A heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) maintenance technician has many responsibilities, including cleaning, repairing, and sometimes installing heating and air conditioning systems. Many times, an HVAC maintenance technician handles both repair services and original installations. He may also be responsible for updating older systems, including putting in new insulation and ductwork.
In most areas, an HVAC maintenance technician has to be licensed and certified to install and repair heating and air conditioning units. This generally requires attending a trade or technical school. Most times repair techniques and installation techniques are both studied, and the student may choose to specialize in one or the other after graduation. At other times the same person will choose to do all work pertaining to the heat and air unit.
One thing an HVAC maintenance technician does is repair broken furnaces and air conditioning units. Most heating and air systems have several parts, from basic filters and vents to more complex furnaces and blowers. Each of these is needed to allow the system to run smoothly. The technician may handle simple jobs like replacing old or dirty filters as well as more challenging tasks like running diagnostic tests on the system and replacing worn parts.
An HVAC maintenance technician may also be responsible for cleaning the system. Basic cleaning is advised and is simple to do, but many homeowners do not feel comfortable cleaning parts themselves. The technician will come to the home and clean off any corroded or dirty components. More advanced cleaning may also be needed depending on the home, and can include removing dust and mold from ductwork.
Aside from repairing and cleaning the mechanical parts of the system, an HVAC maintenance technician may also do projects to help the unit run more efficiently. This can include installing insulation in the attic and replacing ductwork. He or she may also be able to add new ductwork to the existing infrastructure, as would be needed with the addition of a new room.
The HVAC maintenance technician may also handle jobs like installing new systems, giving homeowners advice on saving energy and keeping their system running smoothly, and selling new units and parts. All of these things are eventually necessary in the life of an HVAC system, and many aspects of maintaining a system are too complex for the average person. This is especially true in terms of keeping an old system running smoothly because there is a greater chance of problems as a system ages.