A Day in the Life of an HVAC Tech.

[@j.johnson9564]

I’m currently waiting to graduate and start my internship as a HVAC tech. I am excited to start and want to learn everything I can before I start. I have been looking up videos to learn from people like you, this is 100% the best video I’ve seen yet! Good Job!

[@richardkicklighter1202]

Thanks, Dude! I'm definitely going for the blue stuff. Come to Idaho some summer, we live on the Snake river. We can hang out in the shop with the big toys, then I'll show you where ole' Fighter holes up on the river. Last year some guy landed a 26 lb rainbow (best fishing is fall after the A/C season). Thanks again.

[@turftone]

I actually enjoyed this video very much! You got me wanting to go and clean my A/C unit now... I love the pulley and shaft at the end! Funny what people ignore up until it dies completely.

[@davidgoliath9073]

you have a lot to learn, the green board on the right side is the RTRM control board (which is an awesome board), the green board on the left is the RTOM board (options control board), the tan board above them is the ignition board. next, the expansion pistons are at that 1/2 copper header with 3/8 lines that feed into the evap coil, liquid refrigerant is fed into the evaporator which causes a pressure drop, every refrigerant pressure has a corresponding temp hence the cold liquid, as the cold liquid passes through the evap it picks up sensible heat until it reaches the saturation temp/pressure, latent heat causes change of state into vapor, after that it continues to pick up more sensible heat (which is the superheat}. PLUS the coil cleaner you used removes the factory coating from the metal. you have to spray the coil with cal-guard after using a cleaner with high acidity, read the NU=calgon label. in a couple years those coils will be a dull color and start to get flaky and falling apart. and did i see the open end of your charging hose laying in water at the beginning of your video?

[@Halligan142]

I pointed to the wrong board in the video. Trane has the WORST main board in the industry. Out of all major manufacturers they are the ones I replace the most. The longest lasting Main control boards I've come across so far have been in the older LGA Lennox units. In my 23 years of doing this I've only replaced 1. The Johnson controls ignition modules in those sucked though. Also Carrier boards are relatively robust. Unless you're in a high corrosive environment ( IE acid rain, Ocean salt, things like that) there is no need to coat a condenser coil. You just need to make sure you rinse effectively and only use the coil cleaner concentration you need to do the job.

[@davidgoliath9073]

@@Halligan142 dang, you totally changed my mind......not

[@marvingarcia8982]

I do commercial refrigeration and am always running into these type of problems..cleaning split coils with nubrite...when using nubrite you need lots of water bcuz it will eat the fins of the coil it just makes them brital. About the RTU the pistons in the evap coil are actually in the long tube wich is call HEADERS, in this rtu there is 2 headers with multiple pistons no txv. I ran into exhaust fans with brolen belts but never seen a pulley that came on, you never know what you going to find. Great video, I really like your work, I wish I can go behind techs that had your work ethic

[@65WKFoster]

Just wanted to let you know you have really inspired me to continue pursuing the HVAC trade. Thank you so much for the great videos.

[@Darryl603]

Great fun hanging out with Halligan at work! Hope to see more in the future. You might be onto something here

[@fgleich]

I remember those days doing things like what you're doing. Good job man ! Attitude is 90 % of it, and yours is right up there :)

[@scotthsmith8635]

This guy rocks! I've been in the industry for over 40 years and must say 'you are really sharp. I love how you give back. I spent some time as a National Trainer to the HVAC industry and you really should be a trainer. A Very Rewarding experience. Good luck to you!

[@Halligan142]

Thank You! I learned from people that knew more than me and from messing things up. That was the only way to lear. KZbin didn't exist and the internet was a different place. Now to be able to show and teach people from around the country and world with a single video is pretty cool.

[@BrentPeluso]

***** I am new to the trade and am taking a HVAC/R foundation course right now. I am almost 3 months in. Great Videos these are helping a lot!! ps went to Boston a few years ago and it was Amazing. I am from Victoria BC Canada Thanks Again!

[@Halligan142]

Brent Peluso Good Luck! I guess I take the city for granted. I try to avoid it like the plague at work because I hate finding places to park. Especially in the financial district. Back bay and South Boston aren't bad.

[@BrentPeluso]

It's always different when your from there I guess. Oh hey in one of your videos you said the capacitor was hooked up the wrong way.... I tried hooking up a capacitor on a fan motor and it didn't make a difference which way I hooked it up....are you sure you just didn't replace it? I think the fan was spinning the other way from the negative pressure from the other fan.... thoughts ?

[@BrentPeluso]

Oh and Thank you very much! I just got my first job offer last Friday too ! (Once I'm finished my course in May)

[@Rieff01]

God bless you brother...I should have taken hvac years ago, went for electronics instead...i am looking to incorporate it with my training, keep doing your thing. People like me are paying attention.

[@NaylorTank]

Showing that view of the harbor, was just out there over the summer, wish I lived and worked out there!

[@not2fast4u2c]

Thanks for the cleaning lesson I use foaming bathroom cleaner on my window unit I am still laughing about the pulley and shaft it looks like that spun for a few hours to wear that much

[@pipsqueak631]

A/Cs. Born to break. More so with inverter, variable speed blowers and communication controls. The KISS principle is fading. I'm so glad to be out of the day to day but was going to start as a 2 day a week ride along trainer till Covid-19 came along.

[@dynorat12]

loved the exhaust pulley I had seen that on the pillow block bearings but not the pulley lol

[@Halligan142]

Neither had I until then.

[@dtiydr]

Love the video, have done this myself once in the days and its wonderful to see what the average ppl never see.

[@therepublicHVAC]

I had the chance to fly in from Dallas to work on some A.C. at Logan. Fun times.

[@mychoclabwinston]

I've scene 404a freezer systems, running on high head, look at the condensor, looked spotless, could see right through the coil, was lost, cleaned the coil, head pressure dropped immediately, it's wild what pollen will do to a coil, and it was on a roof top like this

[@davewood406]

Your mileage may vary when going to an HVAC parts house. The condenser fan shit the bed on my home unit years ago and I went to local HVAC parts house, they asked me where I worked. Told them this was for my own unit etc and they showed me the door... I went down the street to Grainger.

[@thehowardnicholson]

thanks , liked the intro too, nice to see where others live..and i hope you can post more "a day in the life " videos cheers H...

[@jimdavidson5208]

You get much better foaming action with a pump up sprayer. Also use a lot less coil cleaner. You need to direct the water stream straight into the coils when rinsing. Your angle spray doesn't penetrate as deep and the straight method does.

[@davewood406]

Where I work does have a Grainger account, I was able to bluff my way into a cash sale. It wasn't so much that you need a commercial account that set me aback at the HVAC place, it was how I was turned away. It was kind of busy and I think the counter person may have been putting on a show for the contractors. I had the motor in my hand, it was a slam dunk sale.

[@kenzpenz]

Oh by the way, I'm from Greenfield MA and joined the Army back in 1955 and ended up here in CA after 20 years. I do not have that Boston accent. I have brothers still living in MA and only one has that MA accent. Please keep making the videos....

[@Halligan142]

I grew up in the Boston suburbs. I have the accent pretty good, but my wife doesn't have it so much. She's from the Metro-West area. The cleaner used is a safer alkaline based biodegradable product, not acid although many people still call it that and is actually authorized by the U.S.D.A (just found that one out). Plus it not only gets mixed with water during application, but your diluting it even further by rinsing it off and I've never had a problem with it harming any roofing materials or even plants, although it will stain metal if not rinsed off. What your washing off is only dust, dirt, pollen, and in the case of restaurants, food grease so that won't harm anything either. After cleaning the coil I usually just rinse the area and squeegee the puddles and excess water into the roof gutters.

[@Diron36]

Im an HVAC student and Thanks for the real world experience!!!

[@jonthewoodworker]

I sure loved the last one, that must have made a racket lol

[@grimninja2004]

hvac newbie here, great series , loved watching it

[@mychoclabwinston]

I absoulety hate changing shafts, lol, either it goes great, or its horrible, whenever I do, I put new bearings as well

[@vajake1]

"A thing of beauty." I loved that!

[@yannitoth]

You should rename the title of this video as Commercial HVAC or roof top unit and commercial exhaust hood repair. When I started in this industry a year ago nothing popped up in the search; this video is older.Oh well I learned in a hard way! Just my 2 cents. Great video!

[@Halligan142]

I'll look at the tags I have on this video and add some more so it will show up on a search.

[@tspriggsabq]

I've walked across that old bridge, to get a part for a job I had.

[@tspriggsabq]

they made it look pretty on the outside at the expense of the repair technician.

[@dave21011]

Thanks for the video man, I really have a better idea of the type of work in this simple video. I watched your other video as well and I really enjoyed it. IThank you for sharing this! it was really fun and entertaining the way u made the vid!

[@LSJUAN]

I'm an auto tech and I hear that lie all the time when it comes to brakes. "They just started making noise yesterday" All I have to do is look through the spokes of the wheels to see that it's a lie. The rotors are usually worn down to the cooling fins. Lol

[@kenzpenz]

Just curious, not critical, but where does all that gunk go once it's washed out of the unit. I see it going onto the roof and away, but is there some sort of collection and disposal. I live next to the Old Fort Ord in CA and I remember the GI's washing tanks and equipment with solvents right onto the ground. Well, we are paying the price now with the ground water contamination. I love your videos and appreciate what you are doing. I know you are concerned and I appreciate that. I'm 75 and enjoy learning something new every day. Did you get to repair that bad pulley ? :) . Thanks again.....Ken Marina CA

[@vajake1]

Great video! Thanks for posting this and sharing your knowledge.

[@Gregster2448]

Have you seen the new sunglasses that have a HD 16 gigabyte card? up to 90 mins of recording time with still shot feature...I'm getting my either today or Thursday...looking forward to adding my own version of the daily life of the A/C tech...I enjoy listening to your explanations and total disgust with obvious design flaws with these extremely bad engineering machines...I agree with about 98% of what you have to say...gotta try those hand wipes....

[@Halligan142]

I'll have to look into those glasses. I was thinking about one of those go-pro cameras, but I'll have to do some research.

[@kelvinharrison74]

Loved the video! Very educational. You should be an HVAC school instructor.

[@richardkicklighter1202]

Cool! (pardon the pun) I subscribe to your channel. I called my A/C installer for my 5yr old home central unit, & they said to just hose it down with water using garden hose. It's well protected, but the pollen, dust accumulation concerns me as we live in the big farming area of Idaho (lots of dust). It's getting a huge workout this year temps hovering around 100. What's your take on the garden hose flush?

[@zachtoone4892]

I just started HVAC school. I love how i can like shadow you its great. Keep it up, great stuff.(even tho i don't know half of what your saying)

[@zachtoone4892]

zach toone that was a run cap you replace right?

[@zachtoone4892]

It's expensive but it's worth it you can get your HVAC license if you work under someone for 2 years

[@needforcreed067]

+zach toone 3 years you mean when working under a licensed master.

[@zachtoone4892]

Yea I guess it is three I read wrong. Oh and Fill I'm loving it. Just apply for grants and it will make school cheaper, plus it looks good an a resume.

[@slaithen]

Will the acid you used damage the roof? It didn't show you rinsing off the roof, so I was just wondering if there's a problem with that. Great video, very interesting. Thanks!

[@sl1pse4l]

Awesome video man, im looking to get into HVAC and will be starting school in the fall for an HVAC diploma. I will be sure to watch more of your videos. Any tips for someone just getting into the trade ?

[@Halligan142]

Learn as much as you can from the teachers at school. Ask questions. Pay particular attention to the electrical and control side of things. If your doing service work this is where most of your problems will occur.

[@awsom70]

Wow that exhaust fan had definitely been noise for a long time.

[@andysmechanical7825]

no I swear, it just started making noise this morning. lol great video thanks

[@jster1963]

Great info! I fly in and out of Logan all the time. I see that view from the air side. On the shaft at the end, how to you fix that? Do you replace the entire thing, or put on a new shaft and pulley? Thanks and cool vid......

[@timothygreen7988]

Hey do HVAC techs work with boilers much love to see a vid on them

[@killerxbunnys]

Ha, the last kitchen fan in this video, i worked for a company that built that style of fans. I was a the one welding up the bases and the covers and shrouds.

[@killerxbunnys]

+killerxbunnys also how would you clean your coils if you lived up north during winter? if its to cold water just freezes and you now have ice everywhere?

[@Halligan142]

+killerxbunnys Just a spring and summer thing. Most A/C's don't run during the winter those that do it's cold enough outside that most of the time you don't even need the fans. Same thing with walk-in condensing units. They'll actually have a control to shut the fan off when the refrigerant pressure gets too low because of the temperature or a valve that will bypass the coil.

[@MrJohnnaz]

Why do they have three phase compressors, and single phase fan motors? Looks like that pulley needs to be re-bushed with the South Bend. (just kidding)

[@djtrek19]

Great video ! Now i have to figure out how to fix my broken ac! Lol

[@JaneGraeSmithy]

Excellent! Very educational! Thanks again!

[@felipeluna9094]

Why not run it through test mode instead of jumping it from the bord?

[@aircooledtx]

Why do they not have 2 stage stats for cooling & heating?

[@ducklandwikeno]

Halligan142 I really like your videos you have on commercial HVAC . I tried to work for a company this summer in the commercial field and they let me go , at the time I had a very bad infection in my mouth that my hole face was swollen and had to goto the er for that reason . .I was told by them I wasn't qualified for the job . I worked in the residential field as a installer and learned service in residential as well .Its different for me and I didn't have a problem learning . But I own my own company a one man show in wi and am having a hardtime starting it out . I don't have the capital as most companies around me for advertisement so my company is having trouble taking off .what could I do to get it started off

[@Halligan142]

Most of our work comes as word of mouth. We don't advertise, our trucks are unmarked. The only thing we use is adwords with Google, but that's only been within the past 5-8 years. We do commercial HVAC and refrigeration and work mostly in restaurants. We do not do any kind of restaurant equipment like ovens or fryers so we partnered with a company that does, but doesn't do refrigeration. Works out great. They have a customer that needs refrigeration service they recommend us and we have a customer that needs an oven fixed we recommend them. If you're doing residential I think one of the best ways to get your foot in the door is to offer a reasonably priced Preventive Maintenance program. Clean coils, blower wheels, change filters, general check up sort of thing. If you have that type of service for less than your competition and leave some cards or better yet magnets with your customer then chances are when there is a service call they will call you. These services can be advertised in local papers for not too much if needed. When starting anything like this it is tough and you do have to be prepared to be in the red or break even for a bit, but once you get the client base it gets easier.

[@1274tinkerbell]

Every job you do, put any money you make back in to tools and all the other shit us HVAC guys need... which adds up quick really. If you stick to youre guns on this you will have all of youre tools and a service vehicle before you know it. Hell i ran service out of whatever would get me to the job for a while. With that being said remeber image is everythiung

[@1242chisox]

Great videos!!

[@bluecollarfed9479]

You just gotta love Electricians. :-) Even though they don't share the love back.

[@andycensus]

Great video, what brand/version of coil cleaner do you use and what setting on the coil cleaner bottle foamer (A-E) do you set it at?

[@Halligan142]

I use Nu-Brite for the most part. I use their other cleaner that's safe for micro-fin coils too. Mostly I use C on the settings but I've gone up to the highest concentration setting for coils caked in grease being very careful to immediately rinse extremely well.

[@mychoclabwinston]

Shit I did a resi call, really dirty condenser, sprayed it down, they didn't have a outdoor hose bib, lol, I ran around grabbed garbage can out of truck, 5 gal pail, in the house filling up, throwing on it, lol, coil actually starting to smoke, maybe I mixed a little to strong, I will never make the same mistake again, lol

[@mychoclabwinston]

This isn't hvac video though, this is refrigeration, hvac, allows you to work on a maximum, of 5T units, anything above in states and provinces, that are actually regulated, require another liscence,

[@jimdavidson5208]

Show the other side of the coil. Bet it's dirty. Especially on those multi-stack coils that are 4 or 5 inches deep.

[@FailKing]

Hey I'm in highschool at the moment and I'm looking to get into a labor job like HVAC Installer/Tech or Electrician or something like that and I'm wondering would you recommend HVAC / enjoy your job and is the pay good?

[@Halligan142]

+675,458,124 views Pay is good but varies a lot on location and scope of work. I like it.

[@mychoclabwinston]

Install first, then service, service guys make a lot more, but there's a reason, we don't do the same thing every day, new problems and issues, everyday, actually need to think.

[@Betoven81]

Hello. I want to go to school for HVAC. What is the starting wage for a career as one?

[@Betoven81]

Thank you Halligan142. BTW very informative video.

[@victorcontreras6163]

Nice Video dude! i Want to get in HVAC it looks liked you really have to know what you are doing. How long you been doing HVAC ? you are good TECH

[@Halligan142]

Thanks! This coming September will make 15 years in the trade.

[@one4stevo]

Great video

[@nauticalpixel]

That's interesting how a bad cap would make the fan motor spin backwards. I am a apprentice HVAC tech starting my refrigeration classes. How could the motor spin backwards with a bad cap?

[@Halligan142]

The cap gives the motor a boost to start and turn in the correct direction. With a bad cap the motor will just sit there and hum and overheat. In this case the second fan motor is moving enough air to spin the blade on the motor with the bad cap effectively acting like the capacitor to get it going. Because of the blade pitch the air moving over it drawn by the good motor starts it in the opposite direction. You can try it yourself with a PSC motor. Disconnect the run capacitor and turn it on. It will just hum. Give it a spin by hand and it will continue in that direction. Shut it down and let it come to a stop. Turn it on again, but this time give it a spin in the opposite direction and it will continue to run in that direction.

[@nauticalpixel]

Well I understand how the cap makes electric motors run. But I do appreciate you taking the time to explain the rest of it. Next week I dive into HVAC literally, going to be fun. Keep on with the vids I like learning as much as I can. Next summer I will have my basic certifications so I won't be a apprentice for long, certainly got more to learn and one more semester after this one.

[@skyedge3407]

***** I am thinking about getting a 1 year Cert in HVAC/R, but do you think an apprenticeship would be better?

[@Halligan142]

***** PSC motors have no start winding and will run in whatever direction they are started in whether it be by someone hand starting it, air over a fan blade starting it, or a capacitor starting it. They have a main and auxiliary winding that are both the same. Rotation is determined by the position of the run capacitor in the circuit or rather how one power leg is directed through it.

[@hamidja6833]

thank u buddy for sharing video..after 15 years experience how much u will make per year?

[@Halligan142]

Depends on your location and company you work for. Every place is different, but I would think you'd be at least 18-20 on the low end and 30-40 on the high per hour.

[@Diron36]

Can you use this stuff to clean blower cage and wheel

[@Halligan142]

I wouldn't recommend it. You're better off with something like Simple Green or Easy Off oven cleaner if it's really tough. You have to be careful when cleaning any kind of fan blade though. You need to be sure you get off all the dirt if you decide to clean it. If you don't the blade will become unbalanced and can affect the bearings in the fan shaft or motor depending on if it's directly mounted or not.

[@000Nextel]

instantly vaporizes the refrigerant when entering the evaporator through the orifices? you sure?

[@Halligan142]

Yes I'm sure. It turns the high pressure liquid into a mist lowering it's pressure, which then boils off and in the process absorbs heat.

[@000Nextel]

***** Don't you mean that the refrigerant flows through the coil as a liquid absorbing heat and then eventually boiling off to a vapor?

[@nauticalpixel]

Refrigerant is strange stuff. Just imagine like he said in the vid when you put your thomb over a garden hose it causes pressure to build up accelerating the water. Refrigerant does something similar, but its low boiling point causes it to turn into a vapor because the sudden low pressure causes it to turn into vapor absorbing the heat energy in the process cooling the area. It took me a good week or two to understand it, but there you go.

[@calparts6712]

It's amazing how people claim that things go bad all of a sudden, when you know it had to have been going bad for a while. Oh well, that's what the service techs are there for, to save the day...!!!

[@ICooke11]

Why did y1 and y2 have a jumper wire?

[@Halligan142]

Single stage thermostat and the one unit does the entire building. I want as much cold air as fast as I can get it in there plus with multistage set up a lot of times you'll just run 1st a lot more. I'd rather have both compressors worked equally.

[@ICooke11]

ok. I thought that if you use a single stage Tstat on a 2 stage A/C, the A/C board will control it. say its cooling for 10 mins and the Tstat is not satisfied, then the 2nd stage will kick in. Is that Right? If you energize y1 and y2 at the same time via jumper wire, then you will always have both compressors running. Therefore using more power, and being less efficient.

[@Halligan142]

Ian Cooke Most units don't. Usually you need something on y2 whether it is a jumper or from a multistage thermostat. I want both compressors running when calling for cooling. I'm not worried about an electric bill I'm worried about beating the crap out of the first stage compressor by having it be the one that will run more. Especially in Trane units where the 1st stage is larger. It evens itself out really when you think about it. Having both compressors run when calling for cooling will stisfy the thermostat quicker than with one compressor.

[@winkhvac62]

Good stuff

[@SombraLocs]

Great Great video!

[@SuperFineTech75]

have any job there for hvac technician for indian people

[@Halligan142]

Doesn't matter your ethnicity. As long as you know what you're doing and can communicate with the customers and take care of them you're all set.

[@gizzo123us]

For some reason I though you lived in new york I am a mass hole to !!!

[@fgleich]

You need some good Klein tools man :)

[@gizzo123us]

Up in billerica ma. sents 1956

[@zachtoone4892]

LoL @ 1:46

[@simonac688.]

cool-stuff

[@deadkoalas]

yep ! bloody electricians always mount the isolator switch in the worst spot here as well :(

[@johnnysaltyaircrabcake8030]

funny aside... u do do a good vid

[@voncobain]

i do commercial hvac in the prairies.... the view is not that great lol.

[@Darryl603]

You couldn't tell? Did you grow up here giz?

[@p-5576]

That Boston accent! Haha

[@Smorgasvord]

Its a fuckin baby whaleeeeeeee man

[@jasonleearnett]

Go YANKEES!!

[@johnnysaltyaircrabcake8030]

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEy who gives a crapppp about the refrigeration unit sunshine..... get back to the views..... WHERE did the Boston TeaParty Happiiiinnnn... was it in that Haaaarba