There’s always a first time for everything as a heating specialist.
I was lucky enough to get hired by our local heating company shortly after graduation and during the season when everyone is trying to get heating maintenance and heating repair handled as urgently as possible.
This meant I’d get a chance to learn on the job faster than expected because of the multiple calls for an HVAC professional. Most houses in our town had a gas furnace, so I gained more than enough experience handling similar HVAC installation, and I almost thought that would be all the heating dealership would be doing through the season. I wanted to handle a different heating device, an electric heater, a boiler, or the more modern options. But days passed, and we got the same calls that I started going off on visits alone since I had enough experience to handle furnaces which I started to think we’re the simplest heating equipment. My first different job was with a thermostat that had refused to work, but on troubleshooting check, it was only a problem with the batteries, which was easy to change without consulting. Eventually, we got the call just before winter set in from a homeowner who wanted a fireplace makeover. I had to join the more experienced heating technician for the job. Thankfully, we didn’t have other calls scheduled. We demolished the older unit, added sheetrock, redid the gas fixtures, and finally oversaw the fireplace builders adding a stone finish. It was exciting because I learned how to clean out the chimney area and the rest of the installation point. Over the years, I’ve been back to that house for maintenance, and they’ve kept the unit as good as it was when we did the makeover.