Need some help from our Kentucky Members! Or anyone willing to relocate.

[valdelocc]

I can see why this is in play.

A young, inexperienced guy won't know how to fix the units. So, he will feel completely comfortable pushing replacements, instead. The boss never hears, "they don't need a new unit, I can fix it for only $xxx.xx."

The boss wants to hear, "I just sold another whole new system, my third this week!" like the kid has just done something wonderful.

They should stop calling these guys techs. Just call them salesmen. Period.

Agreed! they are applying residential business model to light commercial market, mostly retail and are making money like bandits, literally.

[jackintheboxtec]

If you notice in Job#1 minimum experience is less than 2 years.
But look at all the knowledge they require. How are you going to get all that experience in that little of time? Two years your barely getting your feet wet.

WOW!! no wonder no one is responding.

[caheiman30]

I was meaning some of the repair companies don't wanna put there name on a piece of equipment that needs a lot of repairs, they wanna replace it and before they warranty the work cause they feel that they will keep chasing issues.

There are a few companies that I had rode with while in school that if there techs didn't feel the system was worth repairing they got a sales person out to quote for a whole new system.

around here owners want to keep using the same old equipment, I've quoted repairs that cost few hundred bucks less than replacement, 90% of the time they go with the repairs.cause the bad economy many owners penny pinch big time.

[FixItRight]

If you guys think 15-18 is low, I'd advise you not to come down to FL any time soon.

FL is not that bad in Commercial service.First year in the union is 14+ here and Journeyman is like 24-25 and I know at least 4 places that are non union that will pay 25+. If you know chillers it is not to hard to get 30+.

[MechanicallyInclined]

What exactly is an R1 in Miami UA Local 725 - in reference to Service HVACR?

[FixItRight]

What exactly is an R1 in Miami UA Local 725 - in reference to Service HVACR?

Not sure about Miami or what a R1 is. Here we have A or B. I been out of the union for a few years but from what I hear it is between 24 and 25 for B and between 31 and 32 for A.

[TheChillerMan]

What exactly is an R1 in Miami UA Local 725 - in reference to Service HVACR?

$32 and change.

[TheChillerMan]

Not sure about Miami or what a R1 is. Here we have A or B. I been out of the union for a few years but from what I hear it is between 24 and 25 for B and between 31 and 32 for A.

Where is "here"?

[FixItRight]

Where is "here"?

Tampa local 123

[mason]

Perhaps I don't understand Kentucky's licensing...


I was under the impression to get a Journeyman’s license, you had to have at LEAST 5 years experience and take a state board test to get it. At least that is what I have been told it takes for a Journeyman’s license for an electrican in Indiana.

2 yrs apprenticeship under a master license and you get to take the journeyman, open book, test. If you pass you are now a licensed journeyman with a yearly renewal and fee, if you take 8 hours of continuing education you keep your license active.
2 yrs as a journeyman under a master license and you can take your master license test. Yearly renewal on that as well as a yearly fee and you must have up to date insurance.

I was making 50k in Denver CO and moved to a small town in kentucky in '09, they only reciprocate hours with Ohio, they also don't count any out of state schooling, Nate, EPA or any other out of state license towards your hours. I had to start over as an apprentice at $9 an hour... Sucked it up and got a job the first week here. Fortunately my employer opted to make me part of an install team in which I could at least use my skills freely as opposed to riding around with a service tech and having to bite my tongue every time I watched them not do a proper diagnosis. The worst part aside from pay was that I took the test my first couple of months here and passed but still had to wait for the two years to expire.