“Hey there, do I know you? No, not you; you, the one trying to solder those two pieces of ¾ PVC together.
No, I must have you confused with someone else, but while I’m here, I think we
should talk. Did you ever work with PVC before? No, that’s what that white pipe
in your hand is called. Here, look, do you see the way that the torch is
melting that pipe all over your shoe? Yeah, that white, smokin’ plastic running
across your Timberlands? And you’re having a problem with that SilverBrite
taking, aren’t you? Well, they have words for that technique and techs with
skills like yours, but I don’t think I am allowed to use them here. No, hey,
STOP THAT, you don’t need a bigger tip, just sit down and listen, but put out
the fire first. And you better put the dog out, too. Yeah, in the back around
his tail…”
I hear you laughing, you know that guy,
don’t you? He works with you, or you saw him on some big jobsite, or he is you. Unfortunately, in this industry
that guy is everywhere. For some reason known only to the service gods, we
neglect to teach our greenhorns the basics of our business. Yet, we toss them
out there to fix/install/repair something, only to scratch our heads in
amazement when they fail. Of course, we won’t miss an opportunity to blast
their eardrums into oblivion first.
For much of my career, I managed a large
installation department consisting of anywhere from three to 12, two-man crews.
We replaced furnaces, boilers, a/c systems, water heaters, etc, along with some
new construction work. As you can imagine, I have more than a few stories to
tell, just like every one of you that has been doing this for more than a day.
In fact, so many that I wrote a book about it, called “101 Ways to Suck As An
HVAC Tech” (you can find it on www.amazon.com). In all fairness, we all make
mistakes and have bad days, but these are a little worse than usual. You know,
like when you drill a pilot hole…., through the service cable and set the house
on fire. In general, I think that’s a bad idea.
So, that’s my story; well, actually
that’s just the beginning. Every week I’d like to tell you about one of these
little teaching moments, and perhaps we can all learn something. I hope you’ll
join me and have some fun with it all, and remember not to take life too
seriously. It’s just too short. Oh, and I’d be more than happy to hear any of
your “classics” from the field, or general comments which you can send to richardjschuster@gmail.com.
Welcome to Your World
101 ways to suck
November 21, 2010
I read your book recently and really enjoyed it. It was like deja vu for me, having many of the same experiences. keep writing and thank you for the laughs.
Those little PVC moments
November 29, 2010
I don't know who did it but I was called to a house for a system not cooling. I found someone had replaced a copper suction line with PVC and Dresser fittings. I had to take pictures. It was just too "priceless" not to.
How to Suck as A tech
November 30, 2010
Sounds like a wonderful idea. As a Service manager for the last 20+ years I am not amazed. You described it accurately when you said we throw peole out there to fail and make fun of them when they do.
Looking forward to your stories.
Dennis M. Purvis
I got fired for this
December 6, 2010
I got fired for this:
Rec'd orders to pick up an evap coil and install in residence. Arrived at residence to find unit not working and owner said, "last spring tech was here and told me that the coil would need to be replaced soon. So", the owner said, "I guess I need a new coil. It's been tough getting the $1,200 they said it would cost."
Well, I looked at the fact that the unit was not working and began electrical troubleshooting. Found that common to the condensing unit had broken at a wire nut, fixed that and the unit worked fine. Did an electronic leak test and could not find a problem at evap coil. Found refrigerant pressures were ok. Took the unopened coil back to the supply house. Then, the boss called. "We had that coil sold. Why didn't you install it?" I said it wasn't needed, but that didn't seem to matter. I got fired.