HVAC Training

The quality of HVAC training you receive can have an impact on your career as a technician in several ways.

Some of this might seem obvious, but I'll go over it anyways for those of you interested in starting out in this trade.

The more thorough your HVAC training is, the more adaptable you will be in the field.

You will be better able to help your employer, and your customers, because you will be starting out with a level of understanding of the technology that helps you determine what needs to be done on the job site, and you will have more of the skills to get it done.

Are you totally new to this trade, and trying to decide where to go to get the best start?

For those who are totally new, maybe I should list some of the subjects you will study on your way to becoming a Journeyman HVAC technician.

You will study the effect heat has on matter, the laws of thermodynamics, sensible and latent heat, the chemistry of refrigerants, ozone depletion, gas laws, electricity, motor theory, electromagnetism, magnetism, electronics, fluid flow and fluid dynamics, fan characteristics, air distribution, the mechanics of compressors, water pumps, electrical and mechanical valves, psychrometrics, mathematics, air conditioning and refrigeration theory, piping for refrigerant, water, and gas; heating with electricity, oil, and gas; absorption refrigeration, refrigeration oils, trouble shooting, customer relations, and a number of other topics.

So where do you go for HVAC training?

If you'd be interested in studying at home in your spare time, we recommend the complete, accredited HVAC Technician course available from Penn Foster Career School.

If you're young enough, the very best place to start could be the military.

You'll get first class HVAC training and several years of experience, meet a lot of people, see a lot of places, and might even get to travel around the world.

Otherwise, a technical college that offers a complete 2 year degree program, or a school that teaches only HVAC, like The Refrigeration School in Phoenix, Arizona, would be a great place to start.

If there's one in your area, visit and take a look at the classrooms and facilities, talk to the instructors, and call local contractors and service companies to see if they actually hire graduates from the school.

If it's a good school, they'll have a list of companies waiting to hire their graduates.

If you can work this kind of training into your schedule, it's a great way to go.

And if you can work for an HVAC service company while you go to school, all the better.

Another good way to get HVAC traning is through an HVAC apprenticeship program.

If you work for an HVAC service company, or in a maintenance or engineering department that works on a good variety of HVAC equipment, check around and see if there is an HVAC apprenticeship program you can get into.

Depending on where you live, it could be co-ordinated by a contractors association, labor union, department of labor or department of education, or the local vocational/technical school.

If you are already working in this trade, and want to get more HVAC training, but absolutely can't get into an apprenticeship program or a school, there are alternatives.

RSES, the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society, has a variety of top quality educational material available that can be studied like a correspondence course, with certificates rewarded when you pass a proctored final exam. You can find RSES at www.rses.org.

Carrier also has a useful selection of educational material available, at www.carrier.com.

This page was first written in August of 2005.

Since then, my employer has hired 3 new HVAC trainees, and to kick start their HVAC training, all three have enrolled in the HVAC correspondence course from Thompson Direct (the school's new name is Penn Foster).

The course is based on the "Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology" textbook by Whitman, Johnson, and Tomczyk, which I've reviewed on our HVAC Book page.

So far the students have received the first 2 study modules, which contain 5 lessons altogether.

I've read through the study modules, and I was impressed by what I found.

The first lesson was an introduction to the course, and contained some good guidance on how the student can select a study method suited for his individual personality.

The second lesson was a basic introduction to the HVAC industry and HVAC controls.

The third lesson introduces basic math formulas, goes through them gradually, step by step, and does a great job of explaining why they're useful, and how to solve them.

The 4th lesson explains what electricity is, and how it works.

The information is discussed clearly and carefully, and is a great introduction to the principles of electron flow.

The 5th lesson explains alternating current very clearly.

There are 20 more study modules, with probably about 60 more lessons (so far it averages 3 lessons per module); and I believe there's also work to be done in the textbook, and a number of field type problems to solve.

From what I've seen so far, if you're looking for some excellent HVAC training and simply can't attend a trade school or participate in an apprenticeship program, this correspondence course is a great way to go.

I will update this page as the guys receive and complete more study modules and lessons.

For more information, visit Penn Foster Career School's HVAC Technician Course.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are a lot of you who are simply looking for a good HVAC book.

There are a lot of HVAC textbooks out there, and on the site's HVAC Book page I discuss some books that I'm familiar with.

I hope this page has helped; and please, feel free to contact us with any specific HVAC questions you might have, including questions about air conditioning on Guam, and refrigeration on Guam.