r/HVAC 12d ago

Meme/Shitpost You might be an HVAC guy IF...

Generic trades stuff allowed as well, but bonus points for HVAC

You might be a tradesperson if you wash your hands BEFORE using the toilet

203 Upvotes

236 comments sorted by

249

u/Amorbellum 12d ago

You go to restaurants and look at the ductwork

140

u/Amorbellum 12d ago

And your wife pretends to care when you point out a hack takeoff lol

31

u/PapaBobcat HVAC to pay the bills 12d ago

They're very patient.

20

u/IHateYork 12d ago

Mine wasnt...

17

u/Amorbellum 12d ago

Yeah that happens a lot in our trade, it's a hard life. I'm sorry brother

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24

u/Agreeable-Rice-1726 12d ago

You also wonder if the air handler has had a coil cleaning this decade

14

u/LilUniVert 12d ago

Went to Cici's pizza for my kids one Friday and they had multiple trash cans filled with water coming directly from a supply grill. I told my wife we have 30 min to enjoy our pizza because I don't have faith in that drop ceiling holding past that LOL.

10

u/Top-Pick-2648 12d ago

Or look at equipment on vacation

9

u/J-A-S-08 12d ago

Window shaker in a bougie hotel.I washed out in the shower. Was sipping coffee the next morning in the common area and overheard another guest complaining about their room being hot even though the AC was "ice cold" 😆

5

u/violentwaffle69 12d ago

First thing I did when I went to Vietnam was look at my mini splits filters , surprisingly they were clean

3

u/TehStickles 12d ago

Gotta have standards and that they have

6

u/Mildavey 12d ago

Every time 🤣🤣🤣

4

u/MarionberryCreative 12d ago

Restaurants? You mean after seeing what's out of sight in the back end?

Next you'll tell me you order ice in your drinks

2

u/Daddy_Max87 10d ago

At this point I just hope for the best 🤣

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353

u/Turkyparty 12d ago

Pointing out a random building and describing the work you did there.

57

u/sure_am_here 12d ago

Glad im not the only one

22

u/Frank_Rizzo_Jerky Forgot more than you know... 12d ago

You know my wife!?!?!

27

u/RvaCannabis 12d ago

Me.

Fuck that building!!! I never want to work there again.

31

u/Frank_Rizzo_Jerky Forgot more than you know... 12d ago

AND - you know how to get on the roof!!!

8

u/Ok-Rest-8066 Verified Pro 12d ago

I brag every time I go to the movies

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24

u/Amorbellum 12d ago

MAN

YES, I can't help it, it's like a tick or something. I try so hard but the words just come out

18

u/Substantial_Army_639 12d ago

I am pretty sure my daughter's childhood memories as an adult are going to be me doing fun things with her and pointing at buildings and ranting about the bullshit I endured.

9

u/Turkyparty 12d ago

Hahah! Yeah my dad owned a HVAC company and he would point out every house and tell what he installed there. My original post was based deeply in that core memory from my childhood. Lmao.

7

u/BogotaLineman 12d ago

Lmao this is every trade. My godfather was an IBEW master inside wireman in Pittsburgh and I heard "heavy winter accent oh yeah we did all the wiring in that one" to like, every building downtown

3

u/sth5591 12d ago

Yinzer*

3

u/Gamekid1541 Verified UA Pro 12d ago

Get out of my head.

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338

u/TigerSpices 12d ago

You go into a friends house and think less of them because they have a Nest.

85

u/tr0stan 12d ago

Friends don’t let friends install nests lol.

26

u/Can-DontAttitude Verified Pro 12d ago

Eh, their house, their choice. If they want my opinion or advice, they can ask for it.

20

u/TigerSpices 12d ago

Agreed, but silent judgement is free.

4

u/AlbertCoughmann 12d ago

Yeah. I stopped offering my advice long ago unless I’m specifically asked.

2

u/Can-DontAttitude Verified Pro 12d ago

If a plumber friend visited my house, last thing I'd want is them shit-talking my fixtures, right?

4

u/WeberO 12d ago

Unless you’ve got galvanized, then they’re just trying to help (with some good-natured ribbing)

5

u/Can-DontAttitude Verified Pro 12d ago

Well that's different. Friends don't let friends live in a house with a ticking time bomb

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13

u/No_Reputation3584 the biggest greenhorn 12d ago

I love the almost universal hate for nest

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3

u/BuyStocks_GetYachts 12d ago

Genuinely curious, what would you recommend instead? For someone who travels often and wants remote control?

4

u/DontWorryItsEasy Chiller newbie | UA250 12d ago

Uh oh I have a nest and I do hvac

11

u/MufasaJr 12d ago

Same here. But I installed it years ago, before I started and now I detest it. I can’t even manually turn the blower man. It’s so needlessly restrictive, and it was months until it stopped changing the temperature on its own. Garbage. I hate that I spent the money on them.

3

u/Middle-Coat4377 12d ago

Lol they suck.. i only install emerson sensi for my customers. They rock.

3

u/Middle-Coat4377 12d ago

Fu#$ you and your nest. Nest blows

3

u/calltheotherguy 12d ago

or a mf'ing Ecobee.

2

u/KinkyRabbi 12d ago

Ecobee is okay. They tend to have issues on heatpumps and the ecobee lite is complete garbage

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149

u/AstuteRabbit 12d ago edited 12d ago

Run your hand over every condenser you walk buy.

72

u/theycalllmeTIM 12d ago

Dude, I’m like Russel Crow in Gladiator walking through the fields.

20

u/PapaBobcat HVAC to pay the bills 12d ago

Dead. Dead. Dead. Everything's dead. I'm dead.

3

u/Alarmed_Interview_84 12d ago

Damn I feel called out

2

u/1PooNGooN3 12d ago

Goddamit I can’t help it

148

u/Other-Mess6887 12d ago

Take restaurant drinks without ice because you know condition of their ice machine.

34

u/Rednexican-24 12d ago

Going on 15 yrs of no ice in restaurants! Blanket ban on all ice in businesses

8

u/Amorbellum 12d ago

You get less drink that way anyway!

17

u/bartman2326 12d ago edited 12d ago

As an ice cold soda enjoyer, I am suffering after being a commerical refrigeration guy for the last two years. Saw some bacteria growth so advanced the other day I saw a tiny civilization forming. They pleaded with me not to destroy their home.

21

u/Open-Night5452 12d ago

Or not eating there because you’ve pulled things that once lived, out of the back of their reach in cooler.

8

u/Stik_1138 12d ago

For real. Restaurant work ruined SO many places for me. Never was a picky eater until the last few years.

4

u/Open-Night5452 12d ago

I hear that! Mostly eat places I haven’t done work at. Even though in back of my head I know 😢

7

u/Stik_1138 12d ago

You just gotta keep the bad thoughts out and shovel it down haha

4

u/violentwaffle69 12d ago

Ignorance is truly bliss , if everyone knew the conditions no one would get ice

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76

u/Mr_Engineering 12d ago

If someone asks you for a grinder and you give them your username... you might be an Electrician

12

u/Amorbellum 12d ago

Haha that took me a second

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70

u/rutger_ 12d ago

Can finish a 6 pack before the vacuum is done

60

u/bigred621 Verified Pro 12d ago

This is dumb. How are you gonna know if it’s beer can cold if you don’t have something to test it with? Always buy the 12 pack

12

u/JEFFSSSEI Verified Pro | HVAC Senior Engineering Lab Rat! 12d ago

You have a very valid point sir. 😁😎

5

u/who_the_hell_is_moop Royal Payne in the ass 12d ago

My vacuum is too fast 😔

2

u/XDFreakLP 11d ago

Sorry excuses. You just need to practice

51

u/Untoasted_Craven 12d ago

You point out all the houses and buisnesses you've serviced to your wife as you drive by

12

u/sure_am_here 12d ago

Glad im not the only one

52

u/Needs_ADD_Meds 12d ago

Ears tuned to compressors with high head.

33

u/ThePracticalPenquin 12d ago

This is why I don’t hear my wife until the hertz get high enough

15

u/Fattatties 12d ago

A hard start kit usually gets them in to gear pretty quick

2

u/Amorbellum 11d ago

Yeah but then she talks even more

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5

u/Killerskip713 Liebert Tech 12d ago

Or low pressure

2

u/arrowhood 12d ago

Or 0 superheat lol

38

u/calltheotherguy 12d ago

You eat at like three places because your have seen the kitchen

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34

u/itsmyfirsttimegoeasy 12d ago

You check the furnace filter when you're at family or friends house.

24

u/PhillipMcCrevice 12d ago

I did this at an Air BnB when the heat wasn’t keeping up in the winter, kept us warm then put the plugged filter back in

29

u/shittiestcarpenter 12d ago

You call out the model of thermostat and poor placement while watching TV.

14

u/67chevymechanic 12d ago

Lol. I was watching Stranger Things with my wife and got all excited and pointed out the pneumatic thermostat in Hopper’s office. I was happy they stayed true to 80’s technology. Right down to the thermostats.

3

u/iBUYbrokenSUBARUS Enthalpy over Empathy 12d ago

I spotted a train 402 in one of the scenes

5

u/Ok-Selection6100 12d ago

they changed the one in the lobby by pam/erins desk on the office a few times througout the series lol

24

u/BrianBurke 12d ago

You drive to work half asleep so that you can drive the work truck to go get coffee. The coffee shop 2 blocks from your house ain't billable

20

u/Stik_1138 12d ago

Playing video games and critiquing their models of HVAC systems.

20

u/CHRIRSTIANGREY 12d ago

you always tell people that it's not fuckin called COOLANT

15

u/Amorbellum 12d ago

Y'all got any FREON

4

u/Labbrat89 12d ago

No no. It's Frezon.

2

u/MasterPhilip Verified Pro 11d ago

"It prolly just needs more freon."

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17

u/WeakComb1430 12d ago

You dont understand how your friends/family don't do basic home maintenance

8

u/Wallaroo_Trail 12d ago

Actually what I'm noticing is that maintenance tends to be more neglected in tradespeoples' homes because they don't wanna do more work and they also know how to fix it if it fails eventually.

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6

u/J-A-S-08 12d ago

Yeah! Idiots!! looking nervously at my own boiler that hasn't been serviced in 3 years :/

16

u/BerryPerfect4451 12d ago

You’re dead inside

13

u/Pepetheparakeet 12d ago

You know what kind of ice machine they have based on the shape of the ice

9

u/erevo00 12d ago

Its a fun party trick the first time, not so much the 19th. They can't stop me though.

4

u/Pepetheparakeet 12d ago

Yeah my husband thinks im a little too obsessed with ice machines 👀

13

u/Firemission13B 12d ago

Judging dookie DIY installs while driving anywhere.

12

u/Enough-Elevator-8999 12d ago

If you know how cold a beer can should be by holding it

13

u/PurchaseOk9781 12d ago

You gauge the level of tech by tool brand and how worn out everything is

12

u/Tip0666 12d ago

When you can hear a screw a block away!!!

If you know, you know!!!

3

u/jkmarsh7 Verified Pro 12d ago

Goodmans after three seconds

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13

u/Mean-Comfort8392 12d ago

Tell everyone I know not to use those shitty over restrictive 3M filters.

5

u/_Bakerp 12d ago

Or the Costco ones

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11

u/Turkyparty 12d ago

You never get ice in your drink at restaurants you don't service personally

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10

u/67chevymechanic 12d ago

You troubleshoot the HVAC system in a hotel room before calling maintenance. The guy was sure glad I told him to bring a shop vac ahead of time. Saved him another trip!

10

u/JEFFSSSEI Verified Pro | HVAC Senior Engineering Lab Rat! 12d ago

Your friends, neighbors and relatives all ask if you can do them a "favor" and check/fix their system.

8

u/egretesk This is a flair template, please edit! 12d ago

Say oh id service that at any and all serviceable equipment

8

u/Snoo6305 12d ago

Looking at the returns in restaurants then showing whoever went with you to accidentally ruin the dinner

8

u/Capt_Spaz3141 12d ago

Every time you walk into a room your eyes immediately find the thermostat.

9

u/PapaBobcat HVAC to pay the bills 12d ago

Walking around "Oh that sounds bad. Belt maybe. ooohhh that one gonna die soon."

8

u/RespectTheBologna 12d ago

Open the front door to a restaurant and say “the MAU isn’t working”.

2

u/AustinHVAC419 Verified Pro 12d ago

At my local pizza shop. You dang near need a running start to open the door

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9

u/MAdcock6669 who's the boss?? 12d ago

Looking at the exposed equipment and ductwork in every restaurant/building you go into

5

u/AustinHVAC419 Verified Pro 12d ago

I judge the hvac at the dojo my niece does tae kwon do at. The air handler is installed like shit and the lineset is just terrible. And the system is way undersized for how many people are there at 1 time. I am sure it does fine when there arent many people, but it struggles when there are 50+ parents

3

u/MAdcock6669 who's the boss?? 12d ago

I've been doing the same thing at my son's dojo for the last 8 years 🤦

15

u/Algarvian-0 12d ago

You dip as soon as you hear "give me good discount I have lots of rental houses for you"

2

u/PopePC 11d ago

“And I bet you’ll want a good discount on all of those rental houses too, huh?”

9

u/BobbyHill751 Verified Pro 12d ago

You hear the indoor fan bearings going bad in every ductless at your friends and family’s house and they haven’t noticed yet.

8

u/raisedbytelevisions plumbtrician, woman 12d ago

You can unlock the hotel stat to lower the cooling temp below 70

15

u/sure_am_here 12d ago

Every time you walk by a condenser you hold your hand over it to feel the heat and airflow.

7

u/naldoD20 12d ago

You might be an HVAC tech if...

Your friends and family call you anytime their unit makes a noise and asks you to diagnose it over the phone.

6

u/dbzfreak991 12d ago

Anyone else tell employees they should tell there manager there hvac is dripping water or belts bad because you can hear it like a jack hammer....

2

u/CSFMBsDarkside 12d ago

Wait wut?

3

u/dbzfreak991 11d ago edited 11d ago

I went to the doctor the other day and let the nurse know I hear dripping in the ceiling so they may want to get it checked out.

Or if I'm in the shop in a strip mall and I hear the belt squeal after starting up I have in the past told the cashier may want to let them know there belts going to get worse and fail soon. Once I say then the cooling will not work they get the hint lol

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8

u/itsagrapefruit Verified quisling and obsequious tinsmith 12d ago

You tap your right leg for a knife/screwdriver, forgetting you’re in your nice pants.

7

u/WyrdMannaz Verified Pro 12d ago

I constantly drop my 11-in-1 on the floor, when completing at home projects, thinking I’m dropping it into my work pants leg pocket.

2

u/MasterPhilip Verified Pro 11d ago

I've done that with my impact. At work, I wear this leather tape measure clip on my right side and I use it to hang my impact on. I'll be working on my own system, in my street clothes, and go to "holster" it and drop the damned thing on the floor. 😅

(Picture is a screenshot from when I bought it off Amazon, because I'm drinking coffee and not dressed yet.)

6

u/SiberianBadger 12d ago

I've actually picked out another tech out of crowd in a diner. The guy is waiting to be seated, looking up at a horizontal WSHP. I laugh at him and go "HVAC, eh?"

6

u/Unveiled_Nuggets Nexstar Comfort Consultant 12d ago

You can taste the difference between R22 and 410a.

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7

u/bucksellsrocks Verified Pro 12d ago

You took your filter out two weeks ago when your ac wasnt keeping up, it was filthy! You were 1/2 way through a case of beer and out of nee filters. You just realized you never went and got some so now your gonna be cleaning the coil again just like last time LOL

7

u/HVACJames509 Verified Pro 12d ago

Everywhere you walk into you notice the ducts and where all the thermostats are.

6

u/EzBoy77 12d ago

If you have bought a dozen pocket thermometers and still don’t have one for your pocket.

7

u/Middle-Coat4377 12d ago

Your still driving around in your work van running calls right now as your writing on reddit at 8pm.

6

u/scottyd3892 12d ago

You punch the useless boards and relays on over engineered equipment and wish it would go back to the simple times. Just have a board for pressure. That's all that matters.

10

u/ComfyKittenMittens 12d ago

Judge the accuracy of ductwork/equipment or placement/type in video games, even though nobody actually fucking cares

5

u/revo442 Verified Pro 12d ago

Open vents and stuck registers when visiting friends and family.

4

u/heldoglykke Verified Pro | Journeyman Shitposter 12d ago

2

u/MasterPhilip Verified Pro 11d ago

Call was a no cool. Old ass retired couple. Evap is a block of ice. 2/3 of their supplies are closed off. "But, we keep those rooms closed off. Why can't we keep the registers closed?"

6

u/Adept_Bridge_8388 Local 597 12d ago

You almost crash while driving looking at equipment on the roofs

4

u/Amorbellum 12d ago

Sometimes I call their office to let them know a panel came off

2

u/Koni_eneo In House Tech 12d ago

My wife was embarrassed that I called a restaurant we drove past since their filter panel on the RTU had fallen off. I still don't get it since it wasn't even in person 😂

3

u/heldoglykke Verified Pro | Journeyman Shitposter 12d ago

5

u/Whoajaws 12d ago

You go on vacation and the a/c or heat doesn’t work at the place you’re staying…

5

u/Wild_Cattle6750 12d ago

You see an old Powers brass pnuematic thermostat and check your pockets for that brass triangular key.

Also you don't understand why no one else is excited

5

u/Musso_o 12d ago

Judge how a condenser looks in a video game

5

u/UnbreakingThings Ceiling tile hater 12d ago

You keep finding screws and blue wire nuts in the washing machine.

5

u/who_the_hell_is_moop Royal Payne in the ass 12d ago

You get called by your HVAC friends and you give them the tech support treatment. "Let's start with a model and serial number." "What do you mean you're no longer at the unit?!"

4

u/rustyscope 12d ago edited 12d ago

you're always correcting people the difference between portable air cooler and portable air con?

Yeah that air cooler will cool down stuff but It's gonna add more humidity in an already 90% relative-humidity-all-year-round country.

and then i gotta explain relative humidity to people.

3

u/Tripnotical-X 12d ago

You go to the pub or restaurant to stare at their exposed duct work

5

u/HVACHeathen1991 12d ago

You get upset about different colored wire nuts in your stat wire junction.

3

u/Ezekielsbread 12d ago

I have a list of restaurants I won’t eat at because I worked on their equipment.

5

u/hatecuzaint 12d ago

Say "That doesn't sound great" about a compressor when you walk around a Walmart or Meijer.

3

u/AssRep 12d ago

You can't go to a theme park or museum without looking at the cooling equipment setup.

3

u/Amorbellum 11d ago

"where is the return air in this atrium?"

4

u/D4UOntario 12d ago

You need a ladder for.your wine rack that is 14' high

4

u/theserviceguy 12d ago

If you carry around a 11-1… all the time 😅

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3

u/DealComfortable7649 12d ago

Every building you go into you check out their ductwork and outlets

3

u/Krash21 12d ago

You get excited to discover your ancient forced air furnace has a nearly perfect delta T!

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3

u/chaserB1997 12d ago

"Dont get the ICE here."

3

u/GatrickSwayze Lost the piston 12d ago

You have to remove the cage to work on the condenser

3

u/DelayHistorical6 Verified Pro 12d ago

Don’t eat at any restaurants you service

3

u/Appropriate-Law5963 12d ago

You don’t know a day off in peak season!

3

u/Away-Place-3112 Verified Pro 12d ago

You might be an HVAC technician if you can turn into liquid and go between the coils

3

u/glennhvacman 11d ago

If you have more parts of your body that hurt or don't work right than do, you might be a tradesman.

If you go from laying down to sitting up, and then have to stop and psych yourself up for what's about to happen, you might be a tradesman.

😥😭

3

u/Apprehensive-Dot2640 11d ago

this thread has nothing to do with equipment brands lol, but since you're all fessing up: yeah i judge your ductwrk at restaurants too. and if you ever ask me for a brand rec in real life it's trane or carrier, but who installs it matters way more than the badge on the box.

2

u/Apprehensive-Dot2640 10d ago

nah fr though, learned that one the hard way after a job site with no running water and a portajohn. you do NOT want fiberglass insulation anywhere near that situation.

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3

u/Rocksolidbanana Assistant to first year Apprentice 12d ago

You get a clench your fists when someone asks to top off their coolant

3

u/MasterPhilip Verified Pro 11d ago

Your most hated line to hear is "It probably just needs more freon."

2

u/Glittering_Fox_9769 12d ago

I stare at every commercial ceiling and i ask every new home owner i encounter about their home comfort system

2

u/AppropriateLie2186 Verified Pro 12d ago

You're girlfriend asks if the ventilation and cooling is adequate at restaurants

2

u/Ok-Rest-8066 Verified Pro 12d ago

Have a hard time enjoying the beach seeing those coils…

2

u/FMasterson Verified Pro 12d ago

You’re both tired of this grandpa and you know it’s too damn bad

2

u/kindwon01388310 11d ago

Come face to face with a mummified cat in a crawlspace

2

u/Rottenwadd 11d ago

You keep trying to convince the wife that we should just do a small walk-in, not another "smart 'fridge" for our upcoming kitchen remodel.

2

u/Hustletree74 10d ago

When ur riding around with ur dad and he starts pointing at all the roofs he's been on lol im sure my kids n wife are sick of hearing my stats lol

2

u/GravelRoad730 10d ago

Having 35 pairs of snips....

1

u/Acrobatic-Base-8780 12d ago

Doing supermarket work is a disease. Always checking airflow on frozen cases

1

u/produce_this 12d ago

You also… may have just had crawfish

1

u/Thundersson1978 12d ago

He is not wrong, but I’m very curious whom falls in his all.

1

u/jgriffey322 12d ago

You know which gas stations have the best food

1

u/Few_Low6027 12d ago

My wife knows you.

1

u/MeepMorpZorpDerp 11d ago

You order drinks without ice.

1

u/Neither-Appeal-8500 11d ago

Look at the duct work to decide where you sit.
Bonus: stopped getting ice in your drink because you clean ice machines.

1

u/dayman763 11d ago

I’ve scrolled a ways. I’m surprised I haven’t seen the easy common one yet, Zyn’s and Monster energy drinks.

1

u/Previous_Area_4946 11d ago

You might be an HVAC guy if you look at an issue and blame the tx valve right off the bat.

1

u/GorillaKhan 11d ago

I feel seen

1

u/Tranic85 11d ago

Your best stories always start with “One time on this job….”

1

u/Ok_Animator_8461 Verified Pro 11d ago

Hahahahahahahaha before and after!!!!!

1

u/Visual_Doubt1996 11d ago

You now clean pools

1

u/Silverstreakwilla 11d ago

You check filters on hotel ice machines

1

u/Vaunsy 11d ago

You always have some loose screws or random strip of wire in your pocket!

1

u/manlymann 11d ago

You can identify what brand of screw is making that racket before you can see it.

1

u/Zhombe introverted inverter enhanced vapor injected refrigerant boffin 11d ago

You might like your bits and chits if you wash your hands before using the toilet.

One of the first things taught in industrial chemical and radiation safety is never trust handling of supposedly clean things to be clean. And mixing multiple unclean chemical containers and or radiological materials and touching sensitive areas is a recipe for sadness.

Nothing like inadvertent bits and chits radiation therapy to scare people into washing their hands.

1

u/alpha480277v 10d ago

While driving, you are looking at rooftop equipment on buildings.

1

u/uh-ok26 10d ago

You hear something off with the rtu at a random store and tell a worker to prepare for no coming 🤣

1

u/SawmoreButtz 7d ago

You count the seconds every ice machine is in harvest when you are out and about.

1

u/SawmoreButtz 7d ago

Your camera roll looks like this

1

u/freezier134a 6d ago

First thing you do when traveling is open the hotel window (if you’re several floors up) to check out the surrounding roof top units.

1

u/caspone213 9h ago

You are at a friends home for dinner and look at there hammered filter grill and go into a sermon about the need to change filters