And His 40 + Years Experiences
It’s Been a Wild Ride. So Many Great Adventures. Being blessed to experience so many fields of Engineering over the years. God has been so good to me and I didn’t deserve any of it. Yet I’m still learning.
As far as Houston HVAC is Concerned, I got my HVACR Masters License to Contract in 1993. But my Lifetime of Experiences began a long time prior to that Humble event.
I first got out of HVACR Tech School in 1980, at 19. Getting a Year’s experience in both Residential HVAC and Light Commercial HVAC and Commercial Refrigeration in Commercial Restaurants.
In 1981, I was hired to Clean Huge Air Handler Chilled Water Cooling Coils, in a 30 Story SkyScraper.
I didn’t see it coming, but That Job turned into a whole new trade in itself that I’ll never forget, Engineering.
Just Humble Grunt Work at First. Acid Washing Dirt out of HVAC Chill Water Cooling Coils. Making an honest living just starting from the bottom up. With no idea of what was about to happen that would jumpstart my whole career.
I had only been there a few months, when their Commercial Refrigeration Guy Quit, The Refrigeration Position is like the Highest Knowledgable job Way Up on the Pay Scale.
I Suddenly Found Myself Being the Only Guy left in that Huge Building who Knew How to Do Commercial Refrigeration.
They suddenly needed me. without me even having to interview for the Refrigeration Position. At only 20 years old.
I didn’t have any competition from any of those older guys. They all had Decades of Experience Using Chilled Water to Cool the Building. But Commercial Refrigeration is a Totally Different Animal; You have to know how to use Freon, Instead of just turning on and Operating Chillers.
Also, Refrigeration Has Lots more Controls and Processes to Diagnose and Keep Track of. That was just pure fun.
With 3 Commercial Restaurants and Kitchens in that Sky Scraper. All I could say is Wow! How did this happen?
Suddenly All These Older Guys were Asking Me What’s Wrong with The Ice Machine? Why is the Walk in Freezer Not Freezing Right? God had to have been in that huge promotion.
I Had Recently Started there at the Bottom Cleaning Coils, Then Suddenly I was bumped up to being the Commercial Refrigeration Guy on Top of the Food Chain.
I Got to work on Vogt Brand Ice Machines. They were the Top of the Line Ice Machines back then. Because A Vogt Ice Machine can Fill a Dump Truck Full of Ice in a Day. Working on 3 Vogt Ice Machines was a Refrigeration Man’s Dream Job. Thank God for that Very Rewarding Experience so Young in My Career.
Later, they Bumped Me up to Being a Supervisor Called Project Engineer. Which To Be Honest was just a Fancy Title for a Guy who does grunt work Yet as a Supervisor I was Given Authority to Grab Other Guys not busy and put them onto grunt work to Help me.
That allowed me To Become Friends With Guys way older than myself, So I Could Get some of the Best One on One Training Available.
Technically these Highly Knowledgeable Older Guys were Supposed to be my Helpers on Big Hi-Rise Projects, But Really I was Actually Using that Huge Opportunity to Secretly Learn from Some of the Best Minds in the Building! Shoosh!!! Don’t Tell Anyone! HaHa.
Super Hands On Hi-Rise Training, Paid for by my Employers, Who Had No Idea How Much I Was Learning. And I Kept It That Way, By Building Up Others for Their Hard Work.
Teamwork was Just Plain Fun. Go Figure. Making Everyone Happy was Literally My Job.
In the Picture Bellow, Behind Me is the Refrigeration Guy that replaced me when I moved up to being a supervisor. He was my first choice to help me with projects. He was very knowledgeable. Thank God for these experts in my beginnings.
This picture was a Selfie by the way, That Me and My Team Took back in 1982 I believe.
I had brought my own camera. I didn’t invent the selfie. My Dad had showed me how to do that with a Polaroid camera, and all I did was Use That Idea on My Regular Film Camera that had to be Developed at the Drug Store, Taking a Week to see if it came out right. No Instant Do Overs back then.
The Chinese guy wanted to be in the picture with us, so I got to show him how to take a selfie. He had been a Merchant Marine Machinist. He Taught me a lot. I had him hold my camera, and after I sighted it through the camera lens, I got back on that bearing puller so he could snap the picture with all 3 of us in it. We all had a Blast. I Enjoyed Practicing Leadership Skills by Including Everyone in Every Cool Project I got to do.
That was one of the smaller Air Handlers in the building by the way.
Here’s a picture of me on one of my first Equipment Change Outs. Replacing Chill Water Coils inside a Chill Water Air Handler that was 12 Feet Tall.
Here’s 2 of the 3 guys on my install crew for that project. The 3rd guy took the picture. That’s me in the center. We are sitting on one of the New Chill Water Coil that had to be installed onto Steel Racks. That’s how tall each rack is. A Total of 12 feet high to get enough air flow. In. The guy taking the picture said move in closer for the shot. We look like we are a great team I believe. What do you think. Great memories. I was 22 at the time.
I’ve never considered myself a Plumber. But HVAC Shares so many Plumbing aspects that now decades later, I’m realizing my Plumbing work was a lot of fun.
Such as:
Steam Boilers are a combination of Plumbing and HVAC on Steroids. And not just the Steam Boilers; the Entire Skyscraper was like that.
During the 1980’s I was told that in order keep my job, I would be required to study and Pass my Exam to get my Stationary Engineer’s License with the City of Houston; For the Steam Boilers used in Hi-Rise Buildings.
This License was a Great Credential to Have. But I Don’t Ever Plan to do anymore Hi-Rise Work. So I let it go. If I ever want to Pay the Fees and get it back, I can. Great Memories Though.
I also had to take other Engineering Classes to learn all kinds of Engineering needed to Operate so many things that most people never knew existed in Sky Scrapers. You have to know all Kinds of Nerdy Stuff in order to operate and maintain it all.
Such as how a Sky Scraper has to operate like a Water Tower. Pumping 6 Different Types of Water to the Roof of the Building, so the weight of the water (at 8.33 lbs per gallon) could put water pressure into those 30 story pipes so pressure regulators at different levels of those stories could:
For Example, let’s say, Domestic Hot Water can be pumped around the perimeter of the building through Steam Heat Exchangers, to keep the water Hot in that circulating loop, so people could have instant hot water anytime they turned it on; Anywhere in the building.
Sky Scrapers have to pump 6 different types of water. Domestic Cold Water. Domestic Hot Water, Fire Sprinkler Water, Chill Water, Water for Heating the building,
And the Cooling Tower Water;
Which Cools all those Water Cooled Condensors for Everything in the Building.
Such as:
The Cooling Tower Water Cools the Chillers That produce all the Cold Water to Air Condition the Entire SkyScraper. That’s a Huge Amount of Heat all by itself. Think of How Many houses of Square Feet is inside of a 30 Floor High-Rise.
The Cooling Tower Water also Cools all the Commercial Refrigeration, with Water Cooled Condensers. For 3 Stories of Commercial Kitchens.
This Water Used to Cool these Condensors is called Cooling Tower Water. Because Huge Pumps the Size of a Small Car Pumps this Water Being Heated by these Condensers Up to the Roof of the Building so the Water can be Cooled Off.
The Cooling Tower is a Spray Tower With Baffles were the Water is Sprayed into the open Outdoor Air so some water can turn to Steam leaving the Cooling Tower. Thereby Getting Rid of the Heat so it can be Recirculated back again through the Refrigeration Equipment and Chiller Condenser Coils Downstairs and Repeat the Process as an ongoing Loop.
To make up for the Lost Water that Turns to Steam, A float inside the Base of the Cooling Tower’s water pan adds Make Up Water to Replace that Water.
I had to Learn Special Chemistry on How to Maintain that Cooling Tower Water’s Integrity. Way more complicated than your pools chemical balance, but kind of like that. Just on a bigger scale.
But Water Tower Chemical treatment is a Whole Different Job that the Hi-Rize Building Operators Like Myself had to know, back in those days. Lots of Chemistry.
If you’ve never thought about the Fire Sprinklers Freezing in the Winter in an Open Air Motor Lobby, Here’s a Treat in Engineering Technology for Nerdy Guys Like Me.
This is a picture of me working on what’s called a Dry Pipe Sprinkler System.
Notice the pipes behind me are labeled Motor Lobby. This is the chamber with a brass flapper that you put a gallon of water on top of in the basement, for putting an air compressor charge of air, to hold the city water pressure back. If a sprinkler head has say a car on fire under it, the lead in the fire head melts and the air pressure comes out, so the city water pressure comes out to put the fire out. Cool huh.
A little Later I was told that to keep my job, I had to take and pass my Exam to get my Maintenance Electrician’s License. So I Could pull Permits with the City of Houston, to Replace any Electrical Circuit in the Sky Scraper up to the Newest Electrical Code; or even All of the Circuits in the Building if needed.
But many years Later, the State of Texas took over Electrical Licensing, and adopted the rule that only a Master Electrician can now pull an Electrical permit. So, I let that License go.
But I still speak both languages; Electrician and HVACR. It comes in handy when giving Free Consultations for what needs to be done when Electricians Have to Coordinate with the HVAC Contractor. Especially so my HVAC customer can know what to expect from the Electricians. I like working with those guys. Kind of a commonality thing going on. Friendships come from that kind of stuff. We can easily relate.
All those years in Sky Scrapers led up to me meeting my wife Darlene in 1988 when we fell in love and got married.
Before Darlene and I met, she and my mother were friends. And when Darlene saw my picture at my moms place, Darlene asked my mom to introduce her to me. Wow what an awesome way to meet your future wife.
This picture with us at the table was actually taken in 1991 I believe, 3 years into our Marriage.
Isn’t She Smoking Hot! I felt so Blessed by God Himself. How else could this have ever happened. I never saw it coming
For over 30 years we were together, until she passed away unexpectedly just before Covid in 2019. Breaking my heart like I never thought I could be broken.
I buried her on her 53rd birthday. That was so rough. But I can’t stay stuck in the past.
After Darlene’s passing My Mind Was Gone. I Decided to be an HVAC Instructor for awhile to Clear my Head, and Reboot Myself. Taking Some Time to Get Back to My Roots, by Teaching the Basics.
I was Teaching US Veterans Exiting Our Armed Forces How to Do for Themselves, What I Like to Do. Teaching them how to Start a Great Carreer in HVACR.
Building Great Teams Again. Just like Old Times, 40 years ago.
Only Now, I’m the Older Guy Teaching these Younger Guys How to Become Leaders in My Chosen Field. Isn’t God Awesome!
I Got to Have Lots of Fun. So I could take my mind off my wife’s passing and make others more important than myself. That and God’s will is were true happiness comes from. I’ve learned that first hand.
Currently HVAC Technology has Gone Wild! Such as 25 SEER Variable Speed Systems.
For so long, I never looked into these. Figuring How Many people would want a Top Dollar High End Engineering Project Like That? Turns out Lots of People Do.
In June of 2022, I had a customer pull a trick on me. To get a cheaper price For Installing one of the Top Notch, Highest End 25 SEER Carrier Systems Ever Made.
Good thing I was Self Taught in Electronic Design 40 years ago. With an Extreme Hobby. More on that in a bit.
This Customer called me up saying “How much would you charge to install my Condenser, Evaporator and Gas Furnace that I just bought”
So I naturally assumed that it’s just a plain Jain 16 SEER style of Equipment. So I gave him a plain Jain Price. Not the 25 SEER Way More Involved Price.
This Sneeky Guy was a Self Made Millionaire, I had to admit to him that He Was Clever. But I also admitted I was not happy about such a bargain price install he got out of Houston HVAC. The Adventure However was Worth Making Friends over This Cool Experience.
Carrier Would Not Even Sell This 25 SEER System to Even an HVAC Contractor until they Took the Course. Certainly not Sell The Home Owner a 25 SEER Carrier Infinity Greenspeed Communicating HVAC System.
But this guy being a self made millionaire is much craftier than most. He found a way to buy it. Then get me to install it for a low price. It’s as if he was counting on peaking my interest to go ahead and install it anyway. And his plan worked.
When I first got to his house an hours drive from me on the other side of Timbuktu, I discovered his huge house was on a Golf Course, with a yard full of golf balls which Golfers lost. Turns out this Was a Very Savy Rich Guy. He had Played Me Over the Phone On Purpose.
I had never thought I’d run into a customer who would pay for such an expensive HVAC System. So I never looked into this control system until I ran into it, right then at that moment.
So I curiously opened the control panel to see what was inside. And to my surprise, I found it was all familiar to me. Cool!
I discovered it was Very Much Like My Robotics Project in 1980 – 1985. Using DC motors with Frequency Modulation to ramp the motor speeds up and down with sensor feedback loops for the computer to operate all the processes on and adjust as needed. More about my Robotic Project continues if you click bellow to continue reading on the linked page. More About the Owner.
3 Electrical Chokes and two transformer looking devices told me this was 3 phase Direct Current. So the Middle Board was The Power Supply Board. That made sense.
And Multiple sets of can type capacitors on the upper board told me that it had variable speeds.
And the lower board was the motherboard, which communicates with the computer acting as thermostat inside called a wall controller.
The wall controller computer uses a 2 wire phone line like system similar to old style Telephone Wire Internet Technology to act as an Intranet. So the wall controller can ask the outdoor unit’s brainboard for temperature and pressure readings and give it commands to carry out.
And the wall controller can also communicate with the brainboard inside the variable speed gas furnace the same way, to coordinate all actions.
The main Computer Wall Controller programs a bit like an old VCR. Line By Line.
And if you have any hick-up in the electrical power it is a lot like those old VCRs blinking 12:00 – 12:00 – 12:00. Just Joking, but they will need to be programed again. So Special Shielded cable is used instead of regular thermostat wire. And we recommend power spike and brown out protection.
It’s common sense. But if your HVAC Contractor Didn’t recommend these protection devices we will happily install them for you. So Your Cutting Edge System is Very Well protected.
As for me just being a regular person, I Enjoy Teaching all kinds of stuff.
I Enjoy a Range of things.
Teaching People HVAC in My Circles of Friends, is just one of them.
On the following page I explain HVAC in More Detail; and even more about my Robotics Project which was actually just Computer Controlled Automation, with Sensors and feedback loops.
I even get into my Human Side and Hobbies. I’m not just about HVAC. I’m very well rounded.
As a Young Man I took Kick Boxing and Karate. I’d say I was average. Karate had to be limited. So we didn’t accidentally break someone’s windpipe or worse. I Enjoying Lots of Sparing in the Ring. Full Contact in the Kick Boxing Ring. We got to kick the crap out of each other to test how good we were in a real life fight. But thank God for teaching me verbal Judo. Because of this I’ve never had a fight out side the Dojo or ring. It was just everyone having fun.
Mike Tyson was my favorite fighter to watch in the 1980’s. He had special techniques of hammering the lower body, so his opponent had to keep their torso so tight while waiting for the chance to take a breath. Making them forget to keep their head and neck ready for a head shot. Then when they were not prepared, he took the head shot and it was Lights Out! Single Round Knockouts, and lots of moving around were what Iron Mike was Famous For.
Just my knowing what it’s like to be in the Ring going head to head, gives you a whole different perspective and respect for that Super Talented Athlete.
He originally was undiagnosed with such a rage.
Who would have expected Mike to become the Voice of Reason and Peaceful Advice as the Virtual Statesman that he is today on You Tube and more.
Back when I was a young man in the 1980’s, I used to sail for fun. Catamerans were my favorite. But that was years ago.
Since 2012 I’ve been a Winemaker.
I Enjoy Making Fruit Wine. So many flavors.
Strawberry is one of my favorites. Banana, Peach, Pear, Cantiloupe, Fruit Cocktail, to name a few. Even Red Grape using a country wine recipe.
I don’t use pre processed ingredients. I’ve always made my wine from scratch.
I’ve had Other Hobbies as well.
I used to Paint Canvases with Oil Paints, and some Acrylics. Mostly Outdoor Scenics with Wildlife in them.
I’m using WordPress right now to build this Webpage in Elementor.
I delegated the majority of this site to professionals who have far more experience in their profession than I do.
I felt people might want to Read My Personality inside this page. So they can see what I sound like in person.
I hope to continue learning as long as I live, God willing, so I can make all my friends happy by Sharing these great adventures for so many years to come.
To all the Cool Engineers and other Nerdy People out there, Thanks
Currently HVAC Technology has Gone Wild! Such as 25 SEER Variable Speed Systems.
For so long, I never looked into these. Figuring How Many people would want a Top Dollar High End Engineering Project Like That? Turns out Lots of People Do.
In June of 2022, I had a customer pull a trick on me. To get a cheaper price For Installing the Top Notch, Highest End 25 SEER Carrier Systems Ever Made.
Good thing I was Self Taught in Electronic Design 40 years ago. With an Extreme Hobby. More on that in a bit.
This Customer called me up saying “How much would you charge to install my Condenser, Evaporator and Gas Furnace that I just bought”
So I naturally assumed that it’s just a plain Jain 16 SEER style of Equipment. So I gave him a plain Jain Price. Not the 25 SEER Way More Involved Price.
This Sneeky Guy was a Self Made Millionaire, I had to admit to him that He Was Clever. But I also admitted I was not happy about such a bargain price install he got out of Houston HVAC. The Adventure However was Worth Making Friends over This Cool Experience.
