Heating and Air Conditioning Course - HVAC Technician

Learn HVAC installation and repair skills at home, at your own pace with Penn Foster.

There are certain skills you need to begin a career as an HVAC Technician. The Penn Foster HVAC Technician Program helps you learn them quickly and conveniently. You’ll get hands-on training in:

• Refrigeration and air conditioning technology
• System evacuation, refrigerants, and system charging
• Automatic, electronic, and programmable controls
• Commercial refrigeration
• Heating systems
• Domestic appliances

And you’ll learn it all at home with no classroom needed! This Penn Foster distance learning program is like having your own personal HVAC training school. Start a challenging, moneymaking career in a growing field with HVAC training.

• Why complete an HVAC training program? With the right credentials, you can:
• Work for a contractor, or start your own business and be your own boss.
• Choose your hours and projects and save money doing your own repair work.

Demand for technicians with HVAC training will increase nearly 32% by 2012.* Demand for service work should increase as businesses and homeowners install new systems and strive to keep them operating at peak efficiency.

We’ll send you FREE information with absolutely no obligation! Find out more about Penn Foster's complete HVAC training that includes:

• All the books, lessons, equipment, and learning aids you need.
• Voucher for an EPA certification exam, manual, and registration.
• Toll-free instructional support.
• Access to student services by website, phone, and mail.

Heating & Air Conditioning
Are you a hands-on person who is mechanically inclined? The need for HVAC technicians is always in demand. In this distance learning course from Ashworth University you’ll learn the tools of the trade to be successful. 

Your course will cover:

• Tubing & Pipe – the different types of copper tubing and fittings
• Soldering, Brazing and Flame Cutting
• The refrigeration system cycle – Learn about valves and the gauge manifold
• Learn to troubleshoot a system

As a heating and air conditioning professional you’ll install and repair HVAC systems in homes and businesses.  You will work inside and outside depending on the job. Also a good place to start is in your local hardware and plumbing store. This will give you “hands-on” experience so you can use your new education.

Distance education lets you study in the comfort of home at your own pace. Frequent course updates assure you’ll learn the latest skills and techniques. Ashworth University courses are very affordable; monthly tuition is interest-free. Ashworth University is an accredited member of the Distance Education and Training Council. The Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency for distance learning schools.

What type of work is involved in an HVAC career?

Technicians often specialize in either installation or maintenance and repair, although they are trained to do both they may specialize in doing heating work or air-conditioning. Some workers in this industry specialize in one type of equipment. They might work on hydronics (water-based heating systems), solar panels, or commercial refrigeration. Technicians also try to sell service contracts to their clients. Service contracts provide for regular maintenance of the heating and cooling systems and they help to reduce the seasonal fluctuations of this type of work.

Technicians follow blueprints or other specifications to install oil, gas, electric, solid-fuel, and multiple-fuel heating systems and air conditioning systems. After putting the equipment in place, they install fuel and water supply lines, air ducts and vents, pumps, and other components. They may connect electrical wiring and controls and check the unit for proper operation. To ensure the proper functioning of the system, furnace installers often use combustion test equipment, such as carbon dioxide testers, carbon monoxide testers, combustion analyzers and oxygen testers.

After a furnace or air-conditioning unit has been installed, hvac technicians often perform routine maintenance and repair work to keep the systems operating efficiently. They may adjust burners and blowers and check for leaks. If the system is not operating properly, they check the thermostat, burner nozzles, controls or other parts to diagnose and then correct the problem.

During the summer, when the heating system is not being used, heating equipment technicians do maintenance work, such as replacing filters, ducts, and other parts of the system that may accumulate dust and impurities during the operating season. During the winter, air-conditioning mechanics inspect the systems and do required maintenance, such as overhauling compressors.

Refrigeration mechanicsinstall, service, and repair industrial and commercial refrigerating systems and a variety of refrigeration equipment. They follow blueprints, design specifications, and manufacturers’ instructions to install motors, compressors, condensing units, evaporators, piping, and other components. They connect this equipment to the ductwork, refrigerant lines, and electrical power source. After making the connections, they charge the system with refrigerant, check it for proper operation, and program control systems.

When air-conditioning and refrigeration technicians service equipment, they must use care to conserve, recover, and recycle chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), and other refrigerants used in air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. The release of these refrigerants can be harmful to the environment. Technicians conserve the refrigerant by making sure that there are no leaks in the system; they recover it by venting the refrigerant into proper cylinders; they recycle it for reuse with special filter-dryers; or they insure that the refrigerant is properly disposed. Heating air conditioning havc courses should only be taken from professional schools.