what age did you guys start HVAC?

[ahiggins91]

12 years old working summers, helping my dad lug jugs around and carrying his tools! Worked every summer for him til I was 18, then started full time at 19 when i got back from college.

[Moonrunner]

Nope, I just turned 31. Formally employed before IT crash and companies started outsourcing to India.

Lol similar situation here... Since I like being a tech and I'm good at it, decided to get into the trades as you can still make a living in'em and one of my buddies is a gas tech so he recommended the program I'm in right now. My coop placement got me thinking more along the lines of ac/r, but I can get my G1 (working on 400,000+BTU gas appliances) license while also getting my refrigeration license, so I'll be able to keep busy and eat all year long

[earlburnermann]

Was wondering what age you guys started out doing hvac and how hard and long it took to climb the ladder?

Got into the H (oil heat) when I was 32. Still going to school for the VAC and will graduate next May when I'm 60. Thought I would retire from the oil industry here on Long Island but it's in the crapper. So I'm trying for a strong finish with everything else.

Waiting to see what happens...

[Cooked]

Started when I was 7. Stole (borrowed) my dads "Modern Refrigeration" book. I was fascinated by all those pictures with the red and blue lines going everywhere. Started helping a neighbor fix window units in his garage (well really I washed them out in the driveway). But, it set the wheels in motion. I'm 49 now so 49 - 7 = 42. I haven't done it full-time for 42 years though. Spent 4 years in the Air Force, 5 years in college and 5 years as a materials science engineer for a manufacturing company (we made graphite).

I mostly consult now but I keep my licenses current and still like to turn a wrench when I get a chance.

[Jeebes]

15 is when I officially started working in the trade. My dad owns a business so I've been around it my whole life.

[Cooked]

17 years old. Worked for a father/son company as the sons apprentice, roughing in houses. Company disband when I was 18.
Month later, started with my current company.
25 in august.
Lead installer.

Mike, with the technical content in your posts I would've guessed you had been doing this a whole lot longer.

[powell]

18th birthday, I'm about to hit 56.

[NuclearA/C]

I started on cars at 26, now working on Industrial equipment at 45..

[SoFlaDave]

20

[Artietech]

Summers when i was 16 thru 17, senior year also worked nights doing instals.
After senior year went to the Navy, USS Mahan DDG-73, 4 years as a damage controllman, shipboard firefighter. left the navy and ran commercial duct work for 1 year then had to move to save marriage and worked 4 years in an iron foundry (most dangerous in America according to the PBS report ). while there started school for HVAC, got laid off and got a temp job (took a month, but i got it) where I'm working now full time, for an equipment manufacturer in the product test lab.

At the urging of my then supervisor, got my license.....I'm 34 now...

[amickracing]

I started when I was 21, went to college for welding and machinist, ended up starting at a racing friends hvac company in the metal shop. Did commercial duct for around 4 years, the resi install mostly, and a bit of service for another 4 or so, then got lucky and into the service side of the commercial/industrial world for the last 4, almost 5 years.

I'm not sure how long it'd take someone to climb the ladder, everyone is different, but the more you put into it the faster it'll likely be. Course a good bit of luck and finding a good company that will embrace your willingness to learn is key also.

It's pretty cool to see everyone who got started with their family in this trade. I helped Dad repair appliances when I was younger (6 to teen's), never really did much besides clean, disassemble and reassemble. Pretty sure he never thought I'd be smart enough to actually fix anything lol.

I don't have any kids, I do have a half step almost daughter (gf's 9 year old) and it's fun doing projects with her and doing my best to teach her some of the basics of "how that thing works" when her attention span is ready for it. As sappy as it sounds, that's one thing I'd love to be able to do is have a kid and take them along on calls from time to time. Unfortunately that'll never happen with the company I'm at, and well, being kidless doesn't help much either, and I don't see the gf's daughter having any remote interest in hvac either lol

[BDKS]

I don't see the gf's daughter having any remote interest in hvac either lol

You might be surprised. Not everyone is a good fit for a college degree in psychology or something. My 2 year old loves helping me. She thought a cordless drill was the funniest thing when I was reinstalling hardware on kitchen cabinets. She knows what a screwdriver and hammer are and the basic idea of how to use a screwdriver.

[Droden1966]

18 years in the trade started as a helper at age 27 worked on everything from res, com, indust, now i am a Forman running large jobs like Daytona International Speedway in 06 and The new Florida Hospital in Ormond Beach Fl some jobs where mech and sheet metal clean rooms kitchens operation rooms and so on . So Im a jack of trades in this industry but master of none I have ran a max of 54 employees 32 on average in a long duration job . Currently not a lot of work if I had the right offer I would leave florida but a friend told me a long time ago to grab one thing and become the best you can at it and it will pay off

[Southern Mech]

Had my CFC cert at 16, but wanted to be a diesel mechanic... the last semester of high school I took a service apprentice job, the day I turned 18 I was in my own van running calls, at the age of 26 I went commercial/industrial for Trane. Working on 15 yrs of service, man what a ride

[kht428]

Started at the age of 24, been doing this for 15 years now. Got started in the industry while trying to help a buddy when his employee failed to show up for a couple days and we were trying to leave on snowmobile trip. Within three weeks of coming back from the trip I was on my own in a van and on call. OTJ training the only way to go.



I quickly learned I hate being on call.

[d&dhvac]

20 on a very limited basis. I started as a full time occupation at 25. (after serving 7 years)

[Kaleun494]

I'm working in the field on a limited basis as well, currently 21 years old.

[hacknperl]

I started at 19 years old working for a heating company that owned apartments all over town. I was the maintenance guy, when I had nothing to do I would help the heating company. Then I spent a good year helping on installs, a good 6 months being the duct cleaning idiot. Somewhere in between I was a "service tech" but that stopped letting me do AC cleanings because I over charged a unit and wasn't even supposed to be touching refrigerant. Then after duct cleaning I became a service tech again. I am 29 now. I love my job. Learn something new every day. I need to start making more money though. I have also been thinking about going to Hudson Valley Community College for their HVAC program.... So far everything I learned has been from hands on, now I think it is time to learn some text book stuff. I think this will make me one of the best HVAC techs out there....

Tony Stone
Please excuse my brevity, sent from a piss poor quality mobile "operating system", aka "Android". TapaTalk application is okay I guess...

[uniservice]

Started in 1963--retired in 2010,,,,,,,,,,still working nearly every day. As long as the phone rings and the body doesn't give up, I'll keep doing it. People that retire and do nothing die.

[mikesn2hvac]

I was born into it...My Dad started the company,I have always worked in HVACR,still do. Dad still works every day @ 72yo. Now my Son runs it...