r/HVAC

I’m going to try and be a vague as I can be to not have anything traced back BUT my 3rd day at a new job after moving states (new state requires jman card so I had to get that) and the lack of management and organization is insane. Coming from a big corp company I’m in shock that people at this company aren’t licensed and the basic needs of an installer aren’t met.. (gloves, ladders, stock in the shop!?) maybe 1/3 of the people in the field are legally qualified. The guy showing me the ropes said when he got there a few months back they weren’t pulling vacuums pressure testing or any of the basic shiz. I haven’t clocked in and I’m on my 3rd day… I’m not going to get into much more detail but I’m going to be quitting tonight via text at probably 9pm. Any advice or questions lmk!

I thought I was over this when I moved to commercial but I ran into the biggest dork maintenance worker ever today. I did an owner training in the morning 1.5 hours away from this job, get there about 12 and immediately get to work. Maintenance fella sees me and my coworker getting materials ready to hang round snap lock and proceeds to text my other coworker on the roof who’s running the job that we’re bullshitting too much. He called me immediately and I already had 30’ up… told him I had no idea what that dude was going on about. Maintenance man comes up to me a few minutes later and asks how long something was going to take- I threw what I thought was a lighthearted joke out there and said “shouldn’t be long but every time someone asks it adds 5 minutes”

Dudes eyes got all wide, he storms off without saying anything, only to come back 5 minutes later and demand we stop what we’re doing and move onto the next group of machines cause he has to use that area, and dogbirded us for the rest of the day making every little comment he could.

At the end of the day he called my fucking boss about the joke hahahahaha. Soft as baby shit. Can’t wait to see him tomorrow- if he didn’t like that joke I don’t have a good feeling about the next one.

1. Pull up to a security gate. They need your name on a list or no access.
2. You park and enter the main entrance to find security asking for your name and your contact or no access.
3. Your contact brings you through the security checkpoint.
4. Then to up to a secure floor.
5. Then to a secure area on that floor.
6. Then to a secure room.
7. The room has a thermostat with a lockbox around it that needs a key.
8. The thermostat then has a password.

FFS

So like the tag of this post says, this is mostly a rant... so I apologize in advance if that's not what you want to read. This will seem whiny, but the tag exists so I will use it lol...

I don't have anything against learning new things and branching out, but sending me on a single, random refrigeration call once every 12-14 months does nothing for me... It's not enough to get used to it and to memorize what you go through... It's just enough to annoy the crap out of you because it takes you out of your comfort zone just for something that you won't see again for another year. That and the fact that my van isn't properly equipped for bigger refrigeration jobs.

He does this because he want to do "favors" for his existing AC customers who happen to own stores or walk-in coolers but honestly, we often just wind up looking incompetent more than anything. 98% of our jobs are AC. We're an AC company.

Now I'm stumped on this sandwich cooler... I've been here 6 times already for this same cooler now... No matter WHAT I do, the darn thing feeezes up after 3 days of operation. The fans are functioning properly, I've deep cleaned BOTH coils, I replaced the TXV and the filter drier, I replaced ther thermostat/timer module, I emptied the system, did a proper vacuum and put in a fresh factory charge... I even tried every single TXV adjustment possible... Still freezes... NOTHING has changed since the initial service call...

I told my boss that there's probably some hidden restriction somewhere that will be nearly impossible to find... There's literally nothing left to repair or replace on this thing...It always does the same thing, it works properly for 3 days and then ends up freezing... Always the same cycle... Now I just learned he's sending me there again tomorrow...

I told him that even though it's just 10 years old, we should stop throwing money at this thing and tell them it has to be replaced, for your sake and the customer's... I'm paid by the hour... but at some point, even if it doesn't affect my personal bottom line, I just feel silly working on this thing for absolutely nothing...

So i have been working for the same company for about four years. small company and really not an awful place to work, but i’ve recently been offered a job at a bigger company locally for about a 4 dollar raise.

At my current company, we are guaranteed 40 hours of pay no matter what, i could sit at my house for a week straight and still get paid the 40 hours for the week. We still get paid overtime if we go over 40 hours, very relaxed work environment and i get along with everyone i work with. This also is the company that gave me a chance to even do this line of work, super close with the owner/boss and his whole family.

At the new company i would be getting a somewhat sizeable raise, the work hours are more family friendly (7-3) and they don’t limit overtime. Meaning i could work until the same time i do now (5:30-6:00) and get more money. Also this company offers retirement benefits, my current does not. Also for going on call i would get a 200 dollar bonus just for that. The company also doesn’t limit vacation time to certain months outside of the slow season. The downside to this company that i can see is more of a corporate structure with layoffs happening in the winter, whereas i have super great job security where i am at.

Please leave any advice you have for me in making this decision. I am younger and would love to hear some wisdom from the older guys about moving around in the industry.

So I worked an install about 2 weeks ago. Homeowner was a very nitpicky asshole so we’re already on edge. I sadly Dropped my impact off my ladder and 2 weeks later the homeowner calls and bitches that my impact dropping cracked some paint on the ceiling in the living room. Didn’t bust the sheet rock or anything. Somehow the lady turned it into a 1600 dollar repair having another company come to fix it and my company is taking 200 dollars from each paycheck until it’s paid. I’m new to this still but shouldn’t companies have business insurance to protect its workers from things like that? It’d be different if it was something intentional but it was a total accident.