians can either specialize in installing systems or they specialize in maintenance and repair, although they are trained to do both. Techs can further specialize into working with heating systems or refrigeration systems only.

Techs work inside and outside, and the work conditions will vary by the job. Some safety hazards for this job include the possibility of shocks, burns and muscles strains from handling heavy equipment.

In 2008 there were 308,200 HVAC techs employed in the profession and a little more than half (54 %) worked for plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning companies while the remainder of the work force was employed with various entities including the government. A small minority of techs (16%) are self employed in the field.

With ten years or more of experience a tech can expect to make around $20 an hour on average depending on what geographic area they reside in. And since this career field is expected to grow faster than average so it is a very stable field to enter in to for long range employment prospects.

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