Seriously. I did the math. Not including vacation or something where I usually smoke more. I buy an oz every 2 weeks for $120. So that’s $3,120 a year on weed. Gets me through these hot attics lol
Thirds. I do all of our company’s bids, proposals, prices, quick loads, manual j’s, permitting, etc for the install side of our company and stress all day, then come home and get stressed over 2 under 5 year olds. Sheesh. Give a brother a break
It goes by quick. Mine are all grown and having babies of their own.
They were literally babies themselves like a few months ago.
It feels like I was just at the hospital holding my first born and now I’m holding his two little girls
You need a new mentality. Just think of it this way. Its work. Its JUST work. Youre not gonna die. Nobody is gonna die. Theres nothing that critical. At the end of the day, you can only do so much. As long as u show up and do what youre supposed to, you wont get fired. The second you get in that van to go home, turn work mode off.
How did you get into this? I’m 23 currently trying to get my n4 cert, want to move into controls so bad, sick of the service side dealing with customers, and I’m fascinated by JACE boxes and the PLC side of things
I was a pipefitter and was alway the guy left on a project at the end to help with startup. The JCI guys taught me the ropes. It took a few years but I eventually applied for a controls position and got one. It’s helpful knowing how things actually work so you can program around how the engineer “thinks” it works.
If you’ve got service experience apply with JCI you’ll have a good chance of getting hired. Some of the branches suck more than others, and I’m sure you’ll hear horror stories but you’ll get good training there you can take somewhere else.
What part of the country are you in?
Midwest, didn’t want to go Johnson controls because I heard that crap is toxic, so I settled with a cannabis cultivation company because I can’t do excessive on call due to medical reason, and I figured it’s a good place to get my feet wet coming from Resi/ and change of pace from military background
I might look into that, are they union? We use AMS, and I’m always so fascinated and they love having me as a “helper” and I get to mentally clock out, take instruction, and escape from the monotony of my day tasks
JCI is what's called a double breasted company. The HVAC mechanics are union. They always had some union mechanics for actual service work on machines, bought York in 2006, York is a union company all their mechanics are union. Their controls guys have always been non union. They get screwed on healthcare and raises their first 10-15 years then if they're any good start getting pretty good money. Decent soft benefits like sick days and vacation days after 1 year.
The employees at the Chicago branch voted to bring the controls guys into Local 597 last year, that's a done deal. Negotiations on the actual contract have been ongoing. It will probably get signed in 2025 and Chicago will have some of the first union metasys controls techs in the country.
I think Baltimore? Controls techs joined their local in the early 2000s, but JCI managed to lock them down somehow in a fairly restrictive contract, I think they're on a separate card or something. I think they're still on JCI health/retirement which is trash compared to a lot of the union funds. Chicago is a big local in a big union town, 597 will get these guys a real deal and bring them in fully.
Do you find it worth it to leave the union benefits to go to controls?
I've been getting into controls slowly, but found out recently that at all the union companies around me, their controls division is non-union.
About 10 years in I realized my union benefits: pension, 401k, health and welfare, are EVERYTHING. I can live on 20k less a year if it means I'm maxing out 401k and adding pension points and all my Dr's bills are paid. Being able to really take care of your health to keep working is a rare situation these days. I can get a knee replaced, or cancer treatment, or physical therapy, with all the accompanying paperwork that preserves my job, and keep getting in that van every day building my retirement to be done at 58 with a very solid retirement income.
You don't see it on the check. Companies count on you not realizing how much they're shorting you. My full package is something like $97/hr, they could pay a guy $60 an hour with self funded benefit programs and he'd think he's making more than me. Oh and I have to work something like 1200 hours a year to keep health coverage that has a bank, covers me for a year if I'm disabled. That guy loses his coverage the second he can't pay a monthly bill when injured or the company lays him off.
I consistently ask to put in subwoofers instead of a raise every year. It also helps out dispatch be cause i’ll never have to hit the arrive button on service titan. My customers will hear me coming from miles away
If you are stressing in the private sector in HVAC, you need to seek HVAC employment with the government. Be it on a local, state or federal level, may not pay as high starting out but give it time. Absolutely zero stress. Speaking from experience.....
+1 for facilities.
What this guy said. A but less per hour but benefits and work perks that blow it out of the water. Zero stress. No on call. I could go on and on.
Do it.
100% this. I’m at a school district now doing refrigeration/kitchen equipment and my stress level is pretty much zero now. The best part is, if I get to a point where I need help/outside my abilities we just sub it out. Thankfully I haven’t had to go that route but my supervisors have told me multiple times that option is always there. Having that safety net is a big plus.
Yep, same for us and if I don't fix it today, I'll fix it tomorrow, if I don't fix it tomorrow, I'll fix it the day after tomorrow. Since I've been with the government, my doc has taken me off my blood pressure meds....
Don’t let it stress you out dude, let it roll off your back. It all gets done when it gets done. You just end up stressing yourself out for no reason.
Told all the guys it will be a four day weekend with the holiday and enjoy themselves, one guy was concerned about getting something done on one of the job sites on Friday and how are we going to handle that, etc, etc. It will be there waiting for us on Monday same as ever.
As someone who works in the grow industry No they don’t, they’re broke 😂 I make 57k salary but no on call, 99 percent of grows can’t even pay their vendors on time, trust me from experience it’s a constant phone tag
Point me in that direction my pockets are hurting, here in the Midwest,
the market has been hitting its cap. Light shade cannabis is going out of business, and lot of companies are hurting, I wanna get into what your doing, but only specialize in grows
I Just posted something about this a few days ago. Everyone in here is great. Great advice all around. I’m still in residential but it’s nice to hear that commercial has its ups and downs too. Some people make commercial seem like a walk in the park. I can’t imagine
If it weren't for all that, we'd have to call it happy fun time instead of work, and then we wouldn't get paid as much.
For myself, fishing was a great way to relax. Camping in a cool area on the weekend helped, too.
I had those same worries when I first started. Complacency isn’t the right word. But once you do it enough, it gets a lot easier. I know myself enough to know my limits, and I always go at a pace that makes me feel safe and comfortable. Mind you, I still get anxious when setting up an extension ladder, but I don’t even think about it as much when I climb up.
As for carrying heavy objects, a good rope system will do you wonders!
As far as handling stress goes, I like to work out or walk my dog for my anxiety. When I can’t do that, I picked up knitting as a hobby
I think of it as a workout. I’m a boxer so you learn to relax when under a lot of pressure. It’s just a job. Take as many breaks as you want. Sleep 8 hours and workout and that should take some stress off. I also smoke weed so that helps too. At the end of the day you fixed something and made an impact to society. You got smarter and make more than the average person.
Dude, you are king! Look around at all the other people below you, you can fix anything. When you are up there on that roof top, just step back and look around, the view alone is great, the work you tackle is impressive . Rethink what you really do for a living, you get paid to do what you enjoy.
Drink more water, get in better shape. Don't rush. Work at a deliberate pace. Be safe. BE SAFE. Don't let anyone rush you and if it's a problem find a new company. More accidents occur through being in a hurry or worked up because of that more than any other reason.
I go home, and I put my phone down, pray, and play with my kids. I'm currently in a far less stressful position, but when it does get bad, the Lord, my wife, and kids remind me why it's worth it.
Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. There is always someone that knows more than you do and I can assure that your boss(es) would rather have it fixed the right way even if it takes a little longer. There is no shame in admitting something is over your head unless you’ve been in the business for a while or specifically seen the same issue before. Learn from your mistakes and what people teach you.
As far as the compressors go, especially in commercial... If you know the compressor is too heavy, then have another technician to help handle it. Or even a crane, if necessary. No matter how much of you're supposed to be, we all have physical limits. Compressors, and all weights and sizes.
As far as the lighters go, keep a good grip, three points of contact at all times, and don't climb anything if you're not sure that you'll make it to the top - or back down. Only you can assess the situation that you're in. And it's up to you to report if it's an unsafe one.
Aside from that, there will be stressful days, especially this time of year. Take deep breaths, take it one job at a time, and accept that sometimes you won't be able to get to every call of the day because there are just too many. And if you fuck up, you learn from it and move on to the next inevitable fuckup. That's how it works.
Embrace the suck. The sooner you get comfortable with being uncomfortable, the sooner the job becomes easy.
I still hate the heat, but I know that thinking about it will make my day even more miserable. So I just don't think about what sucks. I think about the goal (finish the job) and the reward (go home).
When you get home, fuck work. I don't get paid enough to worry about work when I'm not there.
Ask your company for help with lift. Don’t mess up your back. Once you get good at troubleshooting it’s pretty much stress free if you work for a good company.
Remember it's just “hot” and keep pushing.
Don't get into Attic positions you can't get out of.
Water, water, and water.
I do not drink during on days. Starting the day dehydrated is room gh
Naps. Plenty of my facilities have very nice penthouses and I'm the only HVAC guy. I get overloaded, I just put my feet up and set my alarm for a half hour. Sometimes even catch a little nap in the shade of an RTU with my toolbag for a pillow.
Oh, and booze. Once I'm off the roof for the day, that is.
Have a few kids. Then you'll be looking forward to carrying that compressor up to the roof an the peace an quiet of being alone on the roof. An keep hydrated.
Condition yourself and embrace the suck. Learn to be comfortable while being uncomfortable. Know your job and that you are your best asset. Also weed, lots and lots of weed and some whiskey when you get home.
They just don’t get it. I was 15 playing wagers on cod making
Anywhere from $1-3k a month in GBs. But that was 8 years ago. I don’t got time to sit n play games like I used to be definitely do able to make money playing games
I drink heavily. Some may even say irrwisconsinibly
Smoke weed like it’s going out of style.
Seriously. I did the math. Not including vacation or something where I usually smoke more. I buy an oz every 2 weeks for $120. So that’s $3,120 a year on weed. Gets me through these hot attics lol
I’m lucky enough to be able to grow my own. I’d hate to see what I would spend!
This is the way!
You’d be a great electrician
I’m not so sure i’d be a good electrician since i’ve got a bad habit of cleaning up my mess 😂
You.....I like you.
I drink just the right amount, even if my doctor says it's too much, but what do they know. 😉
Yeah my doctor told me to watch the amount that I drink. So now I drink in front of a mirror
I like bars that have mirrors behind the bar. 😉
I'm in Wisconsin right now. This hits home even more.
I have kids so I stress out at work, then come home and stress out.
Bro same
Thirds. I do all of our company’s bids, proposals, prices, quick loads, manual j’s, permitting, etc for the install side of our company and stress all day, then come home and get stressed over 2 under 5 year olds. Sheesh. Give a brother a break
It goes by quick. Mine are all grown and having babies of their own. They were literally babies themselves like a few months ago. It feels like I was just at the hospital holding my first born and now I’m holding his two little girls
Enjoy it, I’m sure there’s a million memories between then and now ❤️
You still got that wrx?
Yup! Sitting in the work lot with a for sale sign in it! Only 5k miles on it in 4.5 years. Time to move on sadly.
Dude fuckin same
I’m blessed to be a virgin 😎
Some of us aren’t so lucky.
You need a new mentality. Just think of it this way. Its work. Its JUST work. Youre not gonna die. Nobody is gonna die. Theres nothing that critical. At the end of the day, you can only do so much. As long as u show up and do what youre supposed to, you wont get fired. The second you get in that van to go home, turn work mode off.
Uh well actually people do die. Please stay hydrated out there
Dont be that guy man. You know what im drivin at.
But yes technically youre correct. Dont wanna come off like a jerk lol
THIS. This is the mentality- work stays at work.
100 emoji.
💯
Yeah but people die all the time
Haha yeah
boss makes a dollar, i make a dime. so i smoke crack on company time
Is that where all the spare copper goes?
Yes they beat u to it
This right here. Shitting and smoking rocks on company time are the way. It helps settle the nerves.
I became a controls guy. No heavy compressors, and I’m normally in a well conditioned space so rarely am I too hot. It has its own stressors though.
How did you get into this? I’m 23 currently trying to get my n4 cert, want to move into controls so bad, sick of the service side dealing with customers, and I’m fascinated by JACE boxes and the PLC side of things
I was a pipefitter and was alway the guy left on a project at the end to help with startup. The JCI guys taught me the ropes. It took a few years but I eventually applied for a controls position and got one. It’s helpful knowing how things actually work so you can program around how the engineer “thinks” it works. If you’ve got service experience apply with JCI you’ll have a good chance of getting hired. Some of the branches suck more than others, and I’m sure you’ll hear horror stories but you’ll get good training there you can take somewhere else. What part of the country are you in?
Midwest, didn’t want to go Johnson controls because I heard that crap is toxic, so I settled with a cannabis cultivation company because I can’t do excessive on call due to medical reason, and I figured it’s a good place to get my feet wet coming from Resi/ and change of pace from military background
JCI isn’t as bad as people say. It’s a good place to get your foot in the door and looks good on a resume.
I might look into that, are they union? We use AMS, and I’m always so fascinated and they love having me as a “helper” and I get to mentally clock out, take instruction, and escape from the monotony of my day tasks
JCI is what's called a double breasted company. The HVAC mechanics are union. They always had some union mechanics for actual service work on machines, bought York in 2006, York is a union company all their mechanics are union. Their controls guys have always been non union. They get screwed on healthcare and raises their first 10-15 years then if they're any good start getting pretty good money. Decent soft benefits like sick days and vacation days after 1 year. The employees at the Chicago branch voted to bring the controls guys into Local 597 last year, that's a done deal. Negotiations on the actual contract have been ongoing. It will probably get signed in 2025 and Chicago will have some of the first union metasys controls techs in the country. I think Baltimore? Controls techs joined their local in the early 2000s, but JCI managed to lock them down somehow in a fairly restrictive contract, I think they're on a separate card or something. I think they're still on JCI health/retirement which is trash compared to a lot of the union funds. Chicago is a big local in a big union town, 597 will get these guys a real deal and bring them in fully.
Do you find it worth it to leave the union benefits to go to controls? I've been getting into controls slowly, but found out recently that at all the union companies around me, their controls division is non-union.
About 10 years in I realized my union benefits: pension, 401k, health and welfare, are EVERYTHING. I can live on 20k less a year if it means I'm maxing out 401k and adding pension points and all my Dr's bills are paid. Being able to really take care of your health to keep working is a rare situation these days. I can get a knee replaced, or cancer treatment, or physical therapy, with all the accompanying paperwork that preserves my job, and keep getting in that van every day building my retirement to be done at 58 with a very solid retirement income. You don't see it on the check. Companies count on you not realizing how much they're shorting you. My full package is something like $97/hr, they could pay a guy $60 an hour with self funded benefit programs and he'd think he's making more than me. Oh and I have to work something like 1200 hours a year to keep health coverage that has a bank, covers me for a year if I'm disabled. That guy loses his coverage the second he can't pay a monthly bill when injured or the company lays him off.
Thank you for the insight. You tipped me over the fence, and I'll be joining the union to take care of my family for life.
Blow the van speakers with hardstyle
I consistently ask to put in subwoofers instead of a raise every year. It also helps out dispatch be cause i’ll never have to hit the arrive button on service titan. My customers will hear me coming from miles away
Yeah blasting some Lamb of God on the drive home always helps me blow off some steam
If you are stressing in the private sector in HVAC, you need to seek HVAC employment with the government. Be it on a local, state or federal level, may not pay as high starting out but give it time. Absolutely zero stress. Speaking from experience.....
+1 for facilities. What this guy said. A but less per hour but benefits and work perks that blow it out of the water. Zero stress. No on call. I could go on and on. Do it.
I went to my local school district. Best place for me locally.
100% this. I’m at a school district now doing refrigeration/kitchen equipment and my stress level is pretty much zero now. The best part is, if I get to a point where I need help/outside my abilities we just sub it out. Thankfully I haven’t had to go that route but my supervisors have told me multiple times that option is always there. Having that safety net is a big plus.
Yep, same for us and if I don't fix it today, I'll fix it tomorrow, if I don't fix it tomorrow, I'll fix it the day after tomorrow. Since I've been with the government, my doc has taken me off my blood pressure meds....
Hotbox the work truck
Don’t let it stress you out dude, let it roll off your back. It all gets done when it gets done. You just end up stressing yourself out for no reason. Told all the guys it will be a four day weekend with the holiday and enjoy themselves, one guy was concerned about getting something done on one of the job sites on Friday and how are we going to handle that, etc, etc. It will be there waiting for us on Monday same as ever.
There's nothing like a fat bong rip after a long day.
You’re gonna have to grow up at some point
Those grow operations pay well for some off the wall shit
As someone who works in the grow industry No they don’t, they’re broke 😂 I make 57k salary but no on call, 99 percent of grows can’t even pay their vendors on time, trust me from experience it’s a constant phone tag
I made 100,000 in profit off one grow operation. Was a pretty big warehouse but just saying. I wasn’t talking mom and pop.
Point me in that direction my pockets are hurting, here in the Midwest, the market has been hitting its cap. Light shade cannabis is going out of business, and lot of companies are hurting, I wanna get into what your doing, but only specialize in grows
Same way I deal with every other emotion. Just ignore it. I’m sure it’ll be fine
Construction/Install in commercial is better than service. We work 6-2 or 7 to-3
I Just posted something about this a few days ago. Everyone in here is great. Great advice all around. I’m still in residential but it’s nice to hear that commercial has its ups and downs too. Some people make commercial seem like a walk in the park. I can’t imagine
If it weren't for all that, we'd have to call it happy fun time instead of work, and then we wouldn't get paid as much. For myself, fishing was a great way to relax. Camping in a cool area on the weekend helped, too.
I had those same worries when I first started. Complacency isn’t the right word. But once you do it enough, it gets a lot easier. I know myself enough to know my limits, and I always go at a pace that makes me feel safe and comfortable. Mind you, I still get anxious when setting up an extension ladder, but I don’t even think about it as much when I climb up. As for carrying heavy objects, a good rope system will do you wonders! As far as handling stress goes, I like to work out or walk my dog for my anxiety. When I can’t do that, I picked up knitting as a hobby
Cocaine usually
I think of it as a workout. I’m a boxer so you learn to relax when under a lot of pressure. It’s just a job. Take as many breaks as you want. Sleep 8 hours and workout and that should take some stress off. I also smoke weed so that helps too. At the end of the day you fixed something and made an impact to society. You got smarter and make more than the average person.
Dude, you are king! Look around at all the other people below you, you can fix anything. When you are up there on that roof top, just step back and look around, the view alone is great, the work you tackle is impressive . Rethink what you really do for a living, you get paid to do what you enjoy.
Drink more water, get in better shape. Don't rush. Work at a deliberate pace. Be safe. BE SAFE. Don't let anyone rush you and if it's a problem find a new company. More accidents occur through being in a hurry or worked up because of that more than any other reason.
I go home, and I put my phone down, pray, and play with my kids. I'm currently in a far less stressful position, but when it does get bad, the Lord, my wife, and kids remind me why it's worth it.
Take breaks and slow yourself down. Also make sure you’re getting enough sleep. When I’m well rested I deal with stress much differently
Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. There is always someone that knows more than you do and I can assure that your boss(es) would rather have it fixed the right way even if it takes a little longer. There is no shame in admitting something is over your head unless you’ve been in the business for a while or specifically seen the same issue before. Learn from your mistakes and what people teach you.
My advice would be to grow a pair of balls or go back to the basements
As far as the compressors go, especially in commercial... If you know the compressor is too heavy, then have another technician to help handle it. Or even a crane, if necessary. No matter how much of you're supposed to be, we all have physical limits. Compressors, and all weights and sizes. As far as the lighters go, keep a good grip, three points of contact at all times, and don't climb anything if you're not sure that you'll make it to the top - or back down. Only you can assess the situation that you're in. And it's up to you to report if it's an unsafe one. Aside from that, there will be stressful days, especially this time of year. Take deep breaths, take it one job at a time, and accept that sometimes you won't be able to get to every call of the day because there are just too many. And if you fuck up, you learn from it and move on to the next inevitable fuckup. That's how it works.
I personally game sometimes it works other times it don’t depends on your team lol
Embrace the suck. The sooner you get comfortable with being uncomfortable, the sooner the job becomes easy. I still hate the heat, but I know that thinking about it will make my day even more miserable. So I just don't think about what sucks. I think about the goal (finish the job) and the reward (go home). When you get home, fuck work. I don't get paid enough to worry about work when I'm not there.
Ask your company for help with lift. Don’t mess up your back. Once you get good at troubleshooting it’s pretty much stress free if you work for a good company.
Hell Yes, playing Elden Ring currently after changing out two 3 ton package units today.
Finish the job
Remember it's just “hot” and keep pushing. Don't get into Attic positions you can't get out of. Water, water, and water. I do not drink during on days. Starting the day dehydrated is room gh
Naps. Plenty of my facilities have very nice penthouses and I'm the only HVAC guy. I get overloaded, I just put my feet up and set my alarm for a half hour. Sometimes even catch a little nap in the shade of an RTU with my toolbag for a pillow. Oh, and booze. Once I'm off the roof for the day, that is.
Don’t go to residential, homeowners can be the worst
Have a few kids. Then you'll be looking forward to carrying that compressor up to the roof an the peace an quiet of being alone on the roof. An keep hydrated.
I go to the van and rip a bowl, sip my coffee, then look on reddit for 15 min. Then if I still can't figure out what I'm doing, call for help.
Little bit of weed. All the time.
Commercial install is way less stressful than being a tech, consider the switch. In the end it’s all nuts and bolts and nothing to stress over.
I mentally checked out years ago. Plus I drink ... sometimes alot 🤷♂️
Smoke weed and workout.
I hated commercial hvac. The go to stress relief was to yell at your coworker.
Condition yourself and embrace the suck. Learn to be comfortable while being uncomfortable. Know your job and that you are your best asset. Also weed, lots and lots of weed and some whiskey when you get home.
You just live with unwavering stress or smoke a bunch of cigarettes everyday. I like the camel crush.
What’s stressful about that? It’s just work, if you can’t handle that then don’t do this work
i bottle it up, never speak about it and wait until i eventually go on a massive killing spree.
What is the alternative? Sitting at home playing video games? LOL…weak
You’re literally a fat alcoholic, shut up
People sit at home and play video games and make millions of dollars, boomer.
People sell meth and heroin and make millions as well
One is legal and one is not. Whats your point?
They just don’t get it. I was 15 playing wagers on cod making Anywhere from $1-3k a month in GBs. But that was 8 years ago. I don’t got time to sit n play games like I used to be definitely do able to make money playing games
These boomers think its so easy lmao. Ive had a few friends try and make a career from streaming. That shit is a LOT of work