HVAC/R classes at local trade school?

[my02v6]

Has anyone here taken HVAC courses at a vocational tech school in order to do your own work?

I don't mean a single class, but an actual training program that gets you ICE, EPA, and NATE certified at the end.

I do IT work for my main job, but wouldn't mind learning about HVAC and picking up a valuable skill. It certainly isn't something that is ever going away and it would be nice to repair/upgrade systems for my own home and for family members.

My local trade school charges about $3k for a 1000 hour program.

Is this a crazy idea or does it have merit?

 

[kd3pc]

Our tech college has both a day time and a night time program. Both are 6.5 hours a day, and are 1400 and 2000 hour courses, IIRC. They are usually filled and have a waiting list. Our graduates usually go straight to a "tech truck" as they call them here. With all the state of TN programs, it is very cheap to attend and some qualify for Pell Grants. Most get their certs well before the first year is done, and go to internships or co-ops shortly after. A few get their own truck and shingle - and have done quite well.

Check with your local tech/trade school or college.

 

[haptiq]

I teach automotive repair at a high school tech center. We have an HVAC class that certifies graduating seniors with OSHA and EPA credentials. Next year it will be a dual enrollment course which means our local community college is offering college credit for students and also opening the doors for adults to enroll along with our seniors. Of course there is a fee for that but they are talking low low numbers. Some of the students over the last few years now run their own companies and many others are working for local residential and commercial companies. There is decent money in the field for sure and you are right, it is not going away. If you have interest in it and are mentally and physically capable which it sounds like you are, go for the training. You will save 3k on the first system you install yourself and god knows how much in maintenance and repairs. Plus the machines are getting techy, there are some interesting new systems, sensors and controls out there that might be fun to learn about with your IT background. I say go for it.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I taught HVAC at Lincoln tech. Before anyone laughs, IMO they had a good program in terms of how much technical knowledge they imparted. More than what I was taught through my Apprenticeship classes. The students there learned more after 6 months than I did after my 2nd year of being an Apprentice though the Local.
It's also all a matter of garbage in, garbage out. Success depends on your effort.

Tommy

 

[Biomed]

There was a similar thread a short time ago. A couple of issues that were presented include - you will need some specialized tools and test equipment. Is it cost effective to pay several thousand for tuition and several thousand for specialized tools and test equipment if you only service your own home system? If you are planning a side business then it is a different issue.

Where will you purchase parts? Many of the industrial suppliers and HVAC distributors do not sell to individuals. Some claim it is for liability issues.

Years ago I did field service in the medical equipment field. Management sent a few technicians to HVAC school to learn how to support the refrigeration in refrigerated centrifuges. As I recall there was not significant savings and we did not face the certification issues back then that are prevalent now.

 

[OzarkMan]

We have a local school here RSI. I too, looked into getting HVAC education and certification. I believe the cost was north of 30k. Don't have the funds.

 

[metlmunchr]

Learning more stuff is always good, and in this case it will definitely allow you to save yourself some significant money over the long term.

I haven't made a living in the HVAC business since about 15 years ago, but I still do the same sort of things the OP is talking about doing. For example, about a year and a half ago my son needed a replacement gas pac for his house. I picked up the unit one day and left here about 7 am the next morning. Drove 250 miles to his house. He and I had the unit piped and connected and running by 8pm that evening. Two local prices in the $5300 neighborhood. Cost him $2200 all done.

Don't know how it is in the OP's state, but here in NC the wholesalers won't sell you any equipment or refrigerant unless you have a valid HVAC contracting license. Some people assume they can get around that by buying off of Ebay or other such sources, but about all the manufacturers state in the small print that the unit must be started up by a licensed contractor else the warranty is invalid.

Also, as a licensed contractor, I can buy most any equipment for about 20% less than the cheapest prices you'll find online. Its worthwhile to check into similar requirements in your own state rather than being surprised to find out you can't buy anything without a contracting license regardless of other schooling or certifications.

The one exception I've found re best pricing is in residential boilers for hot water heating systems. Most major boiler manufacturers have their equipment handled thru manufacturer's reps rather than directly thru wholesalers. If you buy it from a wholesaler, the mfgr rep is still the one selling it to the wholesaler, and the price you will get is about the same from either source. But, there's at least a couple internet sellers, one in Ohio and one in Florida, who evidently sell enough boilers that they are able to buy directly from the mfgrs. Either of them will beat the brains out of other sources when it comes to pricing.

I recently replaced an old oil fired boiler in my sister's house when natural gas became available in her neighborhood. Called the rep for a boiler line we'd used a lot when we were in the business to get a price. About $2700 plus freight. Seemed high so I called a buddy who's still active in the business with about 30 employees to get him to get a price so I'd know if the guy was just trying to rip me off by assuming I didn't know what the equipment was worth. Buddy calls back and he'd been quoted the same price with the only difference being his price included freight. Bought the exact same boiler out of Ohio for $1650 including freight and residential delivery with a lift gate.

Mentioned this to my buddy and he says "Yeah, I guess that explains why he's always headed to the golf course in his $100K+ Mercedes every time he drops by my shop to see if he can sell me something".

 

[jchetty]

In NJ, we have vocational high schools that offer that. I would love to take advantage of it, but the hours make it impossible if you work full-time. They also offer one for electrical and another for plumbing. They are apprentice programs and part of the learning hours are in-the-field.

The programs they offer are very comprehensive and you learn a lot. As long as you can fit it in your schedule and can afford it- I would do it. $3k for a 1000 hours is amazing. That is 25 weeks if each is 40 hours.

For that price, there may be other requirements or commitments involved. If you install 2 mini-splits in your entire life with what you learn- you get your money's worth.

 

[KRB52]

I was enrolled in a state funded retraining program about 8 years ago. My wife suggested I go for HVAC/R, so I did. What the state didn't tell me was that the program was done all on-line. Anything that you would have done as "hands-on" in a classroom you did with animated graphics on your computer. The nice thing was that you could work on it any time you wanted to, which was good for me, since I was unemployed at the time (hence the reason I was in it in the first place.) What they DIDN'T mention (or maybe even know about) was that the student also had to be involved in an approved apprentice program. Here in Connecticut, the apprentice program is run by a different state agency. No, they do not talk or coordinate with each other. When I talked to one of the people in the apprentice end, she had no idea what this state retraining program was, if the course I was enrolled in was approved by her agency, etc., etc. I gave her the information and who to contact from the retraining department so they could hash this out. She told me that I had to get her the information, I had to get this, get that about the course work. I told her it was a state run program, the state had picked the vendor to offer the course, so it must be appropriate and state approved. I told her to talk to the person who was handling my case about the program and then get back to me. This was in 2009-2010. I'm still waiting.

This on-line course was about $3500, which was about the max the state would pay out. I thought it was alright, a step or so above just getting the books and reading on your own. Personally, I like the hands-on stuff to learn hands-on things; moving stuff with a mouse and cursor in an animation just isn't the same. My other problem was with the apprentice thing. The state wasn't going to help on that, other than provide a list of "approved" companies. I would have to make the contact, get hired, hash out the agreement on the apprenticeship, etc. All the state would do is approve it or not. At 52, I really didn't see myself "begging" for a sub-entry level job, nor could I see myself putting up with being treated like I knew absolutely nothing for the first 6 - 12 months.

 

[my02v6]

I know this is an old topic but I am responding because I recently finished a certification course in HVAC.

In my original post back in July 2017, I mentioned taking a local vocational school course for the training. After I did some research and looked at my work schedule, I couldn't justify doing an in-person program. The class timing wasn't right for me and the cost was a bit high for something I didn't intend on pursuing full time.

So I looked online and found a online/distance learning HVAC course offered by a small college in Georgia. Well, 8 months later I can say that I finished the course and I believe it was a small step in the right direction.

The content itself was largely derived from a well known HVAC book titled Fundamentals of HVACR (3rd ed.). This is apparently the 'holy grail' book of the industry as it literally covers everything one would run into when working on residential, commercial, and industrial HVAC. The book is included in the cost of tuition.

I obviously can't claim that I'm ready to quit my day job and to go apprentice for an HVAC company, but if I have the time and the book (along with my soon to be gotten EPA certification) then I can probably do refrigerant work with decent accuracy. All the procedures were described in sharp detail along with industry best practices.

And I'm in no way claiming that this 8 month certification is equivalent to what the pros do. If anything, this program has made it very apparent that HVAC tradesmen earn every penny they charge. However, for my curiosities as an avid DIY person, it's nice that I finally understand the refrigeration cycle and refrigerant recovery/flushing/recharge.

I'm thinking of saving up some cash to get a proper Yellow Jacket vacuum pump and a charging manifold.

 

[kd3pc]

congrats. training is always a good thing, especially when you learn something new.

 

[Orangestang]

You could get in the union sheet metal or pipefitting trades to learn hvac, become an apprentice the schooling is damn near free

 

[Jackfre]

Currently in the trades for every person entering the field, 5 are retiring or leaving the business. With a strong IT background should you decide to enter the field you would be well positioned as a technician or a business owner. There is, and will be great opportunity in the field. If you choose to not enter the field work, you could also have opportunity in the factory rep or manuf rep side of the industry in the sales side or tech side. Basically, in todays world, get all the training you can. The important question however is what 6 did you drop into your 2002?

 

[Redraptor]

Congrats on your training. When I was laid off I got a free ride retraining and opted for maintenance. A small portion of it was in HVAC. For me you can't beat hands on training and that course taught a lot of troubleshooting, especially electrical, that wasn't covered under the shorter maintenance course. Oh well, I got a nice manifold set and a universal tech card that I buy refrigerant with.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

In NJ, we have vocational high schools that offer that. I would love to take advantage of it, but the hours make it impossible if you work full-time.

LTI has night classes for your situation.

Tommy

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I know this is an old topic but I am responding because I recently finished a certification course in HVAC.

In my original post back in July 2017, I mentioned taking a local vocational school course for the training. After I did some research and looked at my work schedule, I couldn't justify doing an in-person program. The class timing wasn't right for me and the cost was a bit high for something I didn't intend on pursuing full time.

So I looked online and found a online/distance learning HVAC course offered by a small college in Georgia. Well, 8 months later I can say that I finished the course and I believe it was a small step in the right direction.

The content itself was largely derived from a well known HVAC book titled Fundamentals of HVACR (3rd ed.). This is apparently the 'holy grail' book of the industry as it literally covers everything one would run into when working on residential, commercial, and industrial HVAC. The book is included in the cost of tuition.

I obviously can't claim that I'm ready to quit my day job and to go apprentice for an HVAC company, but if I have the time and the book (along with my soon to be gotten EPA certification) then I can probably do refrigerant work with decent accuracy. All the procedures were described in sharp detail along with industry best practices.

And I'm in no way claiming that this 8 month certification is equivalent to what the pros do. If anything, this program has made it very apparent that HVAC tradesmen earn every penny they charge. However, for my curiosities as an avid DIY person, it's nice that I finally understand the refrigeration cycle and refrigerant recovery/flushing/recharge.

I'm thinking of saving up some cash to get a proper Yellow Jacket vacuum pump and a charging manifold.

I have that book and it is very good. We used Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning when I taught at LTI. They probably still use it. It's also a good book

Congratulations on your efforts!

Tommy

 

[Brian_WK]

I know this is an old topic but I am responding because I recently finished a certification course in HVAC.

In my original post back in July 2017, I mentioned taking a local vocational school course for the training. After I did some research and looked at my work schedule, I couldn't justify doing an in-person program. The class timing wasn't right for me and the cost was a bit high for something I didn't intend on pursuing full time.

So I looked online and found a online/distance learning HVAC course offered by a small college in Georgia. Well, 8 months later I can say that I finished the course and I believe it was a small step in the right direction.

The content itself was largely derived from a well known HVAC book titled Fundamentals of HVACR (3rd ed.). This is apparently the 'holy grail' book of the industry as it literally covers everything one would run into when working on residential, commercial, and industrial HVAC. The book is included in the cost of tuition.

I obviously can't claim that I'm ready to quit my day job and to go apprentice for an HVAC company, but if I have the time and the book (along with my soon to be gotten EPA certification) then I can probably do refrigerant work with decent accuracy. All the procedures were described in sharp detail along with industry best practices.

And I'm in no way claiming that this 8 month certification is equivalent to what the pros do. If anything, this program has made it very apparent that HVAC tradesmen earn every penny they charge. However, for my curiosities as an avid DIY person, it's nice that I finally understand the refrigeration cycle and refrigerant recovery/flushing/recharge.

I'm thinking of saving up some cash to get a proper Yellow Jacket vacuum pump and a charging manifold.

With a IT background and some hands on HVAC knowledge you would be a shoe in controlles guy.

Brian

 

[LS6 Tommy]

With a IT background and some hands on HVAC knowledge you would be a shoe in controlles guy.

Brian

God only knows we could use more GOOD ones...

Tommy

 

[Bretny]

$3k and 1,000hr is quite expensive and long course. Since your alreaty a hands on person with im sure some electeical knowledge i would look for a shorter/cheaper class.

I got my universal EPA for the cost of the test. I studied durring my daily commute for about 2 weeks.