What does an air-conditioning mechanic do?
Air-conditioning mechanic responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real air-conditioning mechanic resumes:
- Maintain the equipment by reassembling the evaporators, condensers and receivers, repackaging the valves.
- Repair freezers, swamp coolers, condensers, pumps and other relate equipment.
- Maintain drains, PVC, piping, and systems for inspectional services reviews.
- Experience in soldering and brazing for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration piping.
- Install and repair ventilation systems in the dining facility and buildings (whole compound).
- Specialize in brazing copper pipe (flexible and hard) and the installation of duct/ventilation system according to blueprint.
- Core responsibilities include HVAC installations, erecting buildings from the ground up, layout and fabrication, blueprint reading.
- Maintain, repair and clean all parts of the plumbing, electrical, signal and buzzer systems or similar equipment.
- Service plumbing in commercial and residential buildings.
- Maintain ammonia refrigeration system, boiler operations, logical controls, machine repair.
- Evaluated/Service HVAC/R systems: recovered/vacuumed/charge systems; perform various PMC's on equipment; replace filters; teach certification courses to co-workers
- Can do simple repairs like change contactors or capacitors.
Air-conditioning mechanic skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Air-Conditioning Mechanics are proficient in Ladders, Ventilation, and Condensers. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of Air-Conditioning Mechanics that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Ladders, 10%
Worked on 12ft ladders in small areas hanging air duck for new buildings or new units.
- Ventilation, 9%
Installed and repaired ventilation systems in the dining facility and buildings (whole compound).
- Condensers, 5%
Repaired freezers, swamp coolers, condensers, pumps and other related equipment.
- Hand Tools, 5%
Installed, connected and adjusted thermostats, humid and timers, using hand tools, Provided direction and assistance to co-workers.
- Preventative Maintenance, 4%
Replace heating and circulation pumps- Assist mechanics in preventative maintenance on air conditioning and heating equipment
- Ice Machines, 4%
Trouble shoot rooftop commercial air conditioning units as well as walk in coolers ice machines lowboy medium temp refrigeration units.
Most air-conditioning mechanics use their skills in "ladders," "ventilation," and "condensers" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential air-conditioning mechanic responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. One of the key soft skills for an air-conditioning mechanic to have is customer-service skills. You can see how this relates to what air-conditioning mechanics do because "hvacr technicians often work in customers’ homes or business offices, so it is important that they be friendly, polite, and punctual." Additionally, an air-conditioning mechanic resume shows how air-conditioning mechanics use customer-service skills: "install, maintain and repair heating, ventilation, and cooling units for both commercial and residential customers. "
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform air-conditioning mechanic duties is detail oriented. Air-conditioning mechanics responsibilities require that "hvacr technicians must carefully maintain records of all work performed." Air-conditioning mechanics also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "keep detailed log of hvac equipment. "
Mechanical skills. This is an important skill for air-conditioning mechanics to perform their duties. For an example of how air-conditioning mechanic responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "hvacr technicians install and work on complicated climate-control systems, so they must understand the hvac components and be able to properly assemble, disassemble, and, if needed, program them." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an air-conditioning mechanic: "installed and repaired electrical and mechanical defects for residential, commercial and industrial hvac and refrigeration systems. ".
Physical strength. air-conditioning mechanic responsibilities often require "physical strength." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "hvacr technicians may have to lift and support heavy equipment and components, often without help." This resume example shows what air-conditioning mechanics do with physical strength on a typical day: "perform all duties involving heavy physical effort which requires the use of common hand tools and some power tools. "
Time-management skills. A commonly-found skill in air-conditioning mechanic job descriptions, "time-management skills" is essential to what air-conditioning mechanics do. Air-conditioning mechanic responsibilities rely on this skill because "hvacr technicians frequently have a set number of daily maintenance calls." You can also see how air-conditioning mechanic duties rely on time-management skills in this resume example: "order materials for job sites, meet job site deadlines, oversee hvac helpers' work. "
Troubleshooting skills. While "troubleshooting skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to air-conditioning mechanic responsibilities. Much of what an air-conditioning mechanic does relies on this skill, seeing as "hvacr technicians must be able to identify problems on malfunctioning heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems and then determine the best way to repair them." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of air-conditioning mechanics: "assist plumbers with troubleshooting and repair of domestic hot water heaters and boilers. "
The three companies that hire the most air-conditioning mechanics are:
- Georgia State University8 air-conditioning mechanics jobs
- Lockheed Martin2 air-conditioning mechanics jobs
- Architect of the Capitol2 air-conditioning mechanics jobs
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Compare different air-conditioning mechanics
Air-conditioning mechanic vs. Hvac installer
An HVAC installer is responsible for working on office and house appliances, including heating systems, ventilation, and air conditioning units. HVAC installers follow and analyze the item's schematics and blueprints and conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of its systems. They also advise the clients of instruction manuals, especially the proper usage and basic troubleshooting of defects. An HVAC installer must have excellent knowledge of the mechanical industry, as well as excellent communication skills to respond to customers' concerns and resolve complaints.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between air-conditioning mechanics and hvac installer. For instance, air-conditioning mechanic responsibilities require skills such as "ice machines," "control systems," "switches," and "hot water." Whereas a hvac installer is skilled in "hvac," "customer service," "furnaces," and "epa." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Hvac installers tend to make the most money working in the transportation industry, where they earn an average salary of $46,478. In contrast, air-conditioning mechanics make the biggest average salary, $54,871, in the health care industry.hvac installers tend to reach similar levels of education than air-conditioning mechanics. In fact, hvac installers are 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Air-conditioning mechanic vs. Heater installer
An elevator installer apprentice is a trainee who trains under a skilled elevator installer to install, fix, and maintain elevators, escalators, and other lifts. Elevator installer apprentices must assist in assembling elevator cars as well as connecting electrical wiring to control panels and electric motors. They are required to test installed equipment to ensure that it meets specifications and standards. Elevator installer apprentices must also conduct preventive maintenance and inspections of elevators on a scheduled basis to ensure compliance with safety regulations and building codes.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, air-conditioning mechanic responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "ladders," "ventilation," "hand tools," and "preventative maintenance." Meanwhile, a heater installer has duties that require skills in areas such as "water heaters," "duct systems," "a/c," and "customer service." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Heater installers earn similar levels of education than air-conditioning mechanics in general. They're 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Air-conditioning mechanic vs. Serviceman
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an air-conditioning mechanic is likely to be skilled in "ladders," "ventilation," "condensers," and "hand tools," while a typical serviceman is skilled in "hvac," "laundry operations," "cdl," and "end loaders."
Servicemen typically earn similar educational levels compared to air-conditioning mechanics. Specifically, they're 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Air-conditioning mechanic vs. Installer apprentice
Even though a few skill sets overlap between air-conditioning mechanics and installer apprentices, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an air-conditioning mechanic might have more use for skills like "ventilation," "preventative maintenance," "ice machines," and "control systems." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of installer apprentices require skills like "hvac," "tape measure," "osha," and "customer satisfaction. "
In general, installer apprentices earn the most working in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $40,246. The highest-paying industry for an air-conditioning mechanic is the health care industry.In general, installer apprentices hold similar degree levels compared to air-conditioning mechanics. Installer apprentices are 1.1% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of air-conditioning mechanic
Updated January 8, 2025
