Any career appliance techs here?

[bullnerd]

Ive been working in machine shops since 1991, worked my way up to doing whats called "ultra precision machining" by the company I work for now. Basically optical quality surface finishes on copper for use in industrial lasers.

Just found out today that they are moving the machining back to Germany, the home of the company.

I was thinking of trying something different career wise. Never really made a lot of money doing machining, even in supervisor positions. Even though I really like.

So I pass by an appliance store on my home that has a sign out front looking for techs. I knew a guy once that owned his own business and it seemed like he made a really good living at it.

Just curious if any one here does this and can give an opinion on their trade? Seems like the demand would be much higher than a machinist.

Thanks for any input guys.

 

[Milton Shaw]

There is a shortage of good appliance techs that is going to be going on for the next decade or two. The problem is that there is some shakeup in the industry going on now with the consolidations of companies and some are even eliminating the factory tech positions. I retired 7 years ago from GE Consumer service when I had a chance to retire a few years early. I had 20+ years in and enjoyed most of the years doing service. The position was such that we hardly ever saw our boss and rarely even heard from him. We would get calls over computer and communicated with a dispatcher in a central office. Whirlpool bought Maytag out and closed Maytag's factory service down. The independents that took the business over paid about 1/3 the wages that Maytag was paying. Other independents don't seem to pay much better. With so many brands on the market now and service problems on them as a self employed tech you might make good money but would loose money on most "in warranty" calls you got from the mfgs. So many have become so much more trouble to repair such as front load washers and bottom freezer french door refigs unless you are very mobile you would have problems physically doing the work, I know I could not do the work anymore due to knees and back problems, a lot of work sitting on floor, etc. This is one job that cannot be sent to China except that is where a lot of the products are made and most parts are, so there are going to be openings but maybe not at a living wage.

 

[Streetbu]

I would expect a $12/hr wage. I highly doubt your making that little now. If I were you I'd hold out and look for another machinist job especially since you like it. There's a lot to be said for enjoying your job.

 

[naturalgas]

Forget appliances. You have to wrestle dryers, washers and ranges out of there tight or filthy spots. Believe me I know. I'm a retired nat. gas service tech and the utility co I worked for just sold off their service contracts and dropped service work. For the last couple winters I've been retired I could do all the side work I wanted and then some. I won't work on a oil burner ( to dirty) . The co that bought the service contracts is not doing a good job showing up while people are waiting and cold. So a few to many of my old customers I serviced for 36 years are calling me out of retirement. It seems very few youngsters are interested in hvac work. I get a good hourly rate for my time. Maybe look into heating repairs. Always a demand. Good luck with your future endeavors.


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[KDXSR5]

Forget appliances. You have to wrestle dryers, washers and ranges out of there tight or filthy spots. Believe me I know. I'm a retired nat. gas service tech and the utility co I worked for just sold off their service contracts and dropped service work. For the last couple winters I've been retired I could do all the side work I wanted and then some. I won't work on a oil burner ( to dirty) . The co that bought the service contracts is not doing a good job showing up while people are waiting and cold. So a few to many of my old customers I serviced for 36 years are calling me out of retirement. It seems very few youngsters are interested in hvac work. I get a good hourly rate for my time. Maybe look into heating repairs. Always a demand. Good luck with your future endeavors.


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I work for a large regional HVAC controls company as a building integration/automation tech. I am not sure what the OP's schooling credentials are, but we pay over $20/hr starting for guys with a bachelor's degree. That is fresh out of school kids. Comercial HVAC and HVAC controls is decent business to get into. Appliance tech? Probably not so much anymore unless you are also doing sales and such.

 

[Jerriffic]

G.E. plans on hiring 80-100 appliance techs by May 2016. I retired from G.E. factory service after 38 years repairing appliances. Like Mr. Shaw stated- you never see the boss, your not confined to 4 walls, get to take the service truck home and always issued the best tools and equipment. When it comes to moving appliances the company makes safety a priority when servicing any appliance. Benefits and pay were better than all the other factory service company's in my area.
(and ya get to meet some very interesting people)

J.B.

 

[mikec35]

Hvac techs make more than kitchen/laundry techs. I think you could easily start out at $14+ as a general tech and $17-20 an hour as an hvac tech if you go with the larger companies (that is if you have some experience.) Then there is use of their van to commute to and from home. Lots of growth potential. It can be pretty rewarding helping solve people's problems. It can also be late days, weekends, dirty houses and nasty and unappreciative people. Problem with appliance repair is the cost of the newer electronics makes a lot of appliances not worth fixing. It's also getting harder and harder to solve problems on the first attempt, again due to the number of new electronics. Lots of things to consider.

 

[Streetbu]

I guess my generic statement of $12/hr touched some nerves. Sorry I should've explained better. In my area, there is really only a handful of places that repair HOME appliances. Washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators etc. A few local repair shops that have mobile techs, and a 1 major repair company that also does all of Sears repairs. I know 2 people that work for the big company and they make $15/hr or less. They have been doing it for over ten years each also. I do not know what the local small dealer techs are making but I doubt its much more than the large company.

 

[Jerriffic]

The appliances with all the bells and whistles need specialized equipment to diagnose. We hooked up the appliance to our laptops that had software only factory authorized techs had access to. The products coming out today have fault codes that must be cleared for the appliance to operate properly or be reprogramed with our laptops after a part is replaced.

J.B.

 

[bwringer]

It will help a lot if you're very skinny and flexible, with really long arms and freakishly strong fingers. Good career for a rock climber.

Seriously, it can be pretty rough on the body. Houses are usually designed with just enough room to install the appliances, but never enough room to work on the damn things...

 

[Ponchoguy]

I guess my generic statement of $12/hr touched some nerves. Sorry I should've explained better. In my area, there is really only a handful of places that repair HOME appliances. Washers, dryers, stoves, refrigerators etc. A few local repair shops that have mobile techs, and a 1 major repair company that also does all of Sears repairs. I know 2 people that work for the big company and they make $15/hr or less. They have been doing it for over ten years each also. I do not know what the local small dealer techs are making but I doubt its much more than the large company.

Here in NYC the Sears vans of years ago (when Sears had their own service force) were replaced by A&E who does all makes and models, but I think it's a branch of Whirlpool...

I fix my own stuff, but I have a few friends that do it as a career. I think like automotive mechanics, it's getting harder and harder. It probably depends on the area too as to how the clientele is. However, I'm sure you will have your fair share of angry birds because people are paying good money to fix something or under warranty and they expect you to be a miracle worker and fix all the OEM's problems .

 

[bullnerd]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

I will probably stick to machining, but was curious what kind of money they make.

Company says it will take 2-3 yrs to move the shop out, so I have some time.

 

[Ponchoguy]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

I will probably stick to machining, but was curious what kind of money they make.

Company says it will take 2-3 yrs to move the shop out, so I have some time.

Don't trust that---have a back up plan. They say 2 to 3 years and then it's "well we accelerated the plan as the stockholders were getting antsy....".