What does a hvac specialist do?
Hvac specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real hvac specialist resumes:
- Meet all state requirements and manage annual inspections regarding mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire and elevator systems.
- Install 2 to 10 ton Rheem, Ruud and Bryan condensers.
- Develop experience with DDC controls.
- Perform light plumbing duties such as cleaning stoppages, replace fittings and change water heater elements.
- Repair and maintain air conditioning, heating, and ventilation systems where regulate temperatures are a necessity.
- Trouble shoot heating, ventilation and air conditioning, motor, pump and compressor, and compressor problems in buildings.
- Perform brazing when installing compressors and condensing units.
- Utilize superior multitasking capabilities to install and maintain over 2.7K HVAC/R systems throughout military installation.
- Assist in troubleshooting and replacement of major system components to include condensers, compressors and evaporators.
- Advance knowledge and proficiency maintaining a multitude of diverse HVAC/R systems at a generic pharmaceutical manufacturing facility.
- Maintain environmental conditions by installing and maintaining both heating and cooling systems such as air conditioners, chillers and refrigeration equipment.
- Can do simple repairs like change contactors or capacitors.
Hvac specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Hvac Specialists are proficient in Ventilation, Plumbing, and Troubleshoot. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Hvac Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Ventilation, 12%
Repair and maintain air conditioning, heating, and ventilation systems where regulated temperatures are a necessity.
- Plumbing, 10%
Prepared documents to complete projects associated with HVAC, Plumbing, energy management and other mechanical systems.
- Troubleshoot, 9%
Install, connect, troubleshoot, and maintain HVAC/R controls.
- Control Systems, 8%
Maintained efficiency and effectiveness of Heating and Air control systems.
- Exhaust Fans, 6%
Performed routine maintenance of exhaust fans and cabinet heaters located throughout facility
- Cooling Towers, 5%
Maintained AC systems, water-cooling towers/circulating equipment, air compressors including safety controls.
Most hvac specialists use their skills in "ventilation," "plumbing," and "troubleshoot" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential hvac specialist responsibilities here:
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a hvac specialist to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "hvacr technicians often work in customers’ homes or business offices, so it is important that they be friendly, polite, and punctual." Hvac specialists often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "clean & inspect heating and cooling/central humidifiers * educating customers on thermostat setting & programming features * repair and fix equipment"
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform hvac specialist duties is detail oriented. Hvac specialists responsibilities require that "hvacr technicians must carefully maintain records of all work performed." Hvac specialists also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "write detailed summaries of issues found on service calls for management and customers. "
Math skills. This is an important skill for hvac specialists to perform their duties. For an example of how hvac specialist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "hvacr technicians need to calculate the correct load requirements to ensure that the hvacr equipment properly heats or cools the space required." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a hvac specialist: "blue print reading mathematics customer service time management troubleshooting mechanical".
Mechanical skills. A big part of what hvac specialists do relies on "mechanical skills." You can see how essential it is to hvac specialist responsibilities because "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." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical hvac specialist tasks: "meet all state requirements and manage annual inspections regarding mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire and elevator systems. "
Physical strength. Another crucial skill for a hvac specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "physical strength." A big part of what hvac specialists relies on this skill, since "hvacr technicians may have to lift and support heavy equipment and components, often without help." How this skill relates to hvac specialist duties can be seen in an example from a hvac specialist resume snippet: "perform all duties involving heavy physical effort which requires the use of common hand tools and some power tools. "
Time-management skills. Lastly, "time-management skills" is an important element of what a hvac specialist does. Hvac specialist responsibilities require this skill because "hvacr technicians frequently have a set number of daily maintenance calls." This resume example highlights how hvac specialist duties rely on this skill: "order materials for job sites, meet job site deadlines, oversee hvac helpers' work. "
The three companies that hire the most hvac specialists are:
- Erie Insurance3 hvac specialists jobs
- L3Harris2 hvac specialists jobs
- The Hershey Company2 hvac specialists jobs
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Compare different hvac specialists
Hvac specialist vs. Serviceman
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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, hvac specialist responsibilities require skills like "ventilation," "plumbing," "troubleshoot," and "control systems." Meanwhile a typical serviceman has skills in areas such as "hvac," "laundry operations," "perform routine maintenance," and "cdl." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Servicemen tend to reach similar levels of education than hvac specialists. In fact, servicemen are 3.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Hvac specialist vs. Installer apprentice
Each career also uses different skills, according to real hvac specialist resumes. While hvac specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "ventilation," "control systems," "exhaust fans," and "cooling towers," installer apprentices use skills like "hvac," "ladders," "tape measure," and "osha."
Installer apprentices may earn a lower salary than hvac specialists, but installer apprentices earn the most pay in the transportation industry with an average salary of $40,246. On the other hand, hvac specialists receive higher pay in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $62,073.In general, installer apprentices achieve similar levels of education than hvac specialists. They're 4.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hvac specialist vs. Air conditioning installer
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, hvac specialists are more likely to have skills like "ventilation," "plumbing," "troubleshoot," and "control systems." But a air conditioning installer is more likely to have skills like "hvac," "air-conditioning systems," "hot water," and "air handlers."
Air conditioning installers typically earn similar educational levels compared to hvac specialists. Specifically, they're 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hvac specialist vs. Air-conditioning mechanic
Types of hvac specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
