old timers

[anthonyac1]

i have been doing ac and ref. for about 5 years now. im 23 years old. i currently work for a mechanical company here in miami. i have been employed at the same company now for about 4.5 years i do ice machines up to about 1600lbs, i work on walk in coolers/freezers. roughly 20'x20' and smaller. package and split units up to about 40 tons. somestimes 100 tons. exhaust fans, do tower repairs and cleanings. never really done much on chillers. But i want to get into bigger things. i want to get into a company that has some of you experienced techs. i run into alot of people that say yeah yeah i know everything all that stuff, till i start to talk to them and peck around. i want to get in before yall old timers go extinct. im starting next week to drop my resume. my job is secure here but i feel my future is being shadowed working on the same stuff.

p.s i know i havent really scratched the surface, i am not one to be cocky so thats not what im on here saying just looking for help. and advice!

[Gib's Son]

I personally love it when the young bucks pick my brains. Not much left for picking, but it does feed my ego.

I will always share what I know, when asked, but rarely offer up knowledge, especially to someone that is cocky to begin with.

[heatingman]

If you are doing tower work, then the company must also have chiller work.

I'd start by trying to get more involved on that work, if the company has it.

The majority of techs in this field will never turn a wrench on a chiller, and there is nothing wrong with that.

To be honest, you'd be better off getting into DDC controls. That is the direction the entire industry.

If centrifiguls is what you want, then OEM's and the bigger commercial companies in your area would be the place to go.

But be advised, chiller mechanics specialize, and dont really do much else. So if you enjoy diversity in your work, then heavy chillers wont have it.

[anthonyac1]

If you are doing tower work, then the company must also have chiller work.

I'd start by trying to get more involved on that work, if the company has it.

The majority of techs in this field will never turn a wrench on a chiller, and there is nothing wrong with that.

To be honest, you'd be better off getting into DDC controls. That is the direction the entire industry.

If centrifiguls is what you want, then OEM's and the bigger commercial companies in your area would be the place to go.

But be advised, chiller mechanics specialize, and dont really do much else. So if you enjoy diversity in your work, then heavy chillers wont have it.

even though its a mechanical company, honestly we dont really do big mechanical stuff. and most of our towers serves wshp throughout a building, we only have 4 techs. not a big company and im the best one. except for the owner who never comes out to help, he will leave me stuck some where all day, he hates leaving the house. yeah you can laugh. but thats why i want to learn more.

[anthonyac1]

I personally love it when the young bucks pick my brains. Not much left for picking, but it does feed my ego.

I will always share what I know, when asked, but rarely offer up knowledge, especially to someone that is cocky to begin with.

im never one to be cocky, nor do i like stepping on toes. im always quick to do the grunt work and do the easy stuff, i don't mind working.

[Gib's Son]

If you are doing tower work, then the company must also have chiller work.

I'd start by trying to get more involved on that work, if the company has it.

The majority of techs in this field will never turn a wrench on a chiller, and there is nothing wrong with that.

To be honest, you'd be better off getting into DDC controls. That is the direction the entire industry.

If centrifiguls is what you want, then OEM's and the bigger commercial companies in your area would be the place to go.

But be advised, chiller mechanics specialize, and dont really do much else. So if you enjoy diversity in your work, then heavy chillers wont have it.

I once thought about going into controls....then I found out they work un-Godly hours and get all those 2:00 AM phone calls. I don't mind hard work, but I am the sort of person that needs his sleep. Now in my older years, doing Commissioning, I see it even more. Just food for thought.

[Gib's Son]

im never one to be cocky, nor do i like stepping on toes. im always quick to do the grunt work and do the easy stuff, i don't mind working.

Your the kinda guy I would hire in a heart beat. You will do well in your career.

[anthonyac1]

Your the kinda guy I would hire in a heart beat. You will do well in your career.

THANKS for the positive input.

[barbar]

Hey less of the old timers, we are just further into our apprenticeship.
As long as you are willing to learn, then you will do well in the industry.

[tuba]

I have seen that position in job postings many times, but have never understood what it is........ Anyone?

[heatingman]

Is basically starting up a system for the first time. The task often requires debugging of installation shortfalls, especially on more complex systems, like those found in the commercial end of things.

[Gib's Son]

It does go a bit deeper. Right now I am involved in CX job where they are still developing the drawings...in CD's. I attend design meetings and review the design to help discover potential discrepancies, ensure the owners design requirements and standards are met, I will review sequence of operations and make suggestions for improvements, if I see some. During construction I will visit the sight to look for installation problems, ensure service clearances are met, valves are installed properly...that sort thing. Then, after initial start up I will put all systems through the paces to make sure they follow the sequence of operations, all alarms work at the DDC front end, and finally will periodically log on to the front end and check trending information. In the end, the owner gets a report from me that is literally 3-4 inches thick.