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NATE Certification
This is off-topic, perhaps even for the Off-Topic forum... it is certification-related, but not IT.
I am considering doing NATE Certification for HVAC. My rationale is that it can't be too hard. Three-day bootcamps exist that include the exam. I figure I can buy one of the popular study guides and self-study.
This is something that is similar to high-end IT in that billable rates are very high.
Last Summer, I came home too a very warm house and my central air was running, blowing warm air. I walk out back to check my condenser and I just hear it buzzing but the fan is not turning. Figuring the thing was under warranty, I called the folks that installed it (I had this home build a little over six years ago)... well, it was a few months out of warranty. They said that it would be $500 to fix it and that they didn't have the part on hand, so I would have to wait until the next afternoon.
I sat around fuming for about half an hour and then decided to see if I could find a new motor and solenoid. I found one for $110 about two hours away. I was planning on heading out first thing in the morning and getting it... then I remembered that there was an HVAC supplier around the corner. They had a crude website, but I found my part for $120. I walked in the next morning and picked it up. It took me 30 minutes to replace it and it has been working ever since.
The stuff isn't that hard. I have a feeling that I will have more issues to come as the unit is undersized for my home. And since I live in a tightly compacted neighborhood with homes all built by the same manufacturer, I have to believe others are having similar issues.
I figure I can do weekend side work for cost plus.
And since I plan on building a new home in a couple of years, doing most of the work myself, this could be a good investment for me.
I am considering doing NATE Certification for HVAC. My rationale is that it can't be too hard. Three-day bootcamps exist that include the exam. I figure I can buy one of the popular study guides and self-study.
This is something that is similar to high-end IT in that billable rates are very high.
Last Summer, I came home too a very warm house and my central air was running, blowing warm air. I walk out back to check my condenser and I just hear it buzzing but the fan is not turning. Figuring the thing was under warranty, I called the folks that installed it (I had this home build a little over six years ago)... well, it was a few months out of warranty. They said that it would be $500 to fix it and that they didn't have the part on hand, so I would have to wait until the next afternoon.
I sat around fuming for about half an hour and then decided to see if I could find a new motor and solenoid. I found one for $110 about two hours away. I was planning on heading out first thing in the morning and getting it... then I remembered that there was an HVAC supplier around the corner. They had a crude website, but I found my part for $120. I walked in the next morning and picked it up. It took me 30 minutes to replace it and it has been working ever since.
The stuff isn't that hard. I have a feeling that I will have more issues to come as the unit is undersized for my home. And since I live in a tightly compacted neighborhood with homes all built by the same manufacturer, I have to believe others are having similar issues.
I figure I can do weekend side work for cost plus.
And since I plan on building a new home in a couple of years, doing most of the work myself, this could be a good investment for me.
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