Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
Install, service, or repair heating and air conditioning systems, including oil burners, hot-air furnaces, and heating stoves. May also install, service, or repair refrigeration equipment.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Mechanical
- Building and Construction
- Customer and Personal Service
- Engineering and Technology
- English Language
- Physics
- Design
- Public Safety and Security
A day in the life
You start the day loading your service van with refrigerant tanks, gauges, and tools, then head to your first call—a restaurant whose walk-in cooler stopped cooling overnight. You diagnose a faulty compressor, order the replacement part, and rig a temporary fix so their food does not spoil. By afternoon you might be at a new construction site running ductwork and brazing copper lines for a split-system AC unit, making sure every joint is leak-free. The job gets especially hectic during heat waves and cold snaps when everyone's system breaks at once, but being the person who restores comfort to a sweltering house or a freezing office is immediately gratifying.
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