Another excellent video! Thanks. If I could make one suggestion that may help newbies, it may help to out on the diagram as you were moving thru with the spy glass, to have little icons showing where the probes and temp clamps would be attached.
Really really cool Channel it's so easy for me to send things to a lot of the rookie guys where they get a visual of components and parts and how things work. To help their minds help them in diagnosing help them in diagnosing and developing as technicians
This really addresses the age old question, what separates a good technician from a great technician? Answer - Theory. A great technician utilizes higher-order critical thinking skills such as analyzing and evaluating. These are not innate skills, but rather learned skills. Learning theory, really requires us to learn how to learn. It requires the great technician to go above and beyond watching, memorizing, and practicing.
We are definitely an industry that needs techs "beyond mechanical skills". I was once told it was easier to be a veterinarian than a human doctor, because animals never hide the fact something hurts. A Dr.'s first step is not writing a prescription, it starts with a question like "What are you here for today"? HVAC technicians are like doctors, looking for an accurate diagnosis before prescribing the correct mechanical procedure. Fortunately homeowners give honest answers (unless they shorted something out they shouldn't have been in). Every service call should start with communication soft-skills, and asking questions gives great advantage. Having knowledge of fundamentals allows the tech to pursue further questions that can result in a quick and accurate diagnosis. Without technical theory and fundamental knowledge, diagnosis can be a mechanical exercise and guessing game. Technical knowledge along with communication skills (asking the right questions) will continue becoming more valuable and most likely a higher percentage in this video as the industry advances in new technologies. Nice job - great conversation!
We, as the industry, must evolve. Staying current on new technologies, learning new products, new platforms, all the while sharpening our ability to connect with people, on a one-on-one, personal level is key to me. The further technology and digitization evolves, the more relevant human relationships will be important. We have gotten away from human to human over the last decade or so, but it is resurfacing, as we as humans, and the select group in our HVAC world, need a tribe to huddle with. Great work here Dirk, keep pounding brother.
I agree that field work takes a strong fundamental understanding of theory on how an HVACR system operates and performs. Measurements are only numbers unless we can use our fundamental understanding to interpret and analyze them. Understanding what a measurement should be before taking it is just as important as taking the measurement. The best field technicians marry both the mechanical and the theory together to quickly solve system problems.
