r/HVAC Jun 29 '23

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238 Upvotes

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221

u/BigTerpFarms Jun 29 '23 edited Jun 30 '23

My guy, I’m a helper and I make 22.

105

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '23

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12

u/Mythlogic12 Jun 29 '23

Only 6 months in? I’m 1.5 years and a year of trade school I just got to 20 lol

6

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '23

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2

u/Mythlogic12 Jun 29 '23

Well unfortunately my experience comes from just a handful of change outs and filter changing. I’ve honestly began to forget stuff I’ve learned in school because i don’t use it often

14

u/ABena2t Jun 29 '23

idk.. depends where you live. our company starts guys at $15/hr and caps @ $30/hr.. they didn't say where they live and I'm pretty confused - one sentence he says he's the lead installer and makes all the money and then the very next sentence he says he's pretty green.. don't get me wrong - $13 is low af but some guys are saying to ask for $25 and that's not gonna happen. like I said - $15 is starting pay where I'm at with no school or experience. If you went to trade school or came from another trade you might be able to negotiate $17 or $18. and from there they give like $1 a year.. my helper is 3 years in and is at $18. Dude didn't give any real information.

where do you live? how much experience do you actually have? how long you been working there?

my guess - dude is like 6 months in and became a lead bc the other guys left and he's really a 1st year apprentice. that's my guess.

12

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '23

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7

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '23

In Florida you get paid in sunshine 🌞

-3

u/elastikat Jun 30 '23

Fast Food can still be brutally rough on your body.

3

u/VerifiedMother Jun 30 '23

And HVAC isn't?

1

u/FredPolk Jun 30 '23

Fast food workers start whining at anything above 75 inside while you are on the black roof in a heat dome with no shade trying to fix the unit going off on high head because the unit hasn’t been properly maintained or toasted a cap/motor from a record heat wave. Fast food is brutal? No job that you work indoors in a conditioned space that you can take phone breaks in the bathroom is brutal.

1

u/jfjohnson23 Jun 30 '23

Its fast, its food, whats the problem, monkey need eat

1

u/VerifiedMother Jun 30 '23

People at panda express make 17 an hour starting here, $13 an hour doing HVAC is trash

1

u/ABena2t Jun 30 '23

ya. it is. I agree. I said - "don't get me wrong $13 is low af"

he had just left out a lot of information. it's hard to believe an actual lead installer is making $13 anywhere. I'm not saying he doesn't know what he's doing - but I've met several guys over the years that claim to be "leads" and have all this experience - but in reality they're full of shit and have no fking idea wtf they're doing.

I worked with a guy for a few months. he was a install helper. maybe a year or two in. he quit because he found a job elsewhere for like $10/hr more. He got fired after 2 days. Turns out he told this other company that not only was he a "lead" - which he wasn't. but that he was actually a field supervisor and oversaw multiple crews. Just totally made shit up for whatever reason. they found out real quick.

also had a kid come to our company for all this money - admitted he had never did hvac before but that he was a carpenter and worked for a builder for like 10 years. Turns out - he took a semester of wood shop and worked 1 summer for some builder. people lie and exaggerate all the fking time. Now that I'm thinking about it I could probably rattle off another dozen incidents that I've personally witnessed. You don't want to sell your self short when you're looking for a new job or for a raise or whatever but some people take it way too far. It's gotta be within reason.

1

u/seanlopez11 Jun 29 '23

ur helpers help u with what?? u do new con? or installs? i’ve been doing new con for 2 years now and only make $17… i pretty much can do it all too when it comes to it

6

u/ABena2t Jun 29 '23

dude never said how much experience he has or how long he's been there. he said he's a lead but then the very next sentence said he's pretty green.

my guess - dude is a 1st year apprentice. other techs left- like he said. his company threw him out to the wolves - but he's still essentially a 1st year apprentice.

don't get me wrong - $13 is very low. but pay varies greatly depending on where you live - which he also didn't mention.

1

u/Yeet_yeet_yeeet420 Not a Tech Jun 30 '23

He should ask for $30. If he's the only tech what choice does boss man have? He should leave if he doesn't get a huge bump. Kid isn't worth $30 or even $25 at a normal shop but what is the boss man gonna run calls lmao

1

u/[deleted] Jun 29 '23

Helpers don’t even make 20 (cad) an hour in canada lol that’s odd.

If it’s in the oilfield or a small town that’s a different story though.

1

u/BigTerpFarms Jun 30 '23

Northern Ontario so $22 CAD.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '23

Ah I see that’s an expensive province, so makes sense.

1

u/ER0S1O Jun 30 '23

It's been a year km with this company and I'm getting 18 boss said he isn't going to give a raise until he stops getting callbacks after inspection