• Keep Distractions to a Minimum

Distractions like the TV, radio, noise from outside, and others can draw your attention away from your studies. When you’re studying for your HVAC Certification, it’s important to make sure your environment is free of distractions. Turn the TV off or put on noise canceling headphones when you begin to study. This will help to block out any noise that may distract you. If you’re used to listening to music while you study, try listening to calm instrumentals instead of songs so you’re able to focus.

• Study in a Room with the Door Closed (Or an Isolated Area)

Probably one of the biggest challenges when it comes to studying is finding an isolated area or room. Depending on where you live, there may be family members or friends constantly coming in and out of your home. This can create an environment where people may stop to try and engage you in conversation or they become distracting. While they may mean well, this can draw your attention away from the material you’re studying. When you have the door closed this lets people know you’re busy and want to be alone.

If you’re unable to find a quiet area in your home to study, consider going to the public library. Many public libraries are often very quiet and some even have rooms where you can study for an hour or two without any distractions.

• Be Sure to have Drinks or Snacks Nearby while Studying

One of the biggest mistakes people make while studying is not having some form of food or drink in their study area. This is important because you will need to take breaks when you’re studying for your HVAC Certification. There are healthy snacks like grapes, bananas, and even crunchy ones like crackers you can have close at hand while studying. Studying can often make people feel tired and they need a small pick me up to get them going again.

• Good Lighting

While you’re focused on the material in front of you, make sure your study environment is well lit. This is because if you study in the dark you risk straining your eyes underneath poor light. A well-lit environment will not only help you to stay awake, but prevent your eyes from aching while you study. Check the lamps in your study environment to make sure they’re bright enough to keep you awake and provide good visibility.

• Take Study Breaks Every Fifteen Minutes or Half Hour

Another big mistake people make when they’re is that they don’t take breaks every fifteen minutes or half hour. While studying for an hour or more is good for you, it can also prove an ineffective way to absorb your source material mentally. Think of your brain as a muscle you’re exercising and how it needs to take a break in between ‘workouts’.

Take a break every fifteen minutes or half hour, walk around or get a drink of water. When you sit back down to study you’ll be able to concentrate better and retain more information.

• Make Sure your Study Area is Comfortable

Being comfortable while you study is another important aspect many people forget when they’re settling in for a few hours of intense focus. You don’t have to study at a desk the entire time you’re reviewing your material. Instead, you can study on the couch for an hour or two before you go to bed. It’s actually recommended you study a few hours before you go to sleep anyway because it helps you to retain more information.

• Study at a Certain Time of Day (and Make it a Habit)

While studying at a certain time of day can vary from person to person due to time constraints, make studying a habit. Even if you’re only able to study two or three days out of the week at certain times, you’re helping to set the bar for when it’s time to sit down and concentrate. This will help your mind to focus and put you in a ‘study mode’ when it’s time to sit down to review your material.

Creating the right study environment for your HVAC Certification is important for your success. By following these tips you’ll be able to focus better, retain more information, and be successful in your studies.

The post 7 Tips for Creating the Perfect Environment for Studying for your HVAC Certification appeared first on Valley College.

Compress

The first thing that happens in a refrigerant system is the compression of the refrigerant. The , a chemical compound that changes easily from liquid to a gas. When the refrigerant is pushed into the compressor, it is a low pressure gas. The compressor pushes the gas molecules together, heating them up as the pressure raises. The compressor is the piece that keeps the refrigerant moving, as the low pressure is continuously pulled into the compressor to try and create some sort of equilibrium. It’s also one of the pieces to be most careful of, because the piping that leaves the compressor to continue on easily burns exposed flesh.

Condense

Once the refrigerant has been pressurized, the hot gas gets pumped into the condenser. This is the part of the unit that faces outside of your home. When you find the condenser, you’ll find that there’s hot hair usually being blown out of it. Would you believe that that heat is the heat that was in your home? The condenser has a few fans that blow across the pipes, cooling the gas. While the fans are cooling the gas, the pressure pulls the molecules tighter together, and the refrigerant condenses again into a liquid. The temperature drops to a more manageable level, causing the piping to shift from burning hot to very warm.  The liquid has most of the heat from your home burned off, and begins to move along to the next part of the unit.

Measure

In order to keep the refrigerant moving at a constant pace, and in order to gauge whether the air conditioning is continuing to cool the home, and whether the machine needs to continue the cooling process or simply maintain the current temperature. This metering device is the computer that controls the situation and keeps track of how things are working. If you’re having electrical problems, or your air conditioning doesn’t seem to respond to your programming, it might be because of this little device. Most air conditioning repair that requires electrical components focus in on this metering device When the hot refrigerant is pumped through the device, electrical information updates your air conditioning unit on how much work it has left to do.

Evaporate

Finally, the now lower pressure liquid encounters the evaporator. With a lower pressure, the refrigerant liquid is now ready to cool the home. Fans in the evaporator blow over the pipes holding the liquid, causing the pressure to change yet again. The chemical reacts by boiling through an endothermic reaction. Endothermic means that while it boils and evaporates into a gas again, the chemical absorbs the surrounding energy and heat, causing the temperature around it to drop. The fans continue blowing, causing the now chilled air to be pushed into the house. As more refrigerant is pumped into the evaporator, more warm air from the home is chilled through the endothermic reaction. The gas now holds that heat from your home, and is ready to take it outside, leaving you with a cooler house.

Back again, the refrigerant, now a warm low pressure gas, is pumped into the compressor, where it repeats the process over and over again. This chemical continues to react, changing from a high pressure gas to a high pressure liquid to a low pressure liquid to a low pressure gas and over again. It’s the circle of air conditioning, and at the end of it all, the metering device reads that the temperature in the home is now exactly what you asked for. It shuts off the system, allowing the refrigerant to settle back down and fall still.

An air conditioning system works hard to cool your home, and utilizes chemicals like carbon tetrachloride to help you manage every hot summer out there! If you’re interested in air conditioning units and the like, why not consider a career in HVAC service? There are plenty of amazing , like Valley College, that are able to teach you the twists and turns of the fascinating machines that regulate the temperature in your home. Get your certification in air conditioning repair, and ensure that every home has efficient air conditioning that keeps the cool air in and the warm air out!

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Troubleshooting

Something not working? Your main concern is finding out what. If there’s a sound, or a smell, you’ve got to be able to identify the problem. An HVAC technician is trained to recognize the problems first. No use in teaching you how to replace the coolant if you can’t recognize that that is where the problem lies. Valley College starts every technician’s career with troubleshooting, as it’s the first step in any situation.

Gathering Supplies

Once you’ve figured out what the problem is, you’ll need to know how to fix it, and what you’ll need. If something needs to be replaced, make sure you’ve got the right part for it, and know how to perform the replacement. Gather up the tools that you’ll need, and make sure that they’re well maintained and able to do the job. You’ll also need to get the appropriate gear on, as you don’t want to go crawling into an attic or stand outside for minutes on end without the right clothing. Being an HVAC technician can be dangerous, with exposures to cramped and heated attics, hot wires, or leaking units. Without the proper safety gear, you might end up walking out of the place requiring more bandages than when you came in. It’s important to acknowledge the dangers, and be cautious of everything you do, no matter the level of skill you possess.

Perform AC Repair

Once you’re ready to go, and know what you’re doing, get to work! Shut off the power to the unit, and begin the repair. The first necessity is to perform the replacement or to actually fix whatever the problem is. Once you’ve managed that, now is the perfect time to check on other things, like the cleanliness of the vents, any moisture or electrical leakage, or even the filters in the unit. As long as you’re always careful of the possibility of burns or shocks, you can perform a quick maintenance check to see if anything can be topped up or fixed. This helps keep the unit properly maintained, and can help stop larger problems from developing later on.

Perform a Safety Check

Now that you’re done with your repairs, give the unit another once over, and ensure that everything you’ve done is still in compliance with safety regulations. Check your repairs over once again to see whether there are any leaks or anything that needs reinforcement. It’s important to check twice before walking away, as you don’t want to inadvertently create a larger problem by leaving an exposed wire. Once you’re sure that everything you done has only helped the unit run more smoothly, and is still compliant to all the safety and efficiency regulations, you can put it back together and head on out. You’re done!

Cover Your Bases

If you’re performing this in a customer’s house, it’s up to you to alleviate their concerns. Start running the machine, and check it over again to ensure that it will indeed run smoothly. Even if you’re sure of your work, giving it that second glance will soothe your customer, and make them trust in your repair more. Don’t forget that you’re not just a technician that repairs air conditioning units. You’re also a service technician who deals with customers, and you need the customer service to match it! Being agreeable with them and providing that visible “check” will negate their worries and they will wave you goodbye with a large smile.

HVAC School

Think it the right choice for you? Figure that you can handle fixing the wiring in a machine and talking to a customer all in one visit? Then check out an to get your HVAC certification! Valley College is the college that can help you prepare to receive your certifcation, and get you started on the path to your new career in less than a year. Learn how to perform a detailed air conditioning repair, and how to recognize a problem quickly and accurately.

Start your path to an HVAC career today, and learn about our training program at Valley College.  In just nine months, you’ll learn how to perform more than just a basic repair procedure, you’ll be able to rebuild a broken unit from the blueprints up! It takes less than a year to change your career to something new and rewarding, so apply now to get started. When you graduate, you’ll walk out of Valley College with a certification and the knowledge that you can indeed withstand the dangers and hard work that comes with the HVAC business!

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Step One: Find the School

You’ll need to find the right school for you in order to head off to a rewarding career. Consider Valley College for all of your HVAC training. In our training program, you’ll be certified and ready to start your new career in just nine months! Look around in your area, and consider colleges or license training that you can afford, and that can promise you certification in a short amount of time. For the best training, however, you just can’t beat Valley College. We’ve got actual technicians there to teach you, and show you all the tips and tricks they learned on the job that you just can’t find in a book.

Step Two: Begin your HVAC Training

Work hard! Once you’ve joined your school, or become the newest student of Valley College, you’ll need to learn and study. You won’t have to hit the books all the time, however! You’ll only be looking at books and thinking theoretically for a short amount of time. Then Valley College knows it’s time to get your hands dirty.

Once you’re ready, Valley College will start you off from the bottom up, from blueprints and plans to nuts and bolts and wiring. You’ll get hands on training for many situation that can come up, and you’ll have HVAC experts to guide you into becoming a true expert of your own. Think you just won’t be able to keep up? Don’t worry, you’ll get one on one help whenever you need it, and every instructor will be there to answer any questions you have!

What Will I Learn?

It’s easy enough to say that you’ll spend 9 months working on your training, and then you’ll be ready to start your career. But what do you actually learn? At 91ɬ��, you’ll be trained both on paper and in the flesh on what to do, and how to comply with regulations. Learn how to find your way around the most popular brands of ventilation systems, and how to keep them clean and efficient. You’ll know the latest in HVAC changes, whether they be new requirements in machine efficiency or a new way to approach electrical problems. You’ll find out how to protect yourself from the heat and the electricity, and make every home you visit a cleaner and safer place to stay.

Step Three: Become A HVAC Certified Technician!

Congratulations, you’ve made it through the nine months of hard work in our program at Valley College. However, now that you’re ready to graduate, you still need a way to prove your new skills. We know better than to just shove you out the door and say “good luck.” Valley College provides free career counseling, and has built good working  relationships with local businesses that may help you get a job more easily. We’re here to help you not only receive your certification, but take that step forward in your career! At 91ɬ��, you’ll even get a head start on building your own professional network by speaking to our technicians and building from there.

HVAC School

Now that you know just iswhat steps to take to become a , consider Valley College as your choice. We’re a local college with outposts in various cities in West Virginia, with a strong focus on our students. We want quality, not quantity, and work hard to ensure that everyone who comes to us leaves with all the knowledge they can hold. We teach you not only how to repair an air conditioning system, but to recognize small problems before they become big and save people a large hassle down the line. We teach you how to be a good technician, and a great salesman. Valley College sets you up for a rewarding  career as an HVAC technician.

Go ahead and check out our program information, and see whether a career in HVAC is right for you. You’re always welcome to for any questions you may have, and we’ll assist you in addressing your concerns. Ready to get started? , and change your life for the better!

The post The Road to Becoming a Certified HVAC Tech appeared first on Valley College.

The Benefits of an Education

There are many who say that an education isn’t really necessary in today’s world, but we would tend to disagree. When you are hired by an employer, particularly an HVAC related one, that employer is buying far more than just you – they are buying the numerous skills you have accumulated, and if you have gone to school, then you are worth far more right off the bat.

There are two typical reasons that people tend to go to school. They might be attempting to obtain a job with an HVAC related employer, or, the second reason, would be to obtain a promotion of some kind at their current job. Whatever your reason happens to be, you will find that our school has the facilities you need and the teachers you can count on.

Equipping You for the Future

Your HVAC Service Training will begin with not only the best teachers, but also a state of the art learning facility. Within our classrooms you will find hands on learning opportunities which include real world examples of HVAC systems that you will find when you are finally unleashed and allowed to perform what could be considered one of the most vital services in North America, as well as the rest of the world.

We firmly believe that hands on experience in the HVAC field is the best way to create skilled workers. Book knowledge and classroom learning is important as there are many technical aspects for you to learn about, but the hands on experience will get you ready for the real world. Both matter, and bother are most certainly taught at our institution.

The hands on experience would be nothing if it were not accompanied by instruction from certified professionals, ready and willing to answer your every question. Our instructors have spent their time in the field and are able to translate their expertise into instruction that you can understand and apply to your education without a single problem.

One of the problems you might have encountered with other schools is the amount of time that you spend learning. While education is important, it shouldn’t take years and years to get out there and start doing your job – you simply don’t have that kind of time. Our efficient learning schedule and techniques will get you out there and get you the career you’ve been waiting for.

A Great Learning Experience Overall

There is no doubt that you will learn some of the most important HVAC skills at our school, and this will eventually lead in to you earning a respectable salary. You will find that HVAC Certification is actually able to open a number of different doors for you open or even pass through. Once you have the certification, the industry is your oyster, and you are going to have your pick of approximately 267,600 different jobs, according to . In addition to that, you will be pleased to find that this job as of 2012 featured a median pay of $43,640 per year which is well above the average. As with any job, there is plenty of room for improvement and advancement, which may make this the career that you have been searching for.

Are you ready to make a change in your life? Are you prepared to embark upon what could be the start of your brand new career in the HVAC industry? It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out, or if you are simply looking to gain a bit more professional experience. There is a lot to learn, and we are ready to convey  our years of experience to you! Take a look at our website and see if you think our services are right for year. The economy is looking grim these days, but you can be rest assured that HVAC technicians will always be in high demand.

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If you have never heard of an HVAC technician before, these are the people that install and service residential and commercial heating and air conditioning systems. HVAC stands for “Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning,” and anyone who decides to enter this field has job security and great salary.

As an HVAC school, Valley College offers all the training you need to begin an HVAC career in under a year, and we even offer job placement services after graduation. Let us take a look at what you can expect as an with a VC degree.

Prior Education for an HVAC License

Before you can enroll in an HVAC training school, you must complete your high school education, or have a general equivalency diploma. It is helpful that while in high school you took classes such as mathematics, mechanical drawing, electronics, physics or any other industrial arts related courses. These types of courses help prepare you for the training you will receive at Valley College.

After graduating high school or receiving your GED, your next step is to enroll in Valley College’s HVAC license program. Our accredited training program offers a curriculum of blueprint and plan reading, air conditioning, heating unit and boiler repair, commercial system training, safety and handling training and professionalism training. Our well-rounded 9-month training program ensures you are ready for all aspects of being an HVAC technician immediately after graduation.

HVAC Examinations

After you complete your studies at Valley College, you will be required to take a licensing exam. On the exam, you will be expected to display knowledge of all aspects of HVAC repair and installation, as well as some electrical coding.

Any HVAC technician wishing to work with refrigerants must receive the Environmental Protection Agency’s HVAC certification in safe handling. A second, written exam is given that specifically focuses on this area of the trade.

Types of HVAC Certification

There are four types of HVAC certification.

1. Type I – An HVAC technician with this type of certification usually services small appliances such as window air conditioners, vending machines and residential refrigerators.
2. Type II – This HVAC technician’s job is to service and dispose of high-pressure refrigerant equipment such as residential air conditioning units and heat pumps, as well as process refrigeration and supermarket refrigeration.
3. Type III – Type III HVAC technicians service and dispose of low-pressure refrigerants such as chillers.
4. Universal Certificate – Any HVAC technician who wants to service all types of equipment must have universal certification.

What Makes a Good HVAC Technician?

Being an HVAC technician requires more than just getting the proper education. The following key characteristics are some that a good HVAC technician possesses.

• Must be mechanically inclined
• Must be able to understand technical drawings, diagrams and graphs
• Must be safety-minded at all times
• Must be able to understand electrical equipment and other tools
• Must possess good troubleshooting skills
• Must have experience handling power tools and hand tools
• Must possess good customer service skills and be able to work well with others

Benefits of Heating and Air Conditioning Certification

While you can certainly find work without certification, technicians who have heating and air conditioning certification have more opportunities than those who do not pursue certification. Technicians who possess certification can be promoted to supervisory positions, managers and sales and marketing jobs. They can also become system test and balance specialists, cost estimators or building superintendents with HVAC certification.

As you can see, HVAC technicians have many opportunities to find work and advance in their careers with the right training. With the average salary of an HVAC technician in West Virginia being roughly $40,000, this career is not anything to sneeze at. Furthermore, depending on how far you decide to take your training, you have the potential to earn even more.

Valley College’s 9-month HVAC training program offers all the education and hands-on training you need to begin a new career in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry. Technicians in this field are in high demand, and the outlook over the next several years shows growth in this trade.

Do you have what it takes to be an HVAC technician in the Beckley, WV area? Does this trade sound exciting and challenging to you? If you would like more information on our HVAC training classes, contact our Beckley admissions office at (304)252-9547. We have several start dates throughout the year so you do not have to wait to get started. We look forward to hearing from you soon and helping you begin a new and exciting journey in this much-needed trade.

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