According to my union, travel time is to be included when calculating overtime, and if I am assigned to travel alone to a job site, I am entitled to be paid at the foreman pay scale. I brought this to the attention of my employer, but they initially disagreed. As a result, I made the decision not to fly for work unless those terms were met.

Recently, a job came up that required EPA certification and needed to be done. I requested foreman pay and that my travel time be included in overtime calculations. The company agreed to these terms, and I completed the job as requested.

However, during my return flight, I received an email from the company stating that they would not be paying me at the foreman rate and would only compensate my travel time at straight time. I addressed the matter with them directly and respectfully, but was subsequently terminated, with the explanation that I was not a good fit for the company.

Still keeps the house at 70 in the dead of summer

Not trying to make this political, and I hope politics are not brought up, just genuinely curious. I’m 26 so when 2008 crash happened I was in 5th grade. With the upcoming news that’s been going on I’m genuinely curious how the industry held up during hard times. I’m nearly 5years into this industry which I love and passionate about. I came in a little after lockdown. Just curious for those senior techs with 20+ years experience. What was 2008 like? Did you get laid off , was business slow? To those super old guys what were all the recessions and economical/market crashes like ? Did you job hold up well, was and is it recession proof as every one been telling me?

1.5 year old Mitsubishi City Multi compressor failure. Going on 2 hrs of reclaiming the system. Then the fun begins.

I will be packing these openings with copper wool.

Side-rant: If a system is going to be this complex, it needs to be able to run with some faults. The loss of a single sensor (T5) shouldn't stop the entire unit from working. Bosch needs to take a hint from the auto industry. Cars have loads of sensors and controls, but can keep running in limp mode when there are multiple failures. This Bosch, on the other hand, loses a single sensor and goes into shutdown.

Hey everyone,

I’m thinking about switching careers to HVAC, but I have no experience in this field. Right now, I’m working in a different job, but I feel like it’s time for a change to something with more opportunities and stability in the long run.

So, I have a few questions: 1. What’s the first step I should take to get into HVAC? 2. Is it better to go through a formal training program, or can you start learning while working? 3. What kind of certifications or licenses do I need to work in HVAC in New Jersey? 4. For someone with zero experience, how long does it usually take to get trained and ready for a full-time job? 5. What’s the demand for HVAC techs in NJ, and how quickly could I find work once I’m trained?

I’m ready to put in the work, just need some direction on where to start.

Thanks for any tips or advice you can share!

First time using these today and I honestly kind of hate them. The screens are cool but I would like to use the app anyways. There’s no auto calculation for Superheat and Sub cooling which REALLY annoys me and makes me not even want to use them. The UI on the app is so stupid. You can combine the temp clamps and psychrometers but you can’t combine the pressure probes so you have to constantly switch back and forth on the app. The carrying case is MASSIVE compared to the field piece one.

For the price I would not recommend buying these unless they update the app and add the ability to auto calculate SH and SC.

Been an HVAC tech for about a year now, just wanted yall boys opinion on my hand tools and what else I might need.

Just a question for the installers, how long did it take you guys to fully be able to install a condenser by yourself from start to finish?

Work I’ve done in the past.. what you guys think?

I am new to the industry and going strong on the install side doing change outs. We have had a couple first company pancake units. These go into a cabinet and are mounted via 4 all thread studs and mounting plate. (Normally it’s a gut swap not a cabinet change)

Does anyone have a good method for getting the back bolt on the line set side? It’s a tight fit with the suction tube and capillaries coming off the metering device.

Yesterday it was hands and a ratcheting wrench. Today it was a deep socket with extension. Neither really worked as well as I wanted.

Who else loves a nice C coil cleaning!?

Happened at school today

Asked y'all a month ago about your worse "uh-oh" calls, was NOT disappointed! Now, let's flip the coin:

I went to a call today, homeowners told dispatch that they thought they were having thermostat problems, that it was cooling and heating weirdly (their words, not mine). I get out there, now they're saying that they will set the tstat to a certain temperature, then they'll wake up to it being set different (Shit's haunted, I guess). Honeywell T6, notice the "temporary hold" on the display, then it all clicks. Turns out, installers had put a schedule on it by default without the homeowners being aware. One install manual, 30 seconds, some laughs, and a firm handshake later, I'm on my way home.

Tell us about your best/favorite call you went to that turned out to be a stupidly simple, a quick fix, or just flat-out nothing.