An HVAC technician can be responsible for many different aspects of the heating and cooling industry, and as such, needs a variety of tools at their disposal in order to be able to make timely and necessary repairs. If it is a more involved repair or set up, many times they must use company-provided tools to complete the work order.
A bag of basic hand tools is the first thing an HVAC technician should acquire when beginning his or her career. The most basic set of tools should include all those that are most used on the job. These include wrenches, a tape measure, sockets, and screwdrivers. These tools are to ensure that one can perform basic maintenance on pre-existing HVAC systems. Many schools that offer HVAC training require students to have already purchased their tools before the start of class. Other schools may have the tools for the student and have it figured into the cost of his or her tuition.
Another important piece of equipment to have which is normally supplied by one’s employer is a recovery machine. These are used to transfer the refrigerant from an old cooling system to a storage machine, called a recovery tank, and then transfer it back into a new cooling system. Utilizing a recovery system is paramount, as refrigerant is a toxic substance that is very harmful for the environment. The recovery tank acts as a holding cell so as to keep the refrigerant out of the air.
Another piece of equipment that is also normally supplied by one’s place of employment is a vacuum pump. These are mostly used to take moisture out of air conditioning and refrigeration units. This is one of the most important tools to have, as moisture in a system is one of the number one reasons that these machines need to be serviced.
Finally, an HVAC technician should be equipped with HVAC gauges. These gauges can determine when a system is in need of maintenance due to a system failure. HVAC gauges can determine a number of possible malfunctioning parts or systems, namely things such as clogged filters or low levels of refrigerant.
One will do just fine in this career choice provided he or she has completed training and completed it well. Then, provided he or she has the proper tools for the position, he or she can be an HVAC technician