relocation to Tennessee

[bluegrassmike]

Anybody woking in hvac in Tennessee? Wondering what the job market is like around Sevier county. Will probably be relocating from Ohio after 13 years in service. Any info would be helpful. Thanks

[swoop411]

Well lemme welcome you to Tennessee. I LOVE Sevier county! I dont get to go there often enough. From what I know of that area it is largely a tourisim area. I know there are lots of resturants and other tourist attractions....which means it has to be serviced at some point. I am not familiar with the area from a work standpoint but every time I am there I wish I could work there! Plenty of stuff to work on! I dont know if you have ever been there, but it is the mountains. In winter I think a 4 wheel drive of some sort would almost be a necessity. Knoxville isnt too far away if you miss big city life. I live in the Nashville area now which is about 3 hours away. Good luck in your move and I hope I helped a little bit!

[bluegrassmike]

Thanks Swoop411, I haven't even moved yet and I already have a welcome. Tennessee seems to have nice people. I was mainly wondering what the average pay is in service for experienced techs. What is Nashville like in hvac service?

[swoop411]

Nashville is crazy sometimes. We have insane traffic. The truckers call it "crashville" if that tells you anything. Its also a very diverse city. We have new equipment that runs like a dream, old equipment that is still chuggin away, new equipment that has been hacked, customers that only want a unit to last until the next breakdown, customers that welcome the PM's, it runs the gambit here. I have been here two and a half years now and Im still trying to get used to it. I love my job and the company I work for, but this city gets to me sometimes. East TN is great, but then again I dont live there so I cant comment on it as a place to live. Memphis has a crazy high murder rate and I generally avoid that place at all costs. Pay also runs the gambit, duct installers start at like 6 dollars an hour and a seasoned service tech I know makes a little over 20 an hour. I am sure some companies pay more, and some definately pay less. Im confident that if you do your homework that you could find what you are looking for. You might have to drive a ways to get it, but the jobs are here. Work is a little slow right now because of the mild weather, but in a couple weeks I think its going to let loose. The Goodman plant is here....ha-ha! Also Trane has a plant up in Clarksville. I have a friend that works there. I always bust his chops when I have to go work on one! Anyways, sorry for the novel. Good luck!

[dec]

Its been about 5 years since I was in Morristown on a long visit. Ran over to Sevier county all the time being there was so much to see there . I thought it would be a great place to live but seems like pay may be lower there being a lot of people would probably like to be there. From what I had seen the install prices seemed real low. Not like there wouldnt be a lot of work but as close as all the towns are around there , its not like they only work in their own area. Being there are so many towns, you would have a lot to go talk to. Also in that case you might find a city close by you would rather live in and just commute, like I say ......not that far apart. Girlfriend live in that area for years and she says you better think of not living there being its real expensive living there being its a tourist trap.... yep better commute.

oh and when you get there have a couple Krystal burgers for me, oh ya say hi to Dolly.

[Edited by dec on 03-03-2006 at 12:52 AM]

[bluegrassmike]

Thanks for the replies. I do want to stay out of the tourist area like Gattlinburg. The housing out in Sevierville seem very reasonable compared to central Ohio. I was thinking about living in Sevierville and working out of Knoxville. What do you think of Knoxville? The other option is a little farther south in Maryville but still close to south Knoxville. Would Maryville be a little better because it is out of the tourist area? Thanks.

[protk1]

I have lived in Maryville all my life (49 yrs) so I'm a little partial but Sevierville traffic can be worse than Knoxville. Live in Maryville and maybe work in Knoxville or Maryville. Pay scale is probably lower than what you might be used to and install prices too low. There are a lot of tight wads around here but I can't really compare with anywhere else. Still yet a very nice area to live and work. James...

[bluegrassmike]

You have reminded of the traffic. Last time I was in Sevierville I remember complaining of the traffic. Are there a lot of hvac companies out of Maryville? Can you tell me which ones to stay away from? Thanks

[protk1]

There are several companies in Maryville but I couldn't advise on which ones would be OK to work for. I think your best bet is to be employed in Knoxville and live in Maryville which isn't a bad commute especially since I140(interstate) was opened a couple of years ago. Really a time saver. Knoxville would give you a lot more choices and probably alot more money. Good Luck friend .....James