whats your biggest fear

[duc dowg]

besides meeting dice in person whats your biggest fear in the buisness

[hvacfella]

Just one : Coming across a big snake while working on a residential condensing unit. I hate snakes !

[midhvac]

Having somebody's furnace kill them. The last month has been way too scary. I've caught some flue pipes the roofers forgot to put back through the roof and a case of super high gas pressure coming into one house.

I keep coming home at night and thinking about what would have happened if I'd missed one of them.

[hvacfella]

'Having somebody's furnace kill them. The last month has been way too scary. I've caught some flue pipes the roofers forgot to put back through the roof and a case of super high gas pressure coming into one house.
I keep coming home at night and thinking about what would have happened if I'd missed one of them
'

ME: THis is a VERY valid concern indeed. A few times now, ive done a heating system clean and check only to find that the pvc vent pipe on a 90 plus furnace was broken just inside the crawlspace by the Siding Contractor of this one development. After i found the second one, i wrote the property manager an urgent letter suggesting that all the homes be inspected that they have done Siding replacement on. 3 weeks ago , i go into a home and discover a CO reading of over 130 ppm on my $500 CO instrument ; i tell the owner and give him a sheet of paper indicating whats acceptable and whats not in CO concentration within a home and gave him an immediate price to replace the furnace. He still hasnt replaced the furnace for his tenant --- i hope his tenant doesnt die. Maybe i should have yanked the pressure switch off of the furnace.

Im glad i carry $2,000,000 worth of liability insurance...but im found negligent , whether true or not....i doubt that amount is going to be enough. Im glad i got Incorporated after long last.

[bmf]

loseing my passion for this trade, from not being able to work for so long

[appltech1]

heights- anything over 12 ft scares the gas out of me.

[Diceman]

Meeting Dice.........oops...no wait, that can't be right.
I'm getting sick of ladders, driving with all the crazy a-holes on the highways and byways, getting hurt, getting old, getting sick, getting in trouble and dying.

[troyorr]

My greatest fear is that my perceived reality is actually someone elses dream. One day they will wake up and I will instantly cease to exist.

[MadeinUSA]

Being wrong for the first time in my life. :D :p

[SeattlePioneer]

<< 3 weeks ago , i go into a home and discover a CO reading of over 130 ppm on my $500 CO instrument ; i tell the owner and give him a sheet of paper indicating whats acceptable and whats not in CO concentration within a home and gave him an immediate price to replace the furnace. He still hasnt replaced the furnace for his tenant --- i hope his tenant doesnt die. Maybe i should have yanked the pressure switch off of the furnace.
>>


I used to work for a gas utility, and the state rules for the utility authorized us to disconnect the appliance or shut off the gas at the meter if equipment was unsafe to operate. Usually we'd disconnect and cap off the fuel line at an unsafe piece of equipment..

Then we'd fill out a red tag warning the customer of the hazardous condition and get them to sign it, which they usually did.

No worries about being sued if that procedure was followed.


As an independent service agency, I'll generally shut off unsafe equipment and include a warning on the invoice that the equipment is unsafe to operate.




Seattle Pioneer

[hospitalacguy]

Going to work on the mourge cooler. When i lean in to work on the fan or the evap one of the bodies leans up and grabs my arm or says something like, "Excuse me can you help me outta of here?" Wait, no, that would be actually pretty cool, maybe im just wierd. Oh well....

[hvacfella]

'Going to work on the mourge cooler. When i lean in to work on the fan or the evap one of the bodies leans up and grabs my arm or says something like, "Excuse me can you help me outta of here?" Wait, no, that would be actually pretty cool, maybe im just wierd. Oh well...
'
ME: Just so long as he doesnt ask you for a cigarette ....

[ct_hvac_tech]

One of my biggest fears is spiders. There are the ones that are harmless, but then you get the brown recluses and the black widdows.

A furnace killing someone is alo a major concern.

[Green Mountain]

Originally posted by appltech1
heights- anything over 12 ft scares the gas out of me.

Ditto. Although I have talked myself out of it on many occassions. As long as I have one hand to balance myself I can get through it. But I don't like it.

[coolwhip]

Seeing my mother in law naked.

[Green Mountain]

Originally posted by coolwhip
Seeing my mother in law naked.

One time my wife was out of town. My 90 year old mother-in-law is pretty spry and lives alone. Anyway the mother-in-law calls and said that she pulled a box down from the closet and now her side hurt. My wife is a 1000 miles away so I take the mother-in law up to the ER.

The ER was very busy. I sit in the little cubicle for 2 hours with the old lady. Finally a battle-axe nurse storms into the cubicle and throws a gown at me and said, "Here, get her into this." I was stunned!! I ran out into the hall and I was ballistic. I went up one side of that nurse and down the other.

I also wrote a letter to the head of the hospital. He called me to apologize.

[Dowadudda]

You know beenie. It's not going to be too far off from now. Alot sooner than someone like me anyhow. Where you will need someone to wipe your backside or feed you. I would expect you to be more humble and more respectful than this at your age. Shame one you. :D

[JasonHoustonTX]

My biggest fear is fear itself.

and

Spiders

[perfect climate]

not caring about the quilty of work that i am able to do

[ozone drone]

Paralysis....like Chris Reeves had

[harv]

Not meaning anything to anyone any more. Not being relevant to loved ones. Being the last one left. Being alone! this is depressing. It's a rainy day here thats all, this will pass.

[midhvac]

The alarm clock will go off, I'll reach over and turn it off and there'll be a goat lying next to me in bed.

[spotts]

enough good quality work to always keep my full crew on at top wages. I honestly dread this every day and have since I took over here years ago.

[bja105]

Ladders

Falling off
Ladder sliding off roof
Bad knees failing while on a ladder
Wasps stinging me while on ladder
Getting back on the ladder from the roof under any conditions!


One more - working on high voltage three phase stuff next to a wasp nest while standing in water. That can't be safe.

[joker1]

wet farts

[dec]

heights.....is it just me or not . The older I get the less I like heights . Or is it the more I see bad things happen and the less invinsable I am compared to what I thought I was when I was young. And in the back of my mind I realize that I have gotten away so many years without falling off a roof, screwing up my back or something really bad happening that I may just be pressing my luck which in my mind makes it a little more risky when your thinking about what might happen then it was when you never really thought about it.

[Edited by dec on 11-11-2004 at 08:55 PM]

[icemeister]

While I have never really had what I would call a fear of heights, after falling from a ladder and breaking my back last April, I certainly have an elevated concern about falling. :eek: