Your company
How Sample Heating & Air works, in Mike's words.
Glad you're here. Your first two weeks you ride with Ray. Nobody expects you to know our way of doing things yet, so ask. Calling is never the wrong move.
Mike, owner
Mike's rules
- Shoe covers on before you step inside. Every house, every time.
- If you didn't take a picture, it didn't happen. Before and after, every unit.
- Never guess a price. It comes off the flat-rate book on the tablet, and the customer says yes before you start.
- If you're stuck, call Ray. Guessing costs more than the call.
- No smoking or vaping on a customer's property.
- We don't talk down another company's work. Tell the customer what you found and show the photo.
What we expect on every job
- Call the customer when you're on the way, with a time you can keep.
- Explain what you found in plain words, and show the photo.
- Leave the work area cleaner than you found it.
- Notes and photos go in ServiceTitan before you leave the driveway, not at the end of the day.
- Ask for the review before you pull away. Same ask, every customer.
- You run calls on your own when Ray and Mike say you're ready, not before.
What to wear
- Company shirt, tucked in, clean every morning. Dana orders more when you need them.
- Work pants. No shorts inside a customer's house.
- Safety-toe boots.
- Name badge on where the customer can see it.
- Shoe covers in your pocket before you knock.
Your schedule
- Monday to Friday. Huddle at the shop at 7:15; first call by 8.
- On call one weekend a month from May through September, after your first 90 days. Ray sets the rotation.
- The van goes home with you only on your on-call weekend.
- Time off: ask Dana a week ahead, by text so it's written down.
Who to call
- Dana · Office managera schedule change, a parts order, or a customer's bill(504) 555-0140 · 8 to 5, Monday to Friday
- Ray · Lead techa technical question on a job, or anything on the stop-and-call list(504) 555-0141 · any time you're on a job
- Mike · Owneran injury, damage at a customer's house, or a customer who's upset(504) 555-0142 · any time
- On-call tech · After 5 and weekendsan after-hours call that comes to youthe on-call phone (number on the van visor card) · after 5 and weekends
How a call gets booked
- A customer calls. Dana answers 8 to 5; after 5 the call rolls to the on-call tech's cell.
- Dana books it in ServiceTitan with the address, the problem and the best phone number.
- It shows on your tablet the night before, or Dana texts you a same-day add.
- Read the notes before you drive, then call the customer when you're on the way.
- Find the problem, then price it from the flat-rate book on the tablet. The customer says yes before you start.
- Photos of every unit and your notes go in the job before you leave.
- Take the card on the tablet and ask for the review.
The truck checklist
Every morning before the first job. Ticks stay on this phone until you clear them.
Check yourself
Tap an answer to see the shop's answer. Nothing is saved or sent, and nobody sees what you picked. Talk any surprise through with your lead tech.
Meet the system: split system with a gas furnace
Draft: waiting on a licensed HVAC tech to check it for this shop
Tap a part to see what it does, what fails and what you look at. Look, don't touch: every hands-on step comes after the safety stops.
Thermostat
- What it does
- Tells the system when to heat, cool or run the fan, through the thin cable to the furnace.
- What fails
- Dead batteries, wrong mode or setpoint, loose wires, a failed unit.
- What you look at
- Mode, setpoint, fan setting, and whether the display has power. Many no-cooling calls end here.
Air filter
- What it does
- Cleans the air before it reaches the blower and the coil.
- What fails
- Clogged: low airflow, a frozen coil, high bills, a furnace that overheats and shuts down.
- What you look at
- Pull it: how dirty is it? Is the airflow arrow pointing the right way? Is it the right size for the slot? Shop rule: members get a new filter from the van; for everyone else, show the customer and ask before you replace it.
Gas furnace
- What it does
- Heats with gas burners in winter. In summer its blower moves the cooled air through the ducts.
- What fails
- Igniter, flame sensor, safety switches, blower motor. A status light on the door often blinks a code.
- What you look at
- Read the status light against the code chart on the door (photo the chart and the blinking light into the job). Check the door switch and filter. Combustion and venting work is for trained techs.
Evaporator coil
- What it does
- Sits on top of the furnace and takes heat out of the air. Water forms on it, which is why it needs a drain.
- What fails
- Dirt on the coil, freezing (usually from low airflow or a refrigerant problem), a clogged drain pan.
- What you look at
- Ice on the coil or the suction line? Note it and call; don't chip ice. Check the filter first.
Condensate drain
- What it does
- Carries the water from the coil to a drain.
- What fails
- Algae and sludge clog it; water backs up into the pan or ceiling.
- What you look at
- Water standing in the tee or the pan? Clearing the line is the way Ray shows you on your first ride-along: wet-vac at the outside end, then flush from the tee.
Float switch
- What it does
- Shuts cooling off when the drain backs up, before water overflows.
- What fails
- Trips when the drain clogs (that's its job). Sometimes sticks.
- What you look at
- A tripped float switch looks like 'no cooling'. Clear the drain per your shop's procedure; the switch resets when the water drops.
Gas shutoff and drip leg
- What it does
- The valve shuts gas off to the furnace. The capped pipe below the tee (the drip leg, or sediment trap) catches debris before it reaches the furnace.
- What fails
- Leaks at fittings. Never use a flame to look for one.
- What you look at
- Know where the shutoff is and which way is off on this valve before you need it. Smell gas: stop and follow the gas steps in Safety stops.
Line set
- What it does
- Two copper lines between the outdoor unit and the indoor coil: the larger, insulated suction line and the smaller liquid line.
- What fails
- Torn or missing insulation, kinks, rub-through where a line touches something, leaks (often an oily spot at a joint).
- What you look at
- Is the insulation intact? Any kinks or rubbing? Ice or heavy sweat on the suction line is worth noting and calling in. Don't open anything (608).
Service valves
- What it does
- Where the line set connects to the outdoor unit. The capped ports are where a certified tech connects gauges.
- What fails
- Leaking caps or cores, oil stains at the joints.
- What you look at
- Look, don't open. Under EPA Section 608, only certified techs open the refrigerant circuit, and that includes connecting gauges. Shop rule: only Ray, or a certified tech Ray names, opens a service port at this shop.
Outdoor unit (condenser)
- What it does
- Moves the heat taken out of the house to the outdoors. Inside the cabinet: the compressor, the outdoor coil and the fan on top.
- What fails
- Capacitor, contactor, fan motor, a coil packed with dirt or grass clippings, debris in the fan.
- What you look at
- Is the fan turning when the system calls for cooling? Is the coil clean and the area around the unit clear? Listen before you touch: power safety first.
Run capacitor
- What it does
- Stores and releases charge to help the compressor and fan motor start and run.
- What fails
- A weak or failed capacitor is a common reason the fan or compressor won't start. Look for a bulged top or leaking oil.
- What you look at
- Look only, until the power is off, locked out and verified dead, and the capacitor is discharged and verified the way your shop trains you. A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off.
Contactor
- What it does
- The switch that sends power to the compressor and outdoor fan when the thermostat calls for cooling.
- What fails
- Burned or pitted contacts, a failed coil, insects caught between the contacts.
- What you look at
- With power off and verified: look for burn marks, pitting and insects. Meter tests only as you've been trained.
Outdoor disconnect
- What it does
- A shutoff near the outdoor unit so it can be de-energized where you're working. The flexible whip carries power to the unit.
- What fails
- Corroded or loose connections, a pulled-out or missing block, a damaged whip.
- What you look at
- Off and locked out before you open the outdoor unit, together with the breaker. Then verify with your meter.
Breaker panel
- What it does
- Feeds the house circuits, including the outdoor unit and the furnace.
- What fails
- Tripped breakers. A breaker that trips again after a reset is telling you something.
- What you look at
- Find and label the AC and furnace breakers before you start. Opening the panel cover is not a first-day task. Shop rule: you don't take a panel cover off until Ray has signed you off on it.
Step ladder
- What it does
- How you reach attic units, high returns and ceiling access.
- What fails
- Bent rails, loose steps, unlocked spreaders. Most ladder falls are about setup, not the ladder.
- What you look at
- Inspect it, open it fully, lock the spreaders, follow the label on the highest step you may stand on, keep three points of contact.
Check yourself
Tap an answer to see the shop's answer. Nothing is saved or sent, and nobody sees what you picked. Talk any surprise through with your lead tech.
Safety stops
Draft: waiting on a licensed HVAC tech to check it for this shop
In this order, every time. The drawing shows each stop; tap a step to see it.
Turn off the outdoor unit's breaker, and the furnace's if you'll work inside it. Lock and tag it per the lockout rule below (your lock, your tag, only you take it off).
Pull or switch off the disconnect at the outdoor unit and lock it out if it takes a lock. Breaker and disconnect, both.
Off is not proven until you test. Check your meter on a known live source, test the circuit you'll touch, then check the meter again. Shop rule: while you ride along, say each reading out loud to Ray.
A capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Verify it's discharged before you touch the terminals, using the method and tool your shop trains you on.
Only EPA Section 608-certified techs open the refrigerant circuit, including connecting gauges. Not certified? Leave the caps on, note what you see, and call it in.
Know where the gas shutoff is. Smell gas: don't operate switches or anything that sparks, get people out, leave, and call from outside per Mike's gas rule (call the gas company's emergency line first, then Mike) and [the gas utility's emergency line] · not filled in yet. Carbon monoxide has no smell: wear a CO monitor if your shop issues one, and report soot, scorch marks or a loose vent pipe.
Attics can get dangerously hot: drink water, take breaks, tell someone before you go up (text the job thread "going up" and "down"), and step only on joists or a walkway. Ladders: inspect, open fully, lock the spreaders, follow the label, three points of contact.
This shop's lockout rule
Every tech carries a lock and tags in the van door pocket. The tag says your name, the date and DO NOT TURN ON. Only the person who put the lock on takes it off. Before anyone touches a wire: check your meter on a known live source, test the circuit, check the meter again.
Check yourself
Tap an answer to see the shop's answer. Nothing is saved or sent, and nobody sees what you picked. Talk any surprise through with your lead tech.
No cooling: the five checks before you call
Draft: waiting on a licensed HVAC tech to check it for this shop
Most calls that feel stuck end at one of these. Go in order, and stop at anything on the stop-and-call list.
Mode set to Cool? Setpoint below the room temperature? Is the display powered (a blank screen can be dead batteries)? Fan on Auto or On?
Is either one off or tripped? Reset a tripped breaker only as Mike allows: one reset, with the customer's OK. If it trips again, stop: that's a call, not a retry.
Pull the filter: clogged? Are the supply registers open and the return grille clear? Ice on the coil or the suction line means note it and call; don't chip it.
Water standing in the drain tee or the pan? A tripped float switch shuts cooling off on purpose. Clear the drain per the way Ray shows you on your first ride-along: wet-vac at the outside end, then flush from the tee; the switch resets when the water drops.
With the thermostat calling for cooling: is the fan turning and the compressor running? If not: power off, locked out and verified first. Then look at the contactor (burned, pitted, insects) and the capacitor (bulged top, leaking oil). Meter tests only as trained.
Stop and call: don't fix these yourself
- Anything with refrigerant (EPA 608 only)
- A gas smell
- Burned, melted or scorched wiring
- Anything outside your training
How to reach the office
Have the address, what you checked and your photos ready.
- Dana · Office managera schedule change, a parts order, or a customer's bill(504) 555-0140 · 8 to 5, Monday to Friday
- Ray · Lead techa technical question on a job, or anything on the stop-and-call list(504) 555-0141 · any time you're on a job
- Mike · Owneran injury, damage at a customer's house, or a customer who's upset(504) 555-0142 · any time
- On-call tech · After 5 and weekendsan after-hours call that comes to youthe on-call phone (number on the van visor card) · after 5 and weekends
Check yourself
Tap an answer to see the shop's answer. Nothing is saved or sent, and nobody sees what you picked. Talk any surprise through with your lead tech.
Sign-off
The owner or lead tech ticks each section after going through it with the new tech: watched, understood, signed off by a name on a date. It stays on this device; print it for the file.
Nobody is scored or ranked. The sign-off is a person's judgment after a conversation, not a test result.