For example, I met a 19-year-old technician who was fresh out of high school and might have done some tech trade school. He paid his own way to my class. The company he works for wouldn’t cover the costs. He took personal vacation time to attend.

Think about that. What do you suppose the chances are that this tech’s company was open to support and use what this young man just learned? What are the chances that he will either leave that company or the industry altogether?

As HVAC contractors, we must change our outlook. Otherwise, the current technician shortage will only grow, and the industry will lose the better, more motivated technicians we already have.

So we must provide the best training possible to technicians and then support them. We must be open to new ideas and embrace their desire to be craftsmen.

Tales from the Basement

Here are some of the consequences of garbage in, garbage out information that I think is dumbing down the trade. They stem from what I discovered when I was an HVAC contractor. I call these my “Tales from the Basement” stories, highlighting situations I found left behind by the contractors who worked at a house before me.

For instance, one of the first tales I encountered was during a clean-and-check service call on an oil-fired furnace. I noticed a light inside the combustion chamber when I pulled the burner gun out.

When I opened up the supply plenum on top of the furnace and looked down, I saw that the heat exchanger had rotted through. But the company I worked for had techs patch the heat exchanger with furnace retort cement.

This cement usually seals a breach around a flue pipe going into a masonry chimney. The techs before me were caking this cement at the top of the customer’s heat exchanger to plug the hole. Furnace retort cement is not meant for that kind of heat. Excessive heat causes the cement to become brittle and flake off. The result: this furnace vented directly into the customer’s home.

I refused to do the cleaning. The homeowner got upset and called my boss, who waved me off the job. He sent out someone else to put another bandage on the heat exchanger.

I didn’t work for that company much longer because that practice endangers people. I wanted no part of that.

Stories like this drive my passion for doing things right the first time. When any HVAC tech or plumber walks into a customer’s home, they’re the most critical contractors who will ever walk through those doors.

HVAC Contractors Save Lives

Every contractor who adjusts and services combustion appliances is responsible for keeping customers safe and enabling them to have a high quality of life. This statement is true for EVERY home they interact with. As High-Performance HVAC™ contractors, you and your team must understand and believe that.

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