An air-conditioning installer installs, conducts, maintains, and repairs air-conditioning and other cooling and heating systems. Basic job tasks include installing air-conditioning and heaters, conducting maintenance checks, repairing damaged air-con, heaters and coolers, changing spare parts, encoding reported damages, and checking leakage.
An air-conditioning installer installs and repairs different types and sizes of machines, some large enough to cool an entire building and some customized for only one room. He or she follows blueprints to install the necessary condensing units, evaporators, motors, pipes, and ducts that make up the air-conditioning units. After the whole process of installation, the air-conditioning installer checks to see that the unit is working properly.
To be an air-conditioning installer, one must have good communication skills, have wide knowledge in repairing different kinds of air-Cons and cooling and heating systems, be able to easily detect damages and malfunctions, and know how to efficiently change spare parts. In terms of education, one must be a graduate of a short vocational course in Air Conditioning and Cooling Technician and/or have at least 2 years experience in the industry. Further training can be obtained through vocational or technical schools. Some states require licensing or certification which can be obtained through an approved U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program. A certification boosts one’s employment opportunities.
An air-conditioning installer earns an average salary of $19.08 per hour according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment is expected to grow faster as the need for air-conditioning, heating, and refrigeration increases along with the construction of new buildings and also due to those retiring and leaving the workforce.