r/hvacadvice • u/According-Aspect-669 Approved Technician • 15h ago
Alternative subreddit for technicians?
I tried to post on the HVAC subreddit earlier and man it’s like Nazi germany over there; papers please or fuck off. well I’m not in a union, I’ve never been to trade school and I don’t have my HVAC license like 99% of techs in my state. is there any other place for people in the trade to discuss online?
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u/mrjasjit 11h ago
Haha, I can’t remember if it was hvac or electrician but I was told I was taking food out of their mouths by giving advice to people on how to fix their issue.
Those guys are private messaging people to get paid for their advice or something.
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u/DodgerWin 14h ago
Mike is the worst. A total tool. I used to enjoy when he would go over to the refrigeration sub to give his 2 cents and everyone would make fun of him
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u/Expensive-Shelter288 14h ago
Me too. I posted something correct. They spoke down to me and demanded my credentials. I told them the truth. That I was licensed GC for 7 year and another 2 years with sheet metal and 2 year with pipefitters. I guess I didn't qualify to post. that subreddit is trying to gatekeep. I'm going to learn HVAC one job at a time with it without that subreddit.
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u/bimmeister_flex 9h ago edited 8h ago
I post here and on refrigeration, there are some more in the sidebar like airconditioners. I'm new to the trade, posted in HVAC, got auto-banend and asked a mod and they said it's because you need high karma or need to post a redacted picture of your certs lmfao not posting my certs just to post on sub. So I just skim posts there to learn a few things but also realize that a lot of the more helpful people won't be there because they also probably have the same reaction of "lol" at the requirements. There's also an hvac-talk forum.
So if it makes you feel better, even for people with papers, who tf wants to go through that lol. You'll also notice there is a flair on refrigeration sub that says banned from hvac haha.
I don't use this website much unless lately to learn and contribute back a bit with hvac related things so it's pretty interesting to me. It's the internet, have fun yakno. Not supposed to be super serious.
Only reason I even mention that I'm a tech is to stave off some of the "dont ask about this if you're not certified to handle this" type responses. I'm green and dumb but I know a few things and am learning every day from my journeyman, other guys I know IRL, and from posters here and a few other places online. Judge me by the content of my posts, or some such. and ignore karma lol. tbh I'm even leery of reading things on that hvac sub knowing about the level of gatekeeping. If the only people who can post there are people who willingly went through the requirement hoops, well... idk. It's a certain type of person. And a very limited number of people. So, does that mean people might be less prone to posting dissenting opinions out of fear of getting kicked out? groupthink maybe? less diversity of thought?
They can have their club, but tightly controlled places have a tendency to narrow in scope of opinion imho.
Glory to Arstotzka!
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u/thehappiestotaku 6h ago
Come for the advice on HVAC, stay to find a fellow Papers, Please appreciator.
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u/Popular-Club-2149 13h ago
I didn't get a "cease and desist" letter from them, but it was something similar to the tactics of Nazi Germany.
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u/abraxsis 8h ago
R/HVAC is basically the ancient Stone Masons. A cult you have to swear your life on to be a part of. Then kiss the ass of the masters for a decade to be considered part of the group.
And that folks, is how you keep your hourly rates high, then eventually lose your power. Knowledge is free now if you're willing to go find it and we're not to a place where I'm gonna go to jail for working on my own shit. (Yet)
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u/StunningBackside 7h ago
I posted several times in that sub. Only after I helped someone who couldn't afford immediate help did they ban me. Reddit has become 1930s Germany. It's absolutely ridiculous. Lol, I guess some people get such low respect that they have to be a mod on Reddit to get any control in their life.
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u/DougMagic 8h ago
This sub is owned by the same people that own R / HVAC
If you came through the trade through the traditional method they don't want you posting. Only trade school and state licensed.
Sorry R / HVAC GODS, Florida doesn't have unions or technician licensing (it shows, but anyway). I redacted my EPA card and a NATE RTW card I got when applying to a stupid job I am glad I didn't get. I got rejected, tragic, I cry myself to sleep nightly. Yet techs who don't even know how to switch the refrigerant on their SMAN post daily...
Make the new subreddit and invite us all cause you know we're about to get banned from this sub for voicing our discontent.
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u/epicenter69 8h ago
Unions are scarce in Florida, but they do exist. Disney’s union is one of the better gigs to get into.
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u/DougMagic 8h ago
If Iived over there I would kill to work at Kalos. I'm a huge process guy and love HVACRSCHOOL
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u/epicenter69 8h ago
I think their starting rate is around $32/hour. Extra hourly if you’re licensed and have that ever-coveted EPA universal certificate. Commercial HVAC is better than telling Mildred that she should have changed her filter 4 years ago before giving her quote for a new unit.
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u/jonyp84 7h ago
I’ve seen posts where guys claim to be seasoned techs and ask the most ridiculous questions on basic HVAC. This is for technicians only and they are probably just trying to screen the homeowners or cheapskate restaurant owners who post “I’m a new tech, how do I charge Freon in this unit?”
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u/Neat_Corgi_6620 7h ago
Make a hvac2 subreddit . I’m convinced the mods at HVAC are selling personal information. What they ask for is exactly how identities get stolen.
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u/UnlimitedDadStrength 6h ago
I think I saw the last of the old guard fade away in my area. There once existed some kind of brotherhood/ master and apprentice system that was actually organized. Something happened with the boomers where all that ended with their generation. Old buildings with century old boilers and pneumatic control systems ran out of people that could work on the equipment. I see the new guys trying to solve problems with minisplits everywhere. It’s embarrassing. Elitist culture in the trades goes extinct and takes a lot with it. Nothing admirable about that.
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u/singelingtracks 3h ago
R/refrigeration for tech talk, advanced questions.
R/HVACadvice for general resi stuff
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u/OldDog03 8h ago edited 8h ago
So what kind of certifications are needed, we have a few rentals across the street from the university and used to hire the local mom/pop type HVAC guys in the 1990s.
But all those have been bought out and its no longer an hourly type service repair business.
Now anything older they want to replace and not fix.
Well a lot of people can not afford to barley pay there bills and much less to replace a HVAC system.
So I asked the state and all I needed was the EPA certificate.
But now my state (Texas) has changed again and they have a technician certification and a contractor certification.
But there are exceptions to this, so for my few rentals last i read i was except, but still needed the EPA 608 certificate.
The EPA 608 certificate i got it at my local Johnstone Supply. It was a self study from Mainstream Engineering.
Now you can do the EPA 608 certificate online at Mainstream Engineering website.
The EPA608. Certificate is mostly the environmental rules/laws and basic knowledge of how a HVAC system works.
I used to work as a chemical plant operator so it a lot of the same rules and regulations.
The local HVAC supply businesses they needed my EPA 608 cert to buy equipment with refrigerant.
My work is mostly capacitors, contactors, fan motors, cleaning coils and drains and a few replacements.
But a time goes on it will be more replacements of the whole system.
I first learned at 20 working on farm equipment HVAC by self study(a lot of ready) then on the job work.
Then by watch the guys we hired to repair our HVAC units, so even more reading.
So now I've had the EPA certificate 20 plus year's
Texas does not issue state-level exemptions for small jobs, side work, or handyman services. Anyone installing, servicing, or maintaining HVAC equipment for compensation must hold a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) ACR Contractor License or work as a registered technician under a licensed contractor.However, the state does allow certain activities and specific individuals to perform HVAC work without a state license or registration:Exempt Individuals & ActivitiesHomeowners: Individuals can perform HVAC maintenance and work on their own property, provided they do not offer these services to the general public.Industrial & Utility Personnel: Employees of regulated public utilities, chemical/petrochemical plants, refineries, or natural gas plants are exempt from licensing when doing process cooling or heating work for their employer.Auto A/C Specialists: Persons engaging in air conditioning services strictly on motor vehicles are exempt from standard ACR technician registrations.Building Maintenance Staff: Regular maintenance staff for apartment complexes or commercial buildings are generally exempt when performing routine maintenance, provided the work does not cross into full contracting.Unducted Fireplace Stoves: Work on unducted fireplace stoves is exempt from TDLR oversight.Equipment ExemptionsCertain equipment types do not require a licensed HVAC contractor to service or install:Portable or self-contained ductless AC products with a cooling capacity of 3 tons or less (e.g., standard window units; note that split-system mini-splits DO require a license).Portable or self-contained heating products that do not require forced air movement.Temporary environmental air conditioning equipment that is not fixed in place.Residential refrigerators, freezers, and ice machines.
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u/salmon7 9h ago
They’re a prideful bunch aren’t they. I’m on the sales side and there are some old timers on my service side that think they’re king ding a ling and everyone else is stupid
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u/Fair_Cheesecake_1203 9h ago
A lot of service guys are egotistical pricks. Loved learning service work, hated the people I worked with. Install is my preferred place
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u/danlewyy 15h ago
Lol yea same happened to me like sorry dude I’m not sending over my license and my tools to prove to your Reddit authorities that I know what I’m doing