Advice

[Saman1366]

Dear Friends,

I have 3 months left to get mech. engineering degree and I just figured out that I would like to get deeper into HVAC stuff. I took an HVAC class which opened my eyes to the greater world of HVAC. Im handy with Solidworks and descent with LabVIEW and Femap. I'm just learning AutoCAD and haven't touched Revit.
Im attracted to electrical things and fluid mechanics.

[GT Jets]

I am friends with several mechanical engineers in the HVAC industry, the best advice I could ever give any one getting into this trade is, you will learn more when you shut up and listen than you will trying to tell everyone what you already know...


Meaning, try to learn as much as you can from your mentors and stay inside "the box" until you grasp the fundamentals....Too many people come out of school thinking their learning is done, but it just started...

Good luck to you, I think you would be happy with your decision to go this route, there will be some major developments coming in the next 20 years IMHO...

GT

[Texanna Slim]

When designing equiptment, please keep in mind that one day someone will have to service it.

[crab master]

Congrats on being so close to graduating, best of luck to you!

Definitely follow the advice given thus far. The other item is do not disregard service techs/ex-service techs input. You can learn from everyone, those that have little/no formal education and those that have a lot, even if it's learning what not to do. Do not think yourself above those w/less 'formal' education than yourself.

I love it when just the other day I had an ME with basically no refrigeration experience, try to talk down to me about crankcase heaters and liquid line solenoid valves. I certainly don't know it all and never will, but it was clear in about 2 seconds time, I knew more about refrigeration circuits than he did. He put gauges on a unit and had to ask for help even with that about 2 months ago and now he thinks he's an expert...found that out by talking to another service tech...

Again best of luck to you and I think the HVAC is a great field to get involved in, so many options...

[Saman1366]

Thank you everyone for your advice and encouragement. I do my best not to put people down because I have a degree or anything or because I am better since I gotta a degree. A degree is just a paper. What I do with the degree is what matters.
I respects techs as much as engineers. They have alot of different experience that engineers dont have and also tech work is fun. I got into this forum to expand my knowledge since there is infinite amount of info to learn.

[maintenanceguy]

When designing equiptment, please keep in mind that one day someone will have to service it.

That usually isn't the engineer's fault, it's usually the Architect that doesn't plan any space for equipment.

Engineers are are typically function over form people and most would design huge mechanical spaces with catwalks and platforms and gantry cranes built-in just in case you ever needed to replace something heavy.

Architects are form over function people who care about natural light filtering, how a color makes you feel, and proportional spaces. They just see mechanical equipment as evil necessities that get in the way of their art projects.

Architects hire engineers, not the other way around. If engineers don't find a way to stick the equipment into the tiny inaccessible spaces architects give them, the architect will just hire another engineer who will.

I work with architects and engineers constantly. The architect/engineer relationship is the only upside down authority relationship I know of where the more intelligent person is always working for the less intelligent person.

rant over.

[mike dixon]

the problem with engineers is that they always want to cut a dog turd open, to see if there is doo doo in the middle.

[trouble time]

Have you considered Robotics?
I have a technitions degree in electo-mechanical engineering. Which incorporates what you said you are interested in. I was in the HVAC industry before I took the course for Robotics. I returned to the Hvac industry because, everything I learned in the course was in this trade...controls, electronics, ect....good luck.

Also I think Texanna slim has said it best about designing things.......

[Saman1366]

Robotics is cools. I made line-follower robot and it was fun. It helped me learn alot of electrical hands on work since I havent had any intro to electrical work. I took an intro ece class but it was simple AC & DC circuits so it wasnt practical.
Ive been looking this forum for the past couple of days and most of the topics are over my head. Specially the controls part. Is there a good source for intro to HVAC controls?

Also that saying "if you can't maintain it, don't build it" is very true. N functionality over form is true 2. Art is meant for the gallery.

[trouble time]

Simple A/C D/C circuits is the base of HVAC controls. IF you can follow and understand what is happening in a circuit you will be able to follow the circuits that are used in the HVAC industry. I am not saying that you will pick it up right away but with a little study and work it will come to you.
Take your time deciding what you want to do, when you find it, get into it 110%. Go the extra mile so to speak. You will learn a lot and have a hell of a lot of fun along the way.

[crab master]

Do a search in the controls forum, the question has been posed many times and there are numerous links to 'free' online websites.

The honeywell gray manual is another great book to read for controls info.

[ctrlaltdel]

Congrats. My 2 cents worth is in this trade, learning never stops no matter how many years of experience or qualifications you had.

It just won't freaking stop!

[Vinster]

Definetely learn Revit, thats where everyone going toward