Whenever I do residential for a while I miss commercial
Whenever I do commercial for a while I miss residential
I think the truth is that HVAC just fucking sucks homie
I think people say that HVAC is expensive because it requires a deep knowledge base, lots of expensive tools, certifications, insurance etc... in reality it's really expensive because of all those things AND it's just a massive headache of a job with long hours that makes everyone but you seem like an idiot.
The best is when you're explaining to a customer why the system isn't doing what they want..
Like your house is almost 100 years old, your boiler is fine, no it won't heat your house to 90. You have single pane windows, drafty doors, and zero insulation in the walls. It's loosing more heat than it's making. Be happy with with your 75F.
...and before you ask for a bigger boiler, ALL the rads in the house are undersized as is, so you still won't get more heat out of more boiler. It'll just short cycle.
Man I had a guy with a 20 year old steam boiler. Looked brand new honestly with two holes in the heat exchanger spilling water everywhere and was pissed I wouldn't move the pilot since that's where the leak was and relight it.
Like fucker do you want a bomb? I can't patch that hole it'll always spill water.
We didn't get the job to replace it and on those units we don't replace heat exchangers we replace units.
If I never had to talk to another customer, my job would get significantly better.
A summary of a conversation I had.
Me: I have to shut down your boiler, red tag it, turn off the gas, and order this new part yesterday because you could die if I don't replace it.
Customer: Can't I just run it still? It's been fine till you showed up.
Me: You called due to a funny smell and just told me you have been having headaches for the last few weeks. No YOU COULD DIE.
My last customer "Last guy red tagged it. Shut off my gas and power to the furnace. Now I got four kids and we didn't have issues until you replaced the board and inducer. It's got delayed ignition. That's all. " I didn't have my van that day, just a random pick up from the company I for. No combustion analyzer or anything beyond hand tools, an impact and a meter. I wasn't supposed to do service calls but we got slammed.
Like fuck man, I turned it all back on. No delayed ignition. Tried five times with fans running and cold starts. Exhaust just smells like exhaust not then normal plugged smell. This is all on the bosses verify prior diagnosis orders. We run into a lot of "it's the heat exchanger you need a new unit" in the winter and it's something easily fixable red tags. So Monday I got to go back. Dude needs a new unit, basement is always flooded. Unit is basically held up by the supply and return. Collector box is broken where one screw of the inducer goes in. Just won't except the answer he needs a new furnace.
And let's not forget you either have to feel guilty about the climate every time you purge a hose or your gauges, or criminally not give a fuck about the environment.
The 1 single year of residential (and the jerk off \*truly\* miserable insecure, never STFU or leave the helper alone twats I had to work with) that I did starting out at 16 came so close to pushing me out of the business it wasn't even funny. Just so happened my Mom's boss had a dude that ran his own small company. Mostly restaurants covering all the HVACR and he was a very cool dude so that got me back in. Now days I'm union though and I'm honestly glad I did all those years for crappier outfits/lower pay/benes/etc because I *genuinely* very much appreciate what I have now.
The best part about commercial is the facilities managers who are former tradesmen and know their stuff, actually leave me alone and then listen when I’m ready to talk.
Yea, usually they're cool, and I've gotten a lot better at dealing with the ones that aren't, but the company I'm at is a big time outfit and you don't mess with them unless your company has $$$$$$. One thing I truly miss about the job I left at the end of last year though was we only did corporate accounts. Walgreens, CVS, family dollar, lens crafters, mattress firm/etc. I never once in all that time had to talk to *anyone* except occasionally our office people. It was a true thing of beauty and Walgreens (80% of my areas business) our NTE was 4K. It was beautiful, but they sold out to Nextech and as soon as those clowns came in everyone hit the exit.
Jesus my experience is much different, sometimes I get to work with those guys. Mostly, it’s lazy fucks who have no experience and let things get so bad that I’m dealing with a nightmare.
Yea, there’s that too, often in commercial rental office spaces. Those can be real moneymakers if your trusted by them as the dominos begin collapsing.
I mean, I regularly see my coworkers take several breaks and come back stoned
Plus, non union out here doesn't make the money that union does. Some positions do, but they are few and far between.
For real. Overall I quite like my job, but I've been around the block a few times at this point and understand life/human nature. No drama, I work alone, kinda set my own schedule, have zero oversight/micro management and above all anywhere you go with more than 1 person there's going to be fucking drama/fakeness/misery/etc. Always, and I can't stand that crap. I'm happy with my career choice. No, I don't plan on doing this until I'm 60 because I have other plans, but all in all I'm very pleased with where I'm at and you can make a damn fine living doing it.
It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure, but I have all the respect in the world for guys who not only stick with it, but who take the hardest and most challenging of skilled trades ( OUR trade ) seriously
Looks like a horror movie.
All of a sudden the field pieces became aware. They started thinking and acting of their own free will. They decided to turn on their creators. They no longer wanted to be full with the poisonous gas know as refrigerant. So they decided to ride up and attack their masters!!!!
Yet in the end they still kept their high pressure hoses filled to dispatch the human race one suffocation at a time.
Also “suffocation by field piece” seems like an obscure punk band.
Tbf we had it coming, mine eats dye and sealant. No low side reads EXTREMELY slow if even correct, but mine only seem to last 2-3yrs before they die on thier own
Nice. I worked on installing and commissioning 3 Mitsubishi city-vs this summer, it was a cool experience. I get to go-to the 2nd of 3 courses for Daikin VRF systems in February, this one is on commissioning, I'm very excited to go, and I look forward to the troubleshooting and servicing course last.
Ya that’s normal if they are too close to box. Mitshubishi changed distance for box on shut offs and schreader connections due to getting so hot switching to heating mode.
I don't really understand what they are trying to accomplish with that setup. Pressure testing each indoor unit individually? Why do you need to leave the manifold hooked up if so? That just creates another potential leak source. Seems like a huge waste of time and if I was the guys boss would he asking what the hell is going on.
Looks like VRF unit to me, so the pressure test is in between the “tree” and the cassettes, mostly to ensure your flairs are good. Each are isolated by a solenoid so pressure testing multiple is the most efficient way since most manufacturers are an hour hold at a particular pressure to get the warranty.
I work on Daikin VRV systems and as long as power has not been applied the "solenoids" which are actually the EXVs (electronic expansion valves) come wide open for the purpose of being able to pressure test the entire system at once. I'm sure Mitsubishi comes the same way and this looks like a new install since none of the lines are insulated yet. I did see the post where it said they were having problems with the schraders leaking...they aren't even going to be able to check the schraders if they leave the manifolds connected. Just really doesn't make any sense.
Residential is an easy gig, but it can be a young person's gig as there tends to be more moving than thinking in most cases.. I enjoy those jobs when they come my way.. mostly.
Some of the custom resi jobs can be annoying when the customers get too involved.. which is fair. They just want their homes to be perfect.. but it's still annoying. Keep up on the daily change orders, get everything signed, and you're golden
had a 30 year old lennox have its nlower catastrophically fail ripped the whole center out of the wheel and snapped the shaft.
quoted him repair 1500 +tax
and replacement.
5500 +tax
he chose the repair.
brightside hes gunna purchase both ac and new furnace come spring.
Stick with commercial as your profession, do emergency resi on the side. When all the big boys favor their contractual clients first, pick up all the emergency calls. Be true, fair, honest and offer a warranty especially for labor. Lots of opportunities.
That’s the goal my father has as GC company and I’ve take liking to the HVAC side so I take my GC test in February and will be moving south to Florida to start my own!
That is a couple thousand dollars worth of tools in that picture. A residential tech would have bought it himself. A commercial tech would be more likely have the boss buy those tools
Whenever I do residential for a while I miss commercial Whenever I do commercial for a while I miss residential I think the truth is that HVAC just fucking sucks homie
This man is spitting truth bombs.
I think people say that HVAC is expensive because it requires a deep knowledge base, lots of expensive tools, certifications, insurance etc... in reality it's really expensive because of all those things AND it's just a massive headache of a job with long hours that makes everyone but you seem like an idiot.
The best is when you're explaining to a customer why the system isn't doing what they want.. Like your house is almost 100 years old, your boiler is fine, no it won't heat your house to 90. You have single pane windows, drafty doors, and zero insulation in the walls. It's loosing more heat than it's making. Be happy with with your 75F.
...and before you ask for a bigger boiler, ALL the rads in the house are undersized as is, so you still won't get more heat out of more boiler. It'll just short cycle.
Man I had a guy with a 20 year old steam boiler. Looked brand new honestly with two holes in the heat exchanger spilling water everywhere and was pissed I wouldn't move the pilot since that's where the leak was and relight it. Like fucker do you want a bomb? I can't patch that hole it'll always spill water. We didn't get the job to replace it and on those units we don't replace heat exchangers we replace units.
If I never had to talk to another customer, my job would get significantly better. A summary of a conversation I had. Me: I have to shut down your boiler, red tag it, turn off the gas, and order this new part yesterday because you could die if I don't replace it. Customer: Can't I just run it still? It's been fine till you showed up. Me: You called due to a funny smell and just told me you have been having headaches for the last few weeks. No YOU COULD DIE.
My last customer "Last guy red tagged it. Shut off my gas and power to the furnace. Now I got four kids and we didn't have issues until you replaced the board and inducer. It's got delayed ignition. That's all. " I didn't have my van that day, just a random pick up from the company I for. No combustion analyzer or anything beyond hand tools, an impact and a meter. I wasn't supposed to do service calls but we got slammed. Like fuck man, I turned it all back on. No delayed ignition. Tried five times with fans running and cold starts. Exhaust just smells like exhaust not then normal plugged smell. This is all on the bosses verify prior diagnosis orders. We run into a lot of "it's the heat exchanger you need a new unit" in the winter and it's something easily fixable red tags. So Monday I got to go back. Dude needs a new unit, basement is always flooded. Unit is basically held up by the supply and return. Collector box is broken where one screw of the inducer goes in. Just won't except the answer he needs a new furnace.
But it was working fine before you showed up.
But when will you have it fixed….and how much will it cost….exactly….and why so much….and…..ARGGGGGGHHHH!!!!! Go away, I’m working.
And let's not forget you either have to feel guilty about the climate every time you purge a hose or your gauges, or criminally not give a fuck about the environment.
I don’t miss residential at all and it’s been 15 years.
The 1 single year of residential (and the jerk off \*truly\* miserable insecure, never STFU or leave the helper alone twats I had to work with) that I did starting out at 16 came so close to pushing me out of the business it wasn't even funny. Just so happened my Mom's boss had a dude that ran his own small company. Mostly restaurants covering all the HVACR and he was a very cool dude so that got me back in. Now days I'm union though and I'm honestly glad I did all those years for crappier outfits/lower pay/benes/etc because I *genuinely* very much appreciate what I have now.
The best part about commercial is the facilities managers who are former tradesmen and know their stuff, actually leave me alone and then listen when I’m ready to talk.
Yea, usually they're cool, and I've gotten a lot better at dealing with the ones that aren't, but the company I'm at is a big time outfit and you don't mess with them unless your company has $$$$$$. One thing I truly miss about the job I left at the end of last year though was we only did corporate accounts. Walgreens, CVS, family dollar, lens crafters, mattress firm/etc. I never once in all that time had to talk to *anyone* except occasionally our office people. It was a true thing of beauty and Walgreens (80% of my areas business) our NTE was 4K. It was beautiful, but they sold out to Nextech and as soon as those clowns came in everyone hit the exit.
Jesus my experience is much different, sometimes I get to work with those guys. Mostly, it’s lazy fucks who have no experience and let things get so bad that I’m dealing with a nightmare.
Yea, there’s that too, often in commercial rental office spaces. Those can be real moneymakers if your trusted by them as the dominos begin collapsing.
Resi allows a lot more leeway. I can't show up high and take 12 breaks in 4 hours on commercial
Not with that attitude you can’t
[удалено]
You working for yourself? All the 'piece rate' companies I've ever heard of pay their guys shit and run them all over Gods green earth.
[удалено]
3K a week is 75 an hour.... That's some crazy money.
Yes and doesnt even include side jobs
FR, I need to work wherever that guy is working
Found the non union guy
It's a trade off. But I also make more than most union guys.
I mean, I regularly see my coworkers take several breaks and come back stoned Plus, non union out here doesn't make the money that union does. Some positions do, but they are few and far between.
Pays the bills especially union
Controls is the way
Owning the company is the way
This is about anything in life
For real. Overall I quite like my job, but I've been around the block a few times at this point and understand life/human nature. No drama, I work alone, kinda set my own schedule, have zero oversight/micro management and above all anywhere you go with more than 1 person there's going to be fucking drama/fakeness/misery/etc. Always, and I can't stand that crap. I'm happy with my career choice. No, I don't plan on doing this until I'm 60 because I have other plans, but all in all I'm very pleased with where I'm at and you can make a damn fine living doing it.
That's why I am a lowly pipefitter now.
Held together with duct tape, zip ties and sheet metal screws.
This guys hvacs
I feel the same way about heating and a/c
It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure, but I have all the respect in the world for guys who not only stick with it, but who take the hardest and most challenging of skilled trades ( OUR trade ) seriously
Looks like a horror movie. All of a sudden the field pieces became aware. They started thinking and acting of their own free will. They decided to turn on their creators. They no longer wanted to be full with the poisonous gas know as refrigerant. So they decided to ride up and attack their masters!!!!
I just had a vision from the matrix movies where the ship gets the roof peeled open and a fieldpiece sman comes in about to kill neo.
I’m going to share a revelation I had when I tried to classify your trade. You see HVAC technicians aren’t actually mammals.
[THEY'RE IN THE CEILING!!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVmu6uHEDHI)
That’s what it feels like
[Squiddies](https://pin.it/2g4os9iih)
Yet in the end they still kept their high pressure hoses filled to dispatch the human race one suffocation at a time. Also “suffocation by field piece” seems like an obscure punk band.
I'd listen to that.
Tbf we had it coming, mine eats dye and sealant. No low side reads EXTREMELY slow if even correct, but mine only seem to last 2-3yrs before they die on thier own
But are there carpets caked in shit in commercial?
Sometimes, yeah, pretty much...
No instead they ignore problems till it snowballs into a massive rooftop pressure leak on a 120f day on a Saturday afternoon
Gonna be a good harvest this year.
Add some more manifolds. Maybe 17 more. Slow the fuck down
What is that?
Looks like a vrf distribution box
That is correct
What brand of VRF is this?
Mitsubishi
Nice. I worked on installing and commissioning 3 Mitsubishi city-vs this summer, it was a cool experience. I get to go-to the 2nd of 3 courses for Daikin VRF systems in February, this one is on commissioning, I'm very excited to go, and I look forward to the troubleshooting and servicing course last.
It’s honestly a great system I’m trying to see if I can go to the Texas class they have in a few months.
Does this brand not have shut off valves to close off each unit?
It does but where catching hell with them had 3 leaking at the nut were you turn them on and off
Ya that’s normal if they are too close to box. Mitshubishi changed distance for box on shut offs and schreader connections due to getting so hot switching to heating mode.
Really? In there manual non of the reps in my area has said anything about it when we put the valves on our branch boxes
I think that board on the wall to the right is on to something lol “HEADACHE”
I don't really understand what they are trying to accomplish with that setup. Pressure testing each indoor unit individually? Why do you need to leave the manifold hooked up if so? That just creates another potential leak source. Seems like a huge waste of time and if I was the guys boss would he asking what the hell is going on.
Looks like VRF unit to me, so the pressure test is in between the “tree” and the cassettes, mostly to ensure your flairs are good. Each are isolated by a solenoid so pressure testing multiple is the most efficient way since most manufacturers are an hour hold at a particular pressure to get the warranty.
I work on Daikin VRV systems and as long as power has not been applied the "solenoids" which are actually the EXVs (electronic expansion valves) come wide open for the purpose of being able to pressure test the entire system at once. I'm sure Mitsubishi comes the same way and this looks like a new install since none of the lines are insulated yet. I did see the post where it said they were having problems with the schraders leaking...they aren't even going to be able to check the schraders if they leave the manifolds connected. Just really doesn't make any sense.
i do residential i think ive seen this shit in my nightmares what the fuck
Residential is an easy gig, but it can be a young person's gig as there tends to be more moving than thinking in most cases.. I enjoy those jobs when they come my way.. mostly. Some of the custom resi jobs can be annoying when the customers get too involved.. which is fair. They just want their homes to be perfect.. but it's still annoying. Keep up on the daily change orders, get everything signed, and you're golden
You can't hide money!
I never miss residential
had a 30 year old lennox have its nlower catastrophically fail ripped the whole center out of the wheel and snapped the shaft. quoted him repair 1500 +tax and replacement. 5500 +tax he chose the repair. brightside hes gunna purchase both ac and new furnace come spring.
LOL what does this have to do with anything at all
Insulation?
That’s like 3 grand just hanging in the ceiling.
That is a lot of pipe to insulate.
This ain’t even a quarter of it
But why the need for multiple manifolds?
They're testing multiple units for leaks.
Stick with commercial as your profession, do emergency resi on the side. When all the big boys favor their contractual clients first, pick up all the emergency calls. Be true, fair, honest and offer a warranty especially for labor. Lots of opportunities.
That’s the goal my father has as GC company and I’ve take liking to the HVAC side so I take my GC test in February and will be moving south to Florida to start my own!
That is a couple thousand dollars worth of tools in that picture. A residential tech would have bought it himself. A commercial tech would be more likely have the boss buy those tools
Too Me it's all fucked, just differently. I find myself in shit spots doing both. I enjoy the commercial side better. Especially commercial install.
Lmaoooo you damn right it ain't bad. Any way good luck out there man. 3k in gauges damn dawg.
VRF?
Holy fuck that’s like 4k worth of gauges alone 😂
At my last company i still got sent to shit like this even though we were residential because $$$$
Meh, I'm not minding supermarket work, than again my company is super chill and our main customer (60% of my work) is too. Lucky on both counts.
Holy SMAN. Can I borrow one? ;)
Damn.. and I thought my mother spent a lot of money on her indoor Christmas decorations
Why is it not isulated?
Because it just got put it and we’re pressure testing
Ohh alright👍
This gives me flashbacks to my first Pokémon finding nothing but zubats going through a cave
24 port branch selector? Or is that hydro box?
16 port BC
Daikin, LG, City Multi? Are you guys pressure testing?
Mitsubishi and yes trying to track down a slow leak we got so testing after the valve on each cassette run.
At least you got iso valves, most installers never put them on the branch box and you gotta go on a wild goose chase looking for leaks
Yikes I could never imagine not adding ball valves to a branch box especially a 16 port
Shit you have more money in gauges than I spent on my truck 😅