Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.
Time for everyone to weigh in.......
Boilerpro_3
Member Posts: 1,231
Grew up doing maintenance at apartment buildings, got my professional bach. degree in architecture at IIT in Chicago....while running a landscaping business, working for Mech. and Elec Engineers and architecture firms, started out trying as a general contractor, moved out here from Chicago, tried energy consulting, and discovered then that hot water heat was the way to go. Found there wasn't much knowledge out here in the field, so I figured hey, I think I found my place.
0
Comments
-
How many years experience do you have?
What impresses me most about The Wall is not only the diversity we all possess, but the total years everyone has been in the business.
How many years have you been doing this? Let's all weigh in with the years and see what we come up with for a cumulative total.
I have 15 years experience.
PR
Previously was in Army Intelligence (oxymoron), teachers college at UNL, oddly enough, started working at a plumbing wholesale outfit part time while I went to college. Started out driving, worked up to the counter, payables,receivables, purchasing, inventory management, then jumped all over the opportunity to do hydronics full time. What a ride.
Jackchips, nothing but respect for the people like yourself who started at the bottom and worked their way up. Nobody great ever came from greatness.
0 -
20 yrs
phew getting old0 -
Experience?
33 years and counting which only means I am experienced not qualified.
John0 -
I started in 1984
but took 3 yrs off, I guess that totals me out at about 16. Just curious, what other types of jobs did you all have (if any) before you got into the plumbing and heating/HVAC buisness.
I cooked,and was in the Navy (electronics tech)
Chuck Shaw
To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"0 -
Good question, Paul.
I started plumbing with my late Father-in-Law in 1969 at 23 and being an estimator I guess that to be 34 years (No charge-lol). For the first 6 months I cleaned bricks dumped from the major renovations in Worcester, Ma.
It's been a great ride from apprentice, journeyman, master, business owner, designer/engineer and now estimator for a great company.
Jack0 -
been fixing pipes for
25 years....ouch, no wonder i hurt....
10 as a hull tech in the navy...
15 as a ''sillyvillian'' plumber
still remember my first job,,,,ohhhh i'd like to forget that one......0 -
Ahh , 1969
That means you've been working in the trade as long as I've been born 3-5-69 . Don't the years fly by ? I started installing boilers in April of 1986 , 17 years I think , math isn't my best subject . It's been a ride for sure .0 -
an odd job or two along the way (G)
Mowing lawns & shoveling snow ? bubblegum money - most went to Hen the grocer who had a marvelous country store with creaking wood floors & who gave us credit accounts!
News paper delivery route with over 300 customers
Started my own newspaper, The Woodstream Herald at age 12. Copies sold for .01 cents each! Had its own comic strip too.
Worked for Dr. Harold C. Neibert from age 12 to 16 (veterinarian) for .75 cents an hour.
San Carlos Restaurant (busboy) Saturday night fights with the dishwashers!
Simon Photographic Studios (Kodachrome, Ektachrome & Color film developer + slide mounting machine)
Buzzards Knob Press (darkroom work & press operator)
Color Systems York Incorporated (color separation work, diascan machine, photographic work, letterset/offset Heidelberg press operator, burning plates)
Freelance photography work
Antique dealer delivery and pick up driver.
Kauffman?s Carpet store (twice a week cleaning & sales)at the York and Harrisburg malls.
Mailman?s Dep?t Store (photographic dep?t)
George McGovern campaign worker! A liberal Democrat? Say it ain't so Joe. Became a Republican once I went into business in 79.
AMF bomb line (became Harley Davidson while I was there) making 500 Lb bombs.
High Steel Construction ? yikes! Quit after a fellow worker fell from 55? while we were carrying Butler roof panels.
Kinsley Construction Co. (up until the day they wouldn't give me time off when Dad had open heart surgery - family comes first)
Ray P. Cleary PHVAC ? apprentice plumber ? 3 months
F. W. Behler PHVAC as an apprentice plumber ? 4 years (missed my first year of schooling) Earned Journeyman.
Another plumbing co for 3.5 years. (Became a Master Plumber in the middle of this tenure.)
My own plumbing co for 7.5 years - started out of our two-car garage & did all bookwork at night in a room off of the kitchen.
Returned to purchase F. W. Behler
33 years in the PHVAC trades
Write for Contractor, Radiant Living, Smart Homeowner & Journal of Light Construction magazines.
Partner - JoDa Productions, a video production company.
To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"Bob "hot rod" Rohr
trainer for Caleffi NA
Living the hydronic dream0 -
This content has been removed.
-
Started College in 1972
Worked as a stock boy in a fabric shop. Great place to meet girls. Especially the ones who sewed. Too bad I was made of more dangerous stuff. (translation, I was a moron) Quit to play soccer for my college. The next Summer got a job as a helper for a small. sometimes dishonest refrigeration company. We worked on ice machines in resaurants all over town. Saw some pretty seedy places.I went back every summer for the next 3 years and then stayed after I quit college with 15 credits to go for an Elementary Education degree. (see above translation) Life was a party and I was invited. Found I liked the trade. After getting my journeymans license in hvac I changed jobs and became a service tech for a large mech contractor. Found out how much I didn't know and began to get interested in my trade. I worked on and did start up on the hvac in the Vista hotel, where our intrepid Mayor, Marion Barry got caught by the Authorities smoking crack. Moved to a job with a large commercial hvac sale outfit and did nothing but start ups on large office buildings. Saw the delevopement of the modern VAV system. Worked on one of the first Variable frequency drives. They were way big back then, not like now. Started doing side work because I met my wife and couldn't get away from her common sense and beauty. Had to leave my wild ways behind. We even had babies who needed me to make more money. The side work grew until I had to make a choice. Since my history has shown me to make the wrong one I went into business for myself. Found out how many people wanted my work. My 1st few years were filled with commercial control work and air balancing for old customers and my former boss. Did the air balance for the DC homeless shelter and met activist Mitch Snyder. He was a warrior back then before depression took him from us. Then I did a residential A/C install for an architech who was installing a radiant floor by himself, being coached by Heatway. That was 15 years ago and I was intrigued and began to look for people willing to pay me to do this stuff. I met Dan Foley back then at an ACCA round table discussion in Willliamsburg where he and I were the only ones at the table interested in radiant heat. Now it's really taking off here in DC and Dan is leading the way. Its been 31 years since I began in this trade and I feel lucky to have fallen into it. I teach night school part time for ACCA and enjoy seeing the young men finding their way through alll of the choices to find their place in the trade. It's a noble profession with interesting people everywhere you go.
To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"0 -
length of service
started working with my dad at age 14,graduated from mich.tech in 54 as civil engineer. was lucky enough to go thru B&G little red school house in 57.we have done housing projects,commerical,and industrial work. installed a lot of radiant heating in the 50s-copper & wrought iron -all still working as far as i know. dad started in 39,itook over in 58,our youngest son in 2000. retired at 70. what a GOOD LIFE. bob0 -
Well, let's see....
...started in the trades in, I believe, 1983 or 84, so I guess it's been 20 years, in round numbers! Doesn't seem like it, though. Seems more like 75 (just kidding!!!)
Starch0 -
Let's see.........
Graduated from Northern Michigan Christian School in 74. Went to work full time in the family's general store (hardware dept) out here in the sticks. Dad and two grandads were my mentors. In 75 dad said I needed to make a place for myself in the business so I looked around our area and observed that there were a lot of loggers and a lot of farmers. We did all kinds of repair on the farms from well pumps to milkers to electrical to heating to plumbing. No license or permits needed to do anything on a farm in those days. Decided I got a bang out of the loggers (colorful to say the least, ask me about the repo story at a Wetstock sometime) and went looking for something to sell them. After checking out the chainsaw market I decided to sell Husqvarna, a Swedish make that was unknown in these parts but had a lot going for it. They were talking ergonomics long before it became a buzzword. Started with an initial order of 4 saws in 1976 and I can still recall the names of the people who bought them. The store is now consistently in the top 5 dealerships nationwide for Husqvarna. I guess the reason I sell Viessmann and Buderus now is the same as Husqvarna. I'd rather have a product in my hands that has some tangible features and benefits that others don't even if it takes more work to sell it.
But I digress.
Late 70's was the energy crunch and we sold and installed literally hundreds of wood burners of all types. I distinctly remember my cousin and I carrying a 550# wood furnace down a spiral stairway into the basement. (Famous quote from the HO, "Piece of cake, you can back right up to the landing at the top of the stairs".) True, but He didn't mention the stairs themselves.OOOOPPPssss!!
We put up Class A chimneys, did ductwork and whatever else it took.
Dad died of a heart attack on a Sunday afternoon in January of 84, making me manager of the hardware dept. by default. I was 27. Brother Mark ran the grocery and meat department, brother Dave helped out with the saws and Paul was still in high school. Decided to go after plumbing and electrical contractor business at that time in order to bolster our sales. Wal Mart, K-mart and a couple regional chains had moved in during those years and our basic business trade was suffering. The wholesale side is still going good.
1995 brought a chance to go into HVAC full time with the retirement of my wife's cousin and I've been doing that ever since. Still retain a percentage in the family business.
Long story short, HVAC full time, 8 years this past April. Repairing everything from windmills to washing machines and hay elevators to chainsaws, since 1974. In a small rural community ya gotta wear a lot of different hats and they all have to fit quite well.
It's been a blast.0 -
Started out as a...
part time custodian in my church at 15. In the process, I frequently stared at the different mechanical rooms noticing the pumps, piping, and pnuematic controls of the hydronic system wondering how it all worked. In '89 at 18 was given ultimatum to go take college classes or move out. Looked in community college catalog and saw classes for HVAC and thought of the church and of helping tune up my parents furnace with my dad, and decide that this was a good way for my mechanical mind to go. Got my first job with one of my teachers in spring of '91, started doing scorched air install for 3 - 4 months then got moved into service. Been doing service for 12 years now, unfortunatly mostly scorched air, but slowly getting more experienced in hydronics, thanks to you everyone here at The Wall!0 -
Years
23 years working for the same plumbing company.
Guess I'll stay a little while longer.0 -
Ouch
33 oficially. 45 if you count putting away fittings when I was 7. They used to pack bulk iron fittings in fish oil, and I still remember the lingering odor.
To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"0 -
I actually started in 1957
then spent 9 years in the Navy working in Electronics.
Went to work for the Gas Company in 1966 so I guess it has been 37 years. I had worked for Heating company before going into the Navy.
Was downsized from Gas Company in 1994 and started my own company that year. Been at it ever since.0 -
Started at a plumbing company in "82"( $3.10 hr), put away fitting's for a year dispite the fact I brought my bucket of tool's to work every day hoping I would be sent out with a Plumber. "83" Flipped the old man the bird and went across town ($6.00 hr) and he paid for my night classes. p.s that old man went belly-up in 1988, heard he's working for someone else now... hope it's putting away fittings.0 -
In my part of the country radiant floor heat just became popular a few years ago. As a plumber I saw oportunity. I was meticulous about my copper work and had a good ability to lay things out. What a mistake! Now all I can think about is hot water, steam, and how to pipe it better. Total boiler experience...
4 Years0 -
Started in 72...
working summers while still in high school. Mostly new construction w/ a couple years of service thrown in. About a year and a half working for two different wholesalers. Majority of work in Alaska, with some in Washington and Idaho. Spent several years in Unalaska-Dutch Harbor, Alaska (in the Aleutians) working on an 80 million dollar seafood (surimi) processing plant expansion. One year as a state plumbing inspector. Sometimes self employed mostly working for others. Last year and a half working in the retail store of a plumbing & heating contacting and service business. Sure is fun watching the other guys having to work out in the cold.
Terry0 -
End of Day one....
21 responses. 4 years experience to 46 years (Thanks Bob Carey)
479 years cumulative experience!
22.8 years average experience
It is easy to see why Dans site is so helpful.
By the way, Dan when are you going to weigh in?
In a side note, we have an individual at our wholesale shop that is still out making sales calls. Calvin Coolidge was president when he was born. September 25'
PR0 -
Started out..
After 4 years in the Coast Guard, including a tour in Vietnam, I started in the commercial oil business in 1971, selling oil spill & hazmat cleanup and tank maintenance services and equipment. My next move was after 9 years of night school at Rutgers, they finally gave me a degree, and I moved on to selling safety equipment and designing/spec'ing combustible and toxic gas detection systems. My next move was to Honeywell, where I have been for the last 20 years. I guess that adds up to 32 years in technical sales.0 -
52
total. Inlife that is. 10 in Plumbing and hydronics.
25 of these were in the food service sector from washing to shipping to purcasing to selling.
Do you know there is two ways to spell: sale and sell. Pick one.0 -
Years
Took a correspondence course in 1971 in electronics so that I could become a TV repairman. Never finished the course but learned a lot of electrical theory, wiring, etc. Was looking for a job that summer and ended up working for a Mobile Home Dealer. Hauling them around the state (New Mexico), setting them up, hooking them up, fixing most everything except heating. One day my boss was frustrated because of the slow response and poor service for our heating units and told me to learn how to fix the heating. I truly found a calling there and dove in head first and never looked back. I guess that would be 32 years, 26 of those in Alaska the Great Land.
Special thanks to my dad, who taught me the value of hard work and his "You can do anything" attitude. It has served me well.
Pat0 -
Soldering isn't witchcraft!
Born in '65. I remember as a kid trying to build a carbide powered tin can submarine. It looked easy in that dusty, no cover, 1950's Popular Mechanics hiding in the shed. But neither my Dad or our neighbor could make it work either. I thought soldering was some sort of black art that was lost to mankind.
Later, my grandfather gave me an old gasoline blowtorch. Wow! Fire and gasoline, the two things that had always been off limits, were now thrown together in one intoxicating package.
In highschool (about '83 or so)I helped open a radiator shop at the service station where I worked. I learned how to clean and tin things, and I found out how to make that sub!
Later, (in '92 or so) I started working part time with a semi-retired plumber who had let his license lapse as he didn't need them in our rural area. He had been taught plumbing and electrical by both his grandfather, a Chicago trade school, and also the United States Navy in WWII. He also pours his own castings, and machines very detailed scale model gas and steam engines. What a talented individual! Oh yes, he installed some copper tube in slab radiant systems in a nearby town in the 1940's. (they're still working by the way) So while my podunk town hasn't heard of radiant, we're not all that far from civilization. (LOL)
I did my first slab on grade radiant job in a friend's home because he asked me to. I told him all I knew about it was what tubing to use. He wanted me to do it anyway, and I found a professional who was willing to design it for me and hold my hand. Then I went to a large manufacturers school to learn what I could.That was in about '95 and after doing jobs just by word of mouth for a few years, we started promoting at homeshows 3 years ago.
I have so much to learn, but I bless the day I was at a tekmar school, and my wholesaler handed me his copy of "primary secondary piping made easy."
Since then,I've read and re-read nearly all of Dan's titles, and I spend a lot of time here. We've always done careful heat loss and design work, and thank God our systems have all worked great. The more I learn the more I realize how many ways there are to screw up a system. Last year, we did a job with over 3 miles of tubing under one roof. Almost 22,000 sq.ft. My retired friend just shakes his head now when I show him a Duomix and variable speed injection mixing or some such thing. I'm learning. Thanks to Dan, and all you guys who freely give to raise the bar for all of us. Kevin
To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"0 -
b. 1963
c. 1968 began "taking things apart"--appliances, stereos, etc.
c. 1970 first Erector Set
c. 1971 began "playing" with water to understand how it moved and how it could be diverted; won first "grand prize" in K-12th grade art contest (3rd grade at time)
c. 1972 home and office repairs--simple mechanical things like toys, bikes, toilets, sewing machines, simple office machines, etc.
c. 1974 first hydronic heating project--solar water heating panel (dad wouldn't let me sweat the copper though).
c. 1975 joined local artist's guild--all other members adults; won first guild competition after a few months--signatures covered for competition
c. 1976 made complete revolutionary war uniform to be General Washington in school pageant; won grand prize in K-12 regional science fair
c. 1977 photography and darkroom work--exhibited and won adult contests, large extremely elaborate train layout, much completely from "scratch"; first simple electronic projects
c. 1979 first Heathkit
-------------------
The "bad years"
--------------------
c. 1982 joined Marines, administration in Washington DC, first use of IBM PC, self-taught BASIC programming language
c. 1986 editor/printer/office manager for nationwide RV travel/camping club, "moonlighted" with computer repair and programming; repaired all office/printing equipment, appliances, plumbing in home/office.
c. 1987 college without intent to graduate, just take classes of use/interest
c. 1988 partner in small bar/nightclub, leave of absence from travel club
c. 1990 first "whole house" renovation/reconstruction/addition for someone else.
c. 1991 partner in small retail store
c. 1994 first hydronic system--burst gravity conversion in home I just purchased
c. 1999 "super-simple" radiant worked as planned
c. 2001 resumed work for travel club
Not sure if this "counts" for zero years, 29 years some something in between....0 -
12 years
This young lad was born and raised in Germany.
In the Summer of 1991, I started my apprenticeship to become a Heating and Air Conditioning journeyman, which is (was) a 4 year program. In the final two years and one year after my apprenticeship, I was involved in a number of renovation jobs that our company did in Eastern Germany after the wall came down.
In the fall of 1996, I wanted a change of scenery and decided to move to North America for two reasons. First, to learn the language and then to learn about the differences in hydronics between North America and Europe. The first year was kind of harsh as I had to learn a whole lot of things including LANGUAGE, different terminology/measurements (an elbow was not only part of an arm, °C was now °F, cm was inches). Shortly after my arrival, I was hired by this contractor in Vancouver, BC who clipped my wings and taught me how things are done over here. Unfortunately, this experience only lasted about a year, before he (company) went belly up. There I was, an immigrant with limited English speaking skills and no job. So I jumped on a Bus that took me into Red Deer, AB (after about 16 hrs) where everything was just booming (and still is). Right after my arrival, I went to drop off some resumes. One of which was at a wholesalers. Barry Cunningham, one of the greatest guys I have ever met, was the Hydronic Heating Department and Sales Manager at the time (still is) and he gave me a chance to help out in his Heating Department. This is where I learned the other side of the industry, which was very nice. I learned to do Heatloss Calcs, System Estimates and Counter Sales. My hands-on experience allowed me to be helpful to heating contractors in the field when they were having trouble with equipment or even just system start-ups. I was with the wholesaler for almost two years, before I went to work for tekmar. Been with them since and am enjoying every day. I wanted to see as many sides of the industry as I could. I dont know if anyone ever can see everything there is, but I wanted to get as far as I could. Although this lad is still a youngen, youll see him around for a while!
This industry has really hit my passion and am damn proud of it. We have the brightest looking future and I will, and have been, definitely recommend and encourage young people to follow us into this Trade.
0 -
20 years (GW)
20 in the plumbing & heating biz.
Three of which I have dedicated to radiant floors, snow melting & hydronic systems.
(G.W.)0 -
Time in
Paul:
Started in 1974 in mobil home furnaces. 15 yrs=/- residential service trucks, then commercial, then the knee gave out, then sales/design for awhile till the lay off of the entire sales force, (they are still looking for the hole in the checkbook, I thing it was drilled with a cordless mismanagement tool) so I cashed the retirement and pay myself for what I know.
Daughter is a freshman at Tulane next month of a merit schoolarship, so I need to keep at it until she finishes the five year archtectural program.
TOO LONG, but I love the work and you guys and all of the wonderful people I get to help with a little bit of creativity.
best to all,
Mark
To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"0 -
Cudos and
Hats off for you, Jim Bennett. Thats what I call dedicated. Congratulations!!!!!
Mike0 -
Oh MY !
Began in Feb. 1985. I was on "terminal leave" from the Coast Guard for all of 2 days , when someone called and asked if I could give him a hand. I said O.K. ....Who is this ? Turned out to be a friend from High School, who had worked for the oil co. since 1979. As I walked into a home that looked like frozen rapids coming down the staircase, I was intrigued. We removed and replaced the boiler and all the radiators with baseboard. After the job was done , I went looking to get paid, and the boss asked if I was interested. Worked for him for 16and1/2 years before getting P.O.'d at his son and walking (a feat in itself I'm told!) Worked for myself for a while, but got tired of keeping books and chasing people for money.
Mr. Milne spoke with me a few times, and finally convinced me to come in and talk to him. After, at that time , over 17 years of working on oil only, I was up to the challenge of learning the other side .
I've made up my mind that heating is heating , wether it be fired by oil, gas , wood or solar .I'm still trying to break old habits passed on to me by others, but think I'm doing the best I can. Still don't like the warm air side, but then again I never really did ! I am learning to accept this as an anomoly appreciated by the uninitiated .
My backround , pre-heating , was limited to marine engines. I learned quickly to avoid "pleasure craft" and only work for people who need their boats to make a living. They tend to pay their bills , as opposed to someone with a weekend hobby, who REALLY doesn't NEED it .
In my 19th year, I'm glad to have had the pleasure of finding this site , and all the fine folks associated with it . Thanks ! (specially you Dan! You make it all possible)
Chris0 -
Thanks Mike
I feel blessed to be in a job that I really enjoy. Doesn't matter if it's a good day or bad, I keep doing it everyday. I run into a lot folks who spend their time grumbling and griping about the job they have. I believe you need to like what you do as it is a major part of life.
Cheers,
Jim0 -
You are very ...
...welcome. I'd love to be able to say that one day as well, that I have worked at one place for the majority of my (work)life. Anything above 10 years is almost unheard of nowadays.
You are absolutely right. You have to love your job or whatever you are doing. Look at this place. It is not uncommon to see posts made on here in the middle of the night (mind you I am -3 hours to most of you). If any of us wouldn't love this job of ours so much, would we really give anything about it after 5PM?? Nope.
We are blessed to have found an employment that is fun and more fun, but also pays the bills, if you do it right.
Are you doing the WETSTOCK?
Mike0 -
8 years
Bringing down the average. So I got a late start when I was 33...0 -
45 years and counting
Will be 55 this fall and started working summers, weekends and stuff at 9 or ten years old. Started at 18 as full time pipefitter apprentice at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and have a couple of years in paper mill piping. Except for two years of college (wanted to teach) I've been actively working in the plumbing and heating trades forever. Dad, grandfather and great grandfather all were plumbers and great grandfather started as a roofer and got active in this trade by making lead bends and fittings.
Our family has 30 plumbing and heating guys over the four generations. Sadly I have no kids to pass it on to, but have two nephews working with us in the summers, so on it goes. Grandfather had master license #15 here in Maine adn was an inspector for years. Dad is still alive and well at 87, but I can't convince him to come out of retirement.
It's been a great ride!!!!!!!!
To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"0 -
25 years
I spent the first 5, learning everything there is to know about this business, the next 5 telling everybody that I know everything aboout this business, and the last fifteen realizing I do not know anything :-)0 -
compared to some
I am still a youngster, but now have 17 years in plumbing, and 9 with radiant
looks like I have a way to go with some of you guys!
Chris0 -
Been at it for over half my life!!
First job at 8 years old, shining shoes at my cousins barber shop. Work other jobs mowing lawns etc. At 16 my grand dad gave me on old Chevy 3/4 ton truck for my birthday. Started hauling cow S#I+ (processed of course) for fertilizing lawns. Made more money than all of my friends combined!
Had the opportunity to get involved with my dad in plumbing, but decided to go my own way and develop my own mechanical talents. Started working for an equipment rental yard. The owner took me under his wing and taught me the ropes and business principles. Best move I ever made to that point in life. Learned how to operate just about any piece of mechanical equipment and how they work. Eventually hit a glass ceiling, and decided to take my father up on his offer to learn plumbing. Picked it up real quick. Started doing solar DHW systems. Father kindly asked me to start my own business and sold me a vehicle and hand tools to get started. I'd acheived my masters license by then.
Was self unemployed for close to 18 years before the realization (IRS) sturck me between the eyes that I was a terrible business person and was SERIOUSLY in debt. Bailed out and assumed personal liability for the IRS thing and other associate debts and went to work for numerous other plumbing service companies.
Learned a LOT about the cost of doing business through a flat rate plumber named Mike Enright. Eventually got tired of the service biz and went to work for the largest RFH contractor in Colorado. Won a national contest working under him, eventually got tired of running the whole company and not being com0pensated for it and moved on.
Met my current business partner, who knew even less than I did when it came to pricing yourself to be profitable, taught him what I knew, decided I'd stay in the field, and he'd stay in the office. That was almost 7 years ago. He is now in charge of field op's and I'm stuck in the office doing estimates, legal consulting and geting a fat arse!
My, how times have changed...
And as Paul Harvey sez, Now you know,,, the REST of the story.
Guess I forgot to mention the part time college teaching thing, RPA teaching thing and magazine article writing thing.
In my spare time, I'm a husband, sleeping...
Oh yeah, I just turned 50.
ME
0 -
0 -
12 years and still loving it!
I started my learning about heat as the dreaded maintenance supervisor. I was in charge of an 11-building complex with over 100 acres and ten staff for about 10 years. We had gas and oil systems from .65 gph to over 23 gph. Steam, FHW, and FHA some with pneumatic operating systems. I was lucky as money was never a problem so we could hire out services that we couldnt handle, mostly heating. This is how I learned by watching service contractors doing their job and me asking allot of questions. I found that I really liked working on all the systems, so I went back to school got my license. This is when I really could learn cause I had all these systems to play with, I could make adjustments and be on job for 8 hours and watch what would happen by switching off that pump or that boiler. Also I would read anything I could find and view tapes all about heating, went to factory schools. Started moonlighting with insurance at night and weekends for service and installs. After about 1 year the two started to get in the way of each other so I quit the sure thing and went out on my own, should have seen the look on wifes face that day! That was over 12 years ago and I havent looked back yet. I was lucky due to day job I had allot of contacts and knew suppliers and never learned any bad habits from working with anyone but me. I now have a couple of service trucks and two oil trucks and plan on someday having a full service oil company.If you want to learn in this industry I found all you need do is ask.
0
![[Deleted User]](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/c2df26de0f526eb6cef7486f6230745e/?default=https%3A%2F%2Fvanillicon.com%2Fa20ec52ea49b1a9957c3d5ff7e20fbc2_200.png&rating=g&size=200)
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 86.5K THE MAIN WALL
- 3.1K A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
- 53 Biomass
- 423 Carbon Monoxide Awareness
- 95 Chimneys & Flues
- 2K Domestic Hot Water
- 5.5K Gas Heating
- 101 Geothermal
- 156 Indoor-Air Quality
- 3.5K Oil Heating
- 64 Pipe Deterioration
- 928 Plumbing
- 6.1K Radiant Heating
- 384 Solar
- 15.1K Strictly Steam
- 3.3K Thermostats and Controls
- 54 Water Quality
- 41 Industry Classes
- 48 Job Opportunities
- 17 Recall Announcements