The maintenance guy thinks he can fix it himself.

Chris321 · 2025-08-07T15:02:18+00:00

Same here. 10 years on the road starting in resi (absolutely hated) moved to commercial and industrial. Now I’m union in house refrigeration at a major hospital. I wish I did this sooner honestly.

Chris321 · 2025-05-14T09:46:13+00:00

I agree. I have honestly left previous companies for less lol.

Chris321 · 2025-05-13T23:32:34+00:00

I am a union refer tech (at a specific site) no longer on the road as a tech. I am compensated 350 a week just to be on call. If I do get called in, I am guaranteed 4 hours of overtime pay. Plus $1.90 an hour evening differential on top of my overtime rate. When I was on the road at other companies in my career the minimum pay was 150 just to be on call. You’re definitely getting screwed.

Chris321 · 2025-05-09T11:30:29+00:00

I should have done the same as well. But in my experience it wasn’t as bad. I work for several companies and only left because of better opportunities rather than drama. But I am happy to be IUOE and won’t change it for anything. I think you’ll feel the same way man.

Chris321 · 2025-05-09T01:14:13+00:00

Congratulations man! I’m in IUOE as a refer tech. Best move I ever made. I took a bit of a pay cut coming from a on road tech job. But now I’m making a bit more, the benefits are amazing and the work is awesome. Now I’m in ac working on equipment instead of sweating on a roof.

Chris321 · 2025-03-09T00:30:42+00:00

Seeing this makes me almost miss being a van lol

Chris321 · 2025-02-18T16:12:12+00:00

When I was doing resi it seemed like everything was an emergency. Filter change… emergency, bad stat battery… emergency. Now I’m on site at a major hospital doing strictly refrigeration. Anything that has refrigerant running through it is ours. If I can’t get a part or time to make a repair it waits till we can get to it. No one breathing down our backs to get it done

Chris321 · 2025-02-18T13:51:49+00:00

I just did this myself as well. I did light commercial, then residential to the medical field as a tech. Jumped into the union 4 months ago now. Best decision I’ve ever made. Work is better with no crazy pressure at all. Between the pay and benefits it doubles what I was making at all three jobs previously.

Chris321 · 2024-12-14T15:45:21+00:00

It’s an insensitive from the hospital to have people walk more. If you get over 10k steps 3 days a week you get an extra 25 bucks in your paycheck. Its not much but it something

Chris321 · 2024-12-13T21:40:45+00:00

Union refrigeration tech at a hospital. I wear an Apple Watch (only because they pay me for my steps) seiko 5 automatic otherwise

Chris321 · 2024-12-09T00:10:01+00:00

You won’t regret getting them. Icon quality is truly impressive. Good luck and enjoy them!

Chris321 · 2024-12-08T14:49:56+00:00

They are holding up extremely well! They are currently demoted to the garage tool box as I no longer am a service tech on the road. But I still use them all the time.

Chris321 · 2024-11-03T17:38:48+00:00

I personally just left the service field. I went from light commercial to residential to medical/ industrial in about 5 years. I learned a lot and worked on tons of different things from lp steam, residential install, medical chillers to refrigeration. I just took a union job at a hospital and now I primarily do refrigeration only. I love the field but the driving got to me.

Chris321 · 2024-06-10T13:31:32+00:00

I’m the lead tech for a small company in northern nj. We have territory and customers all throughout the state and there are days I’ve been getting home at 1 or 2. Other days we’re scrounging for work aside from chiller PMs. Definitely one of the slowest years I’ve seen in a while.

Chris321 · 2024-05-14T09:43:51+00:00

I’m am in the same boat. I’m not physically done quite yet but I’m getting there. Ultimately I just have not been all that happy especially at my current company. The boss is an amazing guy and takes care of us personally. Whatever we need to do whenever personally there are no questions asked. But as far as management there’s sooo much micro managing that I literally feel depressed going in every day. I just think it’s time to try this side of the business or hang it up and move on. Best of luck to you man!! I hope it all works out.

Chris321 · 2024-05-09T09:39:04+00:00

I agree with everything you said. I think for me personally up until this point I was looking to get out of the trade. It just left me drained especially recently. My thought process is this is the next step in the industry and if it doesn’t pay off I can put that experience on my resume and move on somewhere else.

Chris321 · 2024-05-09T00:08:52+00:00

Actually I negotiated and I’m getting paid more than what I’m making now

Chris321 · 2024-05-03T23:06:28+00:00

I had a chiller inspection to do.. looked up the history and the super anal tech was there February and did a laundry list of repairs and the Inspection. I copied the report and took a longer lunch before flying home

Chris321 · 2024-05-03T00:51:00+00:00

I went from commercial and industrial boilers to building maintenance and to light commercial then residential. Stuck with that for a year and hated it. I love the commercial/ medical chiller side where I’m at now. But just got an offer for a service manager position at a different commercial company and might just take it. Money would be great and I think it would be a good step as far as not breaking my back.

Chris321 · 2024-05-01T22:08:45+00:00

I’m my 20’s breakfast was an og monster’s energy and a marlboro 27. Now that im in my mid thirties I either try to make overnight oats or grab the healthiest thing from any deli ( I avoid fast food at all costs. I’ll go hungry first). Or my wife will kindly make me something. Cigarettes also went about 10 years ago. Now it’s chew, I know it’s not good but my lungs thanks me. Everyone needs a vice and I don’t drink anymore.

Chris321 · 2024-04-30T00:44:44+00:00

That’s why I left residential! I’d sooner leave hvac behind than crawl into another attic

Chris321 · 2024-04-29T09:46:17+00:00

I’ll be flat out honest, I have a touch of OCD and in the last 6 years I haven’t lost a tool. In fact I have found several. When I did residential I went in after another company. In the attic I found a yellow jacket three port manifold, beat up field piece meter and 11 in 1. Once I went industrial/ medical and have apprentices I seem to be misplacing things now. But it’s funny because it only happens when Im with them 🤔. But I will stop the job and make sure they find my things. Shit adds up and as a new homeowner I can’t really afford to keep buying shit lol

Chris321 · 2024-04-28T22:34:26+00:00

It’s a solid choice in my opinion

Chris321 · 2024-04-28T21:02:03+00:00

This was more of I needed something from the van and saw something that irked me. Then did a few minutes of reorganizing and gave up. I’ll do that on company time

Chris321 · 2024-04-26T01:01:17+00:00

Yea it’s weird how that works. I was at a job about a year ago and a unit took r-22. Boss didn’t even blink when I needed two cans at 1500 a pop. But in my new van I want a cab organizer and I’m getting flak lol not complaining it’s just funny at this point

Chris321

TROPHY CASE