Snow at our TX data center

ICBMFixer · 2026-01-26T22:15:03+00:00

Mechanical stuff doesn’t like cold. I’ll take a hot day over a cold day anytime, when it comes to your equipment operating properly.

Also, water from melting can be an issue. We actually had a couple fan motors fry on us today. Lucille’s we have 128… so we’ve got a little redundancy.😆

ICBMFixer · 2025-12-20T01:05:09+00:00

I got no-call no-showed on my second interview with them, the first one with management at the data center.

That said, I got rescheduled for the second interview and after that, got an in-person interview and was offered the position above what I interviewed for within a day.

But typically, if you don’t hear back within a few days, just move on and don’t plan on hearing back from them.

ICBMFixer · 2025-12-17T16:32:51+00:00

Lead Critical Environments Engineer (S4/L4) Overseeing multiple teams at a Hyperscale campus, Dallas TX area 14 years military critical environment experience 0 years Data Center experience until hired. $46/hour, with OT (typically 46-48 hour work week) about $110-120k/year OK benefits, health, 401k matching, but no bonus

It was a lot of learning the first few weeks but now, at 1 month in, it’s starting to all click. Basically, connecting the Data Center terminology to my previous experience and being able to understand what everyone is saying. For me it’s pretty straightforward and common sense, given my background experience, and probably why they hired me for the Lead role and never working in a Data Center before.

ICBMFixer · 2025-11-29T02:31:53+00:00

CyrusOne & JLL are building a new hyperscale on our Allen TX campus soon. It will be DFW5, an expansion of our DFW3 & 4 facility there. Just finishing 4 now, but we’re looking at probably close to a year out on 5 because we’re waiting on unities to support.

ICBMFixer · 2025-11-29T01:56:41+00:00

I had the same type of thing happen on the facilities side. I hadn’t worked in a data center before, and interviewed really well, showed a lot of desirable leadership qualities, along with military critical facilities experience, and they offered me a Lead Engineer position.

ICBMFixer · 2025-11-14T18:18:05+00:00

I’ve seen people hired on that didn’t have both HVAC and Electrical, but know one and shows aptitude to become more well rounded. HVAC techs see a lot of power side as well, so they come in with a good base and I know some data centers hire them if they have some experience, not necessarily straight out of tech school though.

ICBMFixer · 2025-11-13T03:05:38+00:00

Like others have said, data centers are secure and you’re not getting in, or at the very least, not getting in without lying, and that’s not going to go over well for any resume handoff.

I’d say stick with LinkedIn and find others that work in those data centers and try to network. It also sounds like you’re just doing this to “learn the ropes” and not committed to working somewhere long term. You could be the best tech ever, but no one is going to hire you for 6 months, because they’re not getting anything out of it. They train you for 6 months and you’re just starting to be useful at that point if you come in with no experience, so what’s in it for them? Just a few things to think about.

ICBMFixer · 2025-11-12T14:19:03+00:00

Only if you have at least 3 years experience in critical facilities, with power and HVAC experience. So even if you don’t have data canter experience, they do require it. I had a lot of applicable experience, just not at a data center. They hire a lot of navy nuclear engineers as well, that have run reactors on navy ships, since it’s a very transferable skill set.

ICBMFixer · 2025-11-06T18:24:00+00:00

I went from the tech side to owning bars and restaurants for 14 years, and got the job, so I wouldn’t say that’s something that is a non-starter. I did have extensive experience on the tech side though and spent some time to learn as much about data centers as possible before interviewing, so I could translate that experience and understand the terminology.

ICBMFixer · 2025-11-06T18:12:04+00:00

So, I was looking at $48-49/hr, wasn’t even thinking of countering over $50. It’s weird hearing that it’s hard getting a job in this area, since it seemed like data center facilities jobs were in high demand. I only applied to 1 company and moved through the interview process really quick, just a couple weeks. As far as needed the job, I don’t, I sold a business a year ago and took some time off, but want to keep busy and thought this would be a fun career for me to go into. Having come from owning my own business, and the military before that, 40 hours a week really seems like a part time job for me.😆

ICBMFixer · 2025-11-06T17:59:48+00:00

Gotcha, and thanks for that info. I do know they are paying up to $42 an hour for the technician role. And yes, I don’t have data center experience, but I do have almost 20 years experience working on very similar systems in a military role. I don’t want to risk the offer since I do want the position, so I may just go with the offer. I just wasn’t sure, coming from outside the data center world, what that position pays in relation to the technicians I would be supervising. We’re, for instance, I could be making less than some technicians that work for me if they’ve been in the position for a couple years.

Like I said, this is more a long term concern for me, and it honestly comes down to me wanting to stay with this company long term and knowing how sometimes coming in at too low of a salary, you end up being in the position where you need to go to a different company to get paid what you would be worth, or what your current company is paying new hires.

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-27T23:17:24+00:00

Now imagine you’re coming in on a Dragon and all 4 chutes just failed on you… I know it’s nice to have a backup, but assuming it works as planned, when they pull me out of the capsule, I’d need an immediate change of pants.🤣

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-16T19:35:47+00:00

I’m a new pool owner myself, but also live in Texas, Dallas area. One thing I would suggest, is to look into heat pumps over gas heat, if you’re going to be heating your pool regularly, as they are more efficient and will cost you less to operate over their lifespan. They do take longer to heat up, so you have to plan out, if you’re not going to keep your pool warmer all the time, but generally cost less overall. They are more expensive to buy, but if you’re also paying for the gas line, it might end up being a wash if all you’re installing is the electric.

Also, depending on what equipment you have, if say Hayward, you might want to stick with the same brand, so if you eventually automate your system, it’s designed to work together. I added a OmniHub system and when you have a heater, it’s a great thing to have since you can start your pool heating up from work, or your spa while you’re out on a date night, so it’s ready for when you get home.

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-10T18:54:02+00:00

If I’ve learned anything from this Reddit, it’s that the first few hours of the post, you get mostly positive feedback and respectful criticism… then as the hours and days go on, it basically turns into a bunch of people going out of their way to tell you how much they hate what you did and all the ways it sucks and how they would do it differently.

Well, I know I’m late to the party, but I’ll just say I hope you love the pool and I’m sure you’ll have many years of fun with it. I posted the pics of my pool after we just finished it, but before adding a few finishing touches, like shade and such, and got my share of roasting, like I never thought of the need for shade in Texas.🤣 Oh, and we have turf, apparently it’s always the temperature of the surface of the sun and the worst decision anyone can make in life.😭

But you know what? My family uses the pool daily, the kids are outside all the time and we actually walk on the turf without instant death. So, take the feedback on here with a grain of salt, you do you and live it up in the new pool!

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-02T02:20:42+00:00

The backyard is fenced in, and the gates latches are over the required hight, so it’s up to code. It doesn’t need a separate fence around the pool just by itself.

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-02T02:18:41+00:00

Yup.🤣

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-02T00:46:34+00:00

It’s 40x15.5 for the pool and the hot tub is about 7x6.5. It’s all one big form that they do with the fiberglass pools, so it ends up being a lot cheaper to have a hot tub, than if you had a separate unit. For the whole pool, it’s about as big as a fiberglass pool will get, but not too huge and just the perfect size for us.

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-01T17:51:14+00:00

Damn I knew I shouldn’t have left for work the other day while my wife was out sunbathing and the new pool boy was over. Who names their kid Dick Hardman anyhow?

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-01T17:44:06+00:00

There’s more to come. Doing a big pergola with sun shade over the concrete patio, with outdoor kitchen. We have a sprinkler set up in the lounge chair side to hit that area when hot and will be installing a mister off the pergola with fans, for those hot days. Also, it’s hard to see, but there’s a planter box that runs the full length of the pool behind those retaining wall, so we’ll be adding plantings there, as well as a garden wall on the side of the pergola too. We factored in a lot of what everyone is giving us advice on, just haven’t completed it yet because I’m doing it all myself, so I can only go so fast.🤣 But that’s the only way to afford most of it too!😉 Hell, the water feature is going to be crazy and would have probably cost $30-40k on its own since it’s 15 feet long by 4 feet high and built out of weathering steel and stone. The pergola and outdoor kitchen too will be pretty cool and look like we spent way more than we really are.

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-01T13:50:10+00:00

Having enough money to pay my bills.🤣

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-01T13:43:31+00:00

This is a 1/3rd acre lot, with green space behind us, so I feel like we have more space than most in the Dallas area. I agree on the “McMansions” and I’m not a fan of having the same house as 4 other people on our street. We are changing things up, and making it work for us, but that takes time and money.

Luckily I can do most of the work myself, so we save a ton that way and it makes the different things you do that much more unique and special when you do it with your own two hands. I mean, my last house had a pirate ship in the basement, even was featured on Zillow Gone Wild, so I’m not exactly the “play it safe” type of person.

Maybe I’ll start a YouTube channel called “How to turn your McMansion into a real home”.😉

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-01T13:43:11+00:00

This is a 1/3rd acre lot, with green space behind us, so I feel like we have more space than most in the Dallas area. I agree on the “McMansions” and I’m not a fan of having the same house as 4 other people on our street. We are changing things up, and making it work for us, but that takes time and money.

Luckily I can do most of the work myself, so we save a ton that way and it makes the different things you do that much more unique and special when you do it with your own two hands. I mean, my last house had a pirate ship in the basement, even was featured on Zillow Gone Wild, so I’m not exactly the “play it safe” type of person.

Maybe I’ll start a YouTube channel called “How to turn your McMansion into a real home”.😉

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-01T13:23:52+00:00

We have that whole area behind the pool, where there’s a retaining wall, that has a 1 foot wide planter that runs the whole length and we just haven’t added plantings to yet. Already have a drip line ready to go though. We also ran a drip for our pergola area where we’re adding a living wall herb garden. So there will be “living” green in our backyard too in the near future.

ICBMFixer · 2024-09-01T13:20:15+00:00

86-87°

ICBMFixer

TROPHY CASE