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:beat: Zombie thread needs a baseball bat to the head to put it down. Gunshot will draw the attention of other zombie threads.

So my friend clarified that the contractor is offering to replace the Crown boiler they installed three years ago with the Lennox boiler for free (and I suppose the Weil-McLain for the difference...

That's good to know in and of itself. I'm not fond of manufacturers farming out their equipment and rubberstamping their name on it. Then again, there's not much in a name these days.

My first assumption as well, and my first bit of advice was to get a second opinion.

Additionally, she is wondering whether she should go with the Lennox or is spending the extra money on a Weil-McLain would be worth it.

Hey guys,

I've got a friend up in Alaska who sent me a message asking my opinion on a new boiler for her house. The deal is, though, that I'm a commercial tech in Houston, so you know the only...

Same in our local. "Tradesmen" get paid significantly less and have fewer benefits. In essence, "tradesmen" are scabs hired off the street by the company. There's one company I can think of around...

Hold on a sec ... *drinks more beer*

So...I'll just share with you my observations on my local union as a bare-minimum participant. Your mileage may vary, because obviously in some of the locals...

And as it relates to the thread, my card/book reads "DVJ MES Journeyman". I "bought" my book several years ago after testing out at the journeyman level.

As explained to me...
MES -- mechanical...

Same in my local, but the pipefitters sometimes have to take a pay cut of up to $5 an hour on projects to compete with non-union construction (right to work for less state). They make out better on...

You could try contacting the union in Edmonton. The United Association is the labor union that represents commercial air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics in the United States and Canada....

I was born without the buds for any wisdom teeth. Hooray for mutation! Sadly, my application to be "Smartass-born-without-wisdom-teeth Man" was rejected by the X-Men. :troll2:

In that case, I'd say to try that cold galvanizing spray.

NMFP -- Not My F:censored:g Problem

There's what you know is the right thing to do, and what the customer is willing to pay for. Give 'em two options: what you know will serve them best in the long run, and the one that's cheaper. You...

I wholeheartedly agree with you, canusayinsanity​.

I think you've already gone above and beyond what a reasonable customer would expect out of you. You're a service tech, not a design engineer for Carrier. We all know that a unit is going to have a...

Hmm, I've thought more and more about taking a plant maintenance job recently. I figure the upside would be job security and lower stress. I've done maintenance work overseas before, and I find it...

Is there something you're leaving out? This unit doesn't really look like they've changed the cabinet in going to R-22 to R-410a, so I don't see what's special about it. I believe I've run across a...

You're no fun. Just leave that oil in there, seal up the suction and discharge, and toss it over the side. But first make sure you heat it up with the torch for a good minute after you seal it up....

I keep it pretty vague. Any of the mechanics I've worked with might be able to guess who I am just from my user name, but I keep in mind that potential employers, coworkers, or customers may be...

Also, if you tell the service manager or the salesmen that you know this "trick", then they'll never, ever include a boom truck or crane in a hermetic changeout bid on anything under 7.5t for you...

"How could you keep the compressors from sliding up against the wall of the building as you get them up and down?"

I've only ever done this on the back sides of buildings where it doesn't really...

You can use a simple one-to-one pulley system to get a hermetic on/off the roof when you don't have a crane. If you're lucky enough to have an RTU close to the edge of the roof, you can attach a...

Of course, I've found an even better way of cleaning coils, and that's to send an apprentice with a pressure washer to clean 'em whilst I'm on a service call where I can make the company a bit more...

I wouldn't use NuBrite on the condenser coils, either. Unless your business plan is to wash the condenser this year and replace the condenser coil next year. If I walk up to a unit that I can knock...

I concur with NDJ22. Your back pain is probably coming from poor (or no) lumbar support. I recently had to drive the shop beater while my truck was in for repairs after getting a love tap from an...

I wear EH rated work shoes, and I learnt a long time ago that meant I'd build up a pretty good static charge in dry weather (i.e. about two days out of the year in Houston, but I've worked elsewhere...

I'd have to say that anyone's personal preference is going to depend on what kind of work they do. I hated having a truck with a service bed when I worked light commercial. There was no room to store...

I wish I could give you sage advice from years of soldering, but like most of the guys here I braze all the time. I certainly remember having to go through that soldering stage at the apprentice...

I have to say that two of my biggest gripes are:

1.) Counter guys that don't know their inventory or where it's at in the store. I work in Houston, so I've got a lot of parts stores that I can go...

:LOL::LOL::LOL::LOL:

This was exactly how I learnt to check that the electricity is 100% off back in the days when I was a probie apprentice (mid 90s). One of those "I'll bypass the blown out part of the fuse block and...

"But, but, it wasn't this bad when you last worked on it! What do you mean it's gonna cost twice as much to fix now! You made it worse, and I think you should warranty it!"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/AntarcticFox/Hacks.gif

Amateur hour. When I destroy the coils on a screw chiller, I prefer to use the mist setting. :playing:

I'd have taken a look at it, if just to find all the problems and try to sell the homeowner a new system to replace that geriatric piece of garbage. Crediting the cost of the service call to get them...

I'll assume that your brother or dad isn't in the field, or you'd have been swapping out compressors since you were three, so it's probably best that you find some gal with a dad or brother in the...

I just went to work yesterday with a company that I applied with through MEPJobs.com this past Friday. I had the job by the end of the day on Monday, and I had quite a few calls from other places.
...

Talk about a prophetic thread to start. I just checked my inbox and found an email from Johnson Controls about a job interview. I didn't start this thread because I applied with them, though; they...

I've worked both sides of the fence, and I have to agree that wearing a stab vest is good PPE whether or not the shop is union. It's always been the larger shops that I've worked for, or the union...

I've been away from the HVAC business for a few summers, so I'm not up to date with who's doing what with whom or how many times each company in Houston has changed names over the last few years....

I've noticed that there have been A LOT of new positions opened up for service mechanics at Johnson Controls all over Texas recently. There are over 25 listings alone for mechanics and apprentices at...

Nah. I think that if we were going to properly advertise ourselves to potential employers, then most of us would show up to interviews in short skirts and tube tops to show 'em the whores we really...

Does it tell you who the final Cylon is? 'Cause I'd buy that for a dollar.

Without question. But to be fair, the guy was only asking how to dress for his interview, and I don't think most experienced techs would dress up too much for an interview -- that much seems to bear...

I got a damn good chuckle outta that one. I hope you don't mind if I steal that one from you. :D

Well, I think it's unfortunate, but some companies just don't have the best techs. In that regard, I count my blessings that I apprenticed in a small service department with nothing but outstanding...

Drain the oil, seal it up and bet the apprentice $20 on how far the cracks spread when the compressor impacts the pavement after being shoved from the roof of whatever building you are on.

You need to call the service company ASAP and tell them that they didn't fix the problem. I would only add that you should insist that the service company send a more experienced technician as I know...