License to buy Condensing Unit?

[ZeroTolerance]

Ok, I have my 608 Universal HVAC License. The guy at johnstone said I need a License to purchase a condensing unit for a home. Is he referring to my 608 Universal HVAC License or another license?

[ZeroTolerance]

Sorry might be a dumb question but im brand new to the HVAC/R industry and just got my license. I am a facilities manager for a restaurant chain

[cadillackid]

here is the thing about some of the suppliers.. they will only sell to Licensed Contractors.. its not a law its just a "brother-hood" thing.... basically an "ill rub your back if you rub mine" thing.. when I run across suppliers like that I typically just dont buy from them,....

what you have is your EPA certification for purchasing refrigerants.. and in reality you dont need that to p[urchase a pre-charged unit...

in effect those at johnstone want you to call a contractor, let them mark up and over charge you to install the new condensor....

what I would do instead? go through a different contractor or just order your units from the internet...

more and more commercial companies arew doing as yours has and employing someone on staff to not only handle broken toilets but to handle HVAC / R as well..

I know many here will take issue with my above statements as they / we are HVAC / R contractors..

I used to be in the biz full time in the 90s, then got out.. and recently have gotten back in so that i could design a new advanced control system to be used in zoned residential and for mini split control....

and it just so happens that a few local guys around here want nothing to do with the advanced control systems of the inverter systems and so ive been back in the business fixing a lot of these things and helping to install some new kit.. but luckily i can umbrella under a buddy's License.. (I have always kept my EPA up)....

Johnstone and R.E. michel have always been picky about who they will sell to.. and some of it is the manufacturer as well...
-Christopher

[ZeroTolerance]

Ya, I also am using my father-in-laws cousins license (umbrella) as he doesnt use it anymore. I used to sub out all my work to plumbers, HVACR guys, electricians. But I like to be hands on so I try and do all the work myself for the restaurants, and it brings me a pay raise as I save them bookoos of money

Thanks Cadillac

[bottlefed1]

I always wondered how those same HVAC contractors would feel if they could not buy parts to service thier trucks, and before you say how different it is due to ***** leakage etc, let me tell you I have seen many a service truck running around that was polluting the hell out of the atmosphere due to improper repair.

[sneep]

Ya, I also am using my father-in-laws cousins license (umbrella) as he doesnt use it anymore. I used to sub out all my work to plumbers, HVACR guys, electricians. But I like to be hands on so I try and do all the work myself for the restaurants, and it brings me a pay raise as I save them bookoos of money


I actually love guys like you. You actually generate more work then you take. Ever seen those Wall of Shame photo's here and elsewhere? :D The reason most wholesalers have stopped selling to the untrained is those little things like blown up houses, fires etc.
People always go after the deep pockets. So wholesaler's insurance companies have limited who they sell to.
You can't be good at our trade or you would be doing it full time. What corners are you cutting to save them "bookoos of money"?

[sneep]

I always wondered how those same HVAC contractors would feel if they could not buy parts to service thier trucks, and before you say how different it is due to ***** leakage etc, let me tell you I have seen many a service truck running around that was polluting the hell out of the atmosphere due to improper repair.

That was probably Zero's truck you saw. Most like me, just buy the gas and pay the auto repair bill.
Cheaper and faster to let a professional do his thing.

Most won't spend the money for education or gear to do a proper job in someone else's occupation. Doesn't make you qualified to hang a shingle out.

[cadillackid]

come on people gotta learn somewhere... and trade school is about useless...

I learned the trade back in the 90s by Doing it...

I didnt learn to fix air-conditioners by watching the guy in the white coat in the front of a classroom break and fix a unit in perfect conditions....

I crawled up on roofs, back into weeds.. shot out wasps nests out of condensors, cleaned earwigs out of contactors.. crawled in crawl spaces with ultraviloet lights looking for leaks.. evacuated and charged systems when the dewpoint was 75 and it had been open for a week...

I didnt learn about how to troubleshoot split systems at the micro processor by listening to people tell me "replace the board..." I did it.. I learned it by tearing into it..

I personally commend anyone who is willing to learn by tearing into it and l;earning along the way...

I also try new technologies.... laugh at me all you want for writing my own software, customizing my own units, trying HVAC super pro on pipe joints, trying new compounds for sealing flairs..

laugh at me all you want for retrofitting gas furnaces with variable speed controllers and creating my own zoning static pressure controls...

laugh at me you will because I do not longer do the trade full time, nor have I since 1999... but in this bad economy where a lot of frdgies in the USA are complaining about there being no install work, service work is low.. my phone never stops ringing...

onward toward the new technologies.. yes lots of mini splits, communication lines troubleshooting, etc...

anyone who Jumps in and is interested in learning has my vote any day rather than one who crabs about this being such an "elite" trade that only a certain few can do it....

-Christopher

[sneep]

come on people gotta learn somewhere... and trade school is about useless...

There are many schools in Columbus that have trained, knowledgeable and extremely experienced instructors.
Most are four nights a week for four hours a night for nine months. I’m sure you absorbed half that training just by carrying compressors around. The guys graduating those classes understand their learning is just beginning. I smell rat when I hear someone trashing school.
Local 189 is 5 years and Columbus State is a two year associate degree. I’m sure that EPA card is impressive as well.

I learned the trade back in the 90s by Doing it...
Butchering equipment to get it to run isn’t learning the trade. You think trained guys don’t get OJT?


I personally commend anyone who is willing to learn by tearing into it and l;earning along the way...
Don't break your arm patting yourself on your back. Did you splurge and buy the big HVAC book? Those are called beginners books for a reason.

I also try new technologies.... laugh at me all you want for writing my own software, customizing my own units, trying HVAC super pro on pipe joints, trying new compounds for sealing flairs..
We all try new things. The difference is we aren't buying every gizmo the wholesaler has on their counter top or trying to fix what isn't broke. Flares don't need sealants apart from oil.


laugh at me you will because I do not longer do the trade full time, nor have I since 1999...
Long career span. Fingering equipment and claiming to be in my trade ...hmmm. I guess you eat a donut you’re a baker.

anyone who Jumps in and is interested in learning has my vote any day rather than one who crabs about this being such an "elite" trade that only a certain few can do it....
It’s not being elite. It’s called being trained. Counter people in this trade go to HVAC school. So they understand what their customers need. Trained people can tell who’s non-trained. It’s obvious. That might explain your experiences in the supply houses.

[cadillackid]

buddy I did the school.. granted i did not do a full college program.. perhaps I shouldve.. doesnt matter now.. the school I was sent to was not very comprehensive and was only a 12 week deal.... .. I know what I learned and what I didnt.. yes there are good programs.. however you must agree that a lot of the schools these days are not near what they used to be...

why does my career span have anything to do with this conversation?? sorry but i changed careers full time lots of people do.. doesnt mean I dont still keep my EPA's and also keep up on whats going on...

obviously you have some kind of bone to pick with anyone trying to learn without paying a bunch of money to go to school... however many people these days learn lots of things without going to school...

yes I have lots of books on HVAC... everything from ducting design to controls, theory and many in between... I do know how to read last time I looked....

if you have a problem with me personally I prefer you do the mature thing and take it to a private message conversation...

the reason ive had issues at supply houses is merely because im not working for one of the known companies in columbus. but there are places I go where im treated with respect so I go there.. and get the equipment I need. no biggie. id rather do controls anyway.... much more fascinating for me...

we all have our high points.. im sure you are very good at the trade... more than likely much better than I at troubleshooting and repair.. probably can out braze me any day.. and find leaks faster than ill ever hope to...

however I dig deep into control systems.. even designed my own... written my own software too.. and it works pretty good... doesnt make me any better or worse.. just I focus on a different part... sorry that makes you mad...

I dont see that as a reason to thrash me to the ground call me a rat whatever you like....

-Christopher

[sneep]

buddy I did the school.. granted i did not do a full college program.. perhaps I shouldve.. doesnt matter now.. the school I was sent to was not very comprehensive and was only a 12 week deal.... ..

“I learned the trade back in the 90s by Doing it...”
“I didnt learn to fix air-conditioners by watching the guy in the white coat in the front of a classroom break and fix a unit in perfect conditions....”
What post should we believe?

however you must agree that a lot of the schools these days are not near what they used to be...
I don’t agree. How would you know that? Columbus has always had great training from various sources.

why does my career span have anything to do with this conversation?? sorry but i changed careers full time lots of people do.. doesnt mean I dont still keep my EPA's and also keep up on whats going on...
That also doesn’t make you the consummate expert in my occupation. EPA certification is a one time deal and some company drivers got it to pick up refrigerants. Where’s your HVAC License? NATE Certs, something other than the ability to buy a tank of refrigerant? Just how do you keep up? Subscribe to any magazines? Member of any trade organizations? When was the last class you went to? How do you keep up, much less get ahead?


obviously you have some kind of bone to pick with anyone trying to learn without paying a bunch of money to go to school... however many people these days learn lots of things without going to school...
They aren’t holding themselves out to be a professional. I have a bone to pick with anyone unqualified to be a contractor. People are tired of the half-assed work from supposed professionals in any occupation. I’m not buying that self taught is as good as school training. I pay professional rates, I want a trained knowledge pro working on my stuff. I expect it right the first time. Training costs money. Either to you to learn or the customer in the form of a lesson.



if you have a problem with me personally I prefer you do the mature thing and take it to a private message conversation...
It’s not personal.

the reason ive had issues at supply houses is merely because im not working for one of the known companies in columbus.
Unlicensed hacks have a hard time getting equipment.


but there are places I go where im treated with respect so I go there.. and get the equipment I need. no biggie. id rather do controls anyway.... much more fascinating for me... You mean they sell to anyone.


however I dig deep into control systems.. even designed my own... written my own software too.. and it works pretty good... doesnt make me any better or worse.. just I focus on a different part... sorry that makes you mad...
Doesn’t make me mad. I have written various trade programs. Delved into side aspects of the trade. Still doesn’t make you qualified to hang a shingle out and claim to be a contractor. Doesn’t give you the right to go into a wholesale house and expect to be accorded the same rights as a licensed contractor. Get a license. Maybe you’d quit bad mouthing schools and wholesalers and licensed contractors.


I dont see that as a reason to thrash me to the ground call me a rat whatever you like....
-Christopher
You need to re-read your posts and mine.

[cadillackid]

lets see.. maybe I put the part about the man in the white coat because thats what my class was??? did you ever think of that before you assumed that I lie??


where do you see my shingle out?? I delved into a design project and then someone who needed help with mini splits came to me and said "help!!!" because he had no knowledge of them as as you are well aware there are more and more of them out there.. and also a lot of hack jobs putting them in...

yes a few years ago I got connected with a guy and was back in the business....

when I was in the career as a professional it was for a very large company...

one of the big reasons I left the profession in 99 was to pursue a career where I could make twice the money and sit in an air-conditioned office.. and fly all over the country doing cool stuff.... was and is a great opportunity...

like i said I dont claim to be a god in the profession as you seem to be...

all my original point was meant to be was to say that I learned a lot more by doing it than I did in the school.. yes I will agree as I said in my last post... you really like to miss the quoting of the parts where I agree with you just so you can trash me... anyway I agree that a longer than 6,9, or 12 week training program would be really beneficial...

what I got was again a guy in a white coat showing everything in the perfect environment.. this would be back in 94....and YES I worked for a LICENSED COMPANY from 94-99.......

anyway what I do now as I weill say again is help out with a company working on mini's because they dont have a lot of knowledge in inverters and the contropls behind them yet.. sorry im not gonna name names because you will just trash me to them...

I also am helping out on the design of a high tech system for an 8 unit town house... no im not gonna be the one to put it in.. I dont have thew resources to physically install it..

ive never lead anyone on as to what I do.. but im not the total dumbass you seem to think i am....

-Christopher

[mad fridgie]

Hello gentlemen, I think you are both right and wrong.
A wholesale in my opinion should only service the trade. (Who is the trade)
In the states, it would seem that every body sues everybody else. So you all take out insurance? An insurance company will not give a policy out if you are risky. This risk is normally reduced by either formal qualifications and/or time expericience within the trade. So if you have full cover, then you could be classed as the trade, thus we allowed to purchase from the wholesaler
In todays climate qualifications are everything, but quals do not make your a good engineer. Experience is what normally makes a good engineer.
I always recommend formal training, as I can not see any disadvantage, but this must be in conjuction with onsite site training

[wringle]

I don't have a idea about this topic.can anyone help this topic.

[ClimateControl]

No, you can just buy online, no need for EPA or Lisc.