CAREERS IN HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING

[Music] the breath of life the efficiency of workers in factories and offices has been increased by controlling the atmosphere the cost of such control is often quickly repaid because when employees breathe good air and feel comfortable they work faster and do a better job some industries require special air conditioning to suit the materials and processes involved textile mills are a good example threads and yarns are greatly affected by humidity and temperature and break frequently if the air is too dry until this problem was solved textile plants had to shut down and wait for favorable weather before spinning or weaving could go on printing and newspaper plants faced a similar situation paper swells or the paper was a different size each time it went through the presses or if static electricity due to dryness caused the sheets to stick together so today the air in press rooms is rigidly controlled stated simply air conditioning means the creating of artificial climatic conditions in a building it includes heating cooling ventilation purification and humidity control it is a field that is growing and which offers many opportunities for employment research engineers are needed by the manufacturers of air conditioning equipment a great deal of study must be gone into before improvements in existing equipment can be made new applications are being discovered which call for experimentation in the manufacturer's laboratory then there is the job of designing new machines production engineers are necessary in the factories where the plans of the designers are carried out managing the technical details of production requires experience as well as an engineering background these factories provide numerous jobs for skilled workers there is such a variety of machinery turned out that practically all the metal working skills are needed however a single factory may specialize in producing one type of air conditioning equipment such as the cooling coils being assembled here men with selling ability will find air conditioning a worthwhile field if they have the necessary training to go with salesmanship this work requires considerable understanding of the principles of heating refrigeration and ventilation the salesman must be able to tell the customer what equipment is needed and how much it will cost to install it a man with an engineering education is best qualified for this job the installation of the equipment is done by skilled mechanics employed by air conditioning contractors large central plant installations are usually supervised by an engineer from the company which makes the unit trouble-free operation depends on careful workmanship and strict adherence to the plans and specifications drawn up to fit the building the operation and maintenance of air conditioning equipment in large buildings is usually the job of the building's engineer most of the mechanism is automatic but it must be looked after adjusted and oiled men who do this work don't have to be highly trained mechanics but they must understand the function of the machinery placed in their care if something goes wrong the trouble must be located and repaired by a competent mechanic as soon as possible because the comfort and health of the people in the building are at stake men doing this work are often called troubleshooters most air conditioning requires some form of piping to carry the air from one part of the building to another many sheet metal workers are employed in shops making these pipes or ducts and the special fittings for joining two lengths together at an angle sheet metal workers are also hired by heating and air conditioning contractors and not only make parts of the duct system but also install them in the building each building whether it be under construction or an old one presents a different problem the satisfactory functioning of the entire air conditioning unit depends on proper design and installation of the duct system for instance if the ducts are too small or the joints are not airtight the supply of air to various rooms will be insufficient so all phases of this work must be done conscientiously any young man desiring to get into the air conditioning field and earn while he learns might become an apprentice to sheet metal workers or steam fitters he could then spend part of his time attending classes in a trade school here the theory and physics of air conditioning are explained and demonstrated by simple experiments the apprentices soon learned that there is nothing mysterious about the subject that it is quite simple once it is thoroughly understood by working with models the students can see an installation in its entirety and learn how it functions in this particular model a radiant heating system is being installed this comparatively new heating method in which the radiating pipes are located in floors or walls is just one of the systems studied hot air hot water steam gas and electric systems are all given thorough consideration real air conditioning machinery of all kinds is provided so the apprentices can practice installation operation and repair these apprentices are working on a compressor an important part of the cooling system in many air conditioning units through study and experimentation the apprentice acquires a working knowledge of the gauges and automatic controls which are essential to effective continuous operation of any system an understanding of steam water and air pressure gauges and thermostats and relays is very helpful to the apprentice who goes into operation or maintenance work the student who wants to get into the manufacturing end of air conditioning will find skill in welding a great help in finding a job the instructors in a trade school know their subjects thoroughly and are always on hand to show the student how to do a good piece of work those whose interest is in sheet metal work have ample opportunity to practice on making dots and fittings knowing how to solder the metal together is one phase of this job that must be mastered when the apprentice has completed his course of training in the trade school he is well equipped to go into any branch of air conditioning where the mechanics skills are called for if he is ambitious has business sense and learns how to estimate materials and labor he may eventually become a heating and air conditioning contractor anyone with mechanical aptitude and enough technical training can qualify for factory work installation or maintenance but to become an air conditioning engineer a four-year course in mechanical engineering is usually necessary no matter what branch of the industry you may choose you will find the work interesting and constructive air conditioning has come a long way but it still has a long way to go most people think that it just means cooling the air in buildings during the summer but when the public awakens to the fact that it means providing health sustaining air in all seasons wherever people live work or play inside then it will grow by leaps and bounds no one can foresee at this time what new applications will be found for it surely it is a field with a future perhaps it may become your future [Music] you