Becoming a Hydronics professional

John Shea

working strictly with hydronic heating?

I'm 34 and still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

I have a great interest in (and some experience with) steam heating, hot water & plumbing, however, forced air & sheet metal don't do much for me.

How does one get started in the trade?
On-the-job apprentice program, certification, etc.?

Thanks for your time.

Unknown

Do You want as much as a lawyer gets?

Hydronics and solar. Enough said.

Read the books by my friend E llen Rhor.

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S Davis

Hydronic Heating

Yes I specialize in boiler and radiant floor heating, I also do gas piping/ventilation/gas fireplaces the things a customer would have to get another heating contractor on the job to do if we did not do them.
I got my start working for a plumbing/heating contractor I had been a gas piper for about 3 years while attending a union service school learning HVAC service when I got the oppertunity to get into hydronic work, I rode with the hydronic guy for about a month untill they fired him, my first job on my own was a 10,000 sqft custom radiant install it was sink or swim time, the best I can say is read everything you can get your hands on, there is some product training at the local supply houses that can be helpfull, I am on the west coast so there is not a lot of training out here, I have been specializing in hydronics for eleven years now and love it, good luck.

S Davis


Apex Radiant Heating

Unknown

Wrong Coast

Love what you do,

Gary

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John Shea

S. Davis, thanks for your time.

Is there a standard as far as being licensed or certified?

What's required to pull city permits, etc.

S Davis

Washington State

Well thats part of the problem here is there is no specific licence required for hydronic work, so a lot of my time is trouble shooting poorly operating systems and trying to get them to work, a contractors licence is all you need(and that is just a form to fill out and a fee) except to do low voltage control wiring you need a two year apprenticeship and journeymans test at the end of that but most heating contractors get by that by having the electrician pull the low voltage permit and then doing the control work them selves, on top of that the building inspectors do not know alot about hydronics so alot of jobs are not up to code, and that makes it hard for a contractor that wants to do things rite to compete, so you have to sell your customers on the quality of your work and your customer service.
Dont get me wrong I love what I do and would not give it up it's a challange and you are doing somthing different every day, I think what makes hydronics fun is you are touching on three trades plumbing, heating and electrical and you have to be good at each one to install a system properly.

S Davis


Apex Radiant Heating