Description

The HVAC Technician Online Training Program is a comprehensive HVACR training program for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration installers and technicians. This program is for you if you're interested in getting started in an entry-level position in the HVACR industry, or if you're seeking continuing education for upgrading skills or becoming certified or licensed.

The program focuses on learning objectives that have been identified by HVACR industry groups as key knowledge for an HVACR technician.

If you wish to see what the industry recommends for study, AHRI (Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute) and NATE (North American Technician Excellence) both have an HVAC curriculum guide posted on their Web sites.

The HVAC Technician Online Training Program has 16 sections, with a subscription length of 60 days per section.  Each section contains 6 modules. The modules cover specific HVACR concepts and incorporate reading assignments, Web site tours, applied exercises, quizzes, industry terminology definitions, video clips, animations, images, and printable handouts.

Competencies
Included within the HVAC Technician Program are a number of competency check-off sheets . You're encouraged to work directly with a local contractor or technician to get hands-on experience and have your skills verified. 

After you complete a module, print the related competency list and demonstrate your abilities under the supervision of a qualified technician. This enforces the online learning with hands-on experience and creates industry relationships that will support you as a new HVACR technician.

Below is a sample of competencies for the Fundamentals and Safety sections.

• Assist with determining space air-flow requirements
• Prepare equipment foundation base
• Install anchor in concrete
• Cut metal with portable metal saw
• Drill metal with portable electric drill
• Measure temperature in air-conditioning system
• Measure refrigerant temperature
• Measure relative humidity
• Clean coils
• Clean humidifier
• Clean fan
• Clean register
• Measure voltage in electrical circuit
• Test electrical circuit for continuity
• Test equipment for ground
• Make electrical connection
• Lubricate bearings
• Clean work site and make final inspection after job completion

Outline

The following outline lists the major topics included in our air conditioning courses.

1. HVACR Fundamentals
   1. Fundamentals
      1. Introduction to the Industry
      2. HVACR Measurements
      3. Heat Energy
      4. Pressure
      5. Gas Works
      6. Air Works
   2. Safety
      1. Hazard Communication Labels, Materials Safety Data Sheets, and Safety Training
      2. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
      3. Personal Safety in Confined Space and on Ladders
      4. Electrical Lockout/Tagout
      5. Fire Extinguishers and Compressed Gas Safety
      6. Back Protection, Scaffolds, Lifts, and Fall Protection
2. HVACR Electrical 1
   1. Electrical, Part I
      1. Introduction to the Industry
      2. What is Energy?
      3. Atomic Theory
      4. Basic Circuits
      5. Parallel Circuits
      6. Power
   2. Electrical, Part II
      1. Magnetism
      2. Alternating Current
      3. Loads, Resistive, and Inductive
      4. Capactitors
      5. Impedance and Power Distribution
      6. Transformers
3. HVACR Electrical 2
   1. Electrical, Part III
      1. Control Methods, Temperature, and Pressure
      2. Residential Heat/Cool Thermostats at Low Voltage
      3. Really Good Relay Stuff
      4. Contractors Go, Starters Go With Protection
      5. Power Wiring
      6. Odds and Ends Around a Schematic
   2. Electrical, Part IV
      1. Basic Electric Motor Theory
      2. Open and Hermetic Motors
      3. Capacitor Motors
      4. Three-phase Motors
      5. The Application of Electric Motors
      6. Diagnosing and Replacing Electric Motors
4. HVACR Systems 1
   1. Systems Properties and Measurement
      1. Heat Energy and Comfort
      2. Properties of Air
      3. Psychrometrics
      4. Total Heat In Air
      5. Measuring a Heavy Invisible Moving Volume
      6. Air Flow Measurement
   2. Systems II
      1. Heat Loads Introduction
      2. Conduction Loads
      3. Solar Gain
      4. Infiltration and Ventilation Loads
      5. Duct Loads
      6. Complete Heat Loads
5. HVACR Refrigeration 1
   1. Refrigeration I
      1. Basic Refrigeration Cycle Physics
      2. Compression and Compressors
      3. Condensation and Condensers
      4. Expansion and Metering Devices
      5. Evaporation and Evaporators
      6. Measure the Normal cycle
   2. Refrigeration II
      1. Refrigerants
      2. Compressor Accessories and Applications
      3. Low-side Accessories and Applications
      4. High-side Accessories and Applications
      5. Piping System Sizing and Applications
      6. Capacity Control Methods
6. HVAC Heating 1
   1. Oil Heat
      1. Characteristics of Fuel Oil and Principles of Combustion
      2. Types and Construction of Oil Burners
      3. Oil Burner Anatomy, Part One
      4. Oil Burner Anatomy, Part Two
      5. Fuel Oil Tanks and Piping
      6. Complete Heating System
   2. Gas Heat
      1. Fuel Gas Composition
      2. Pressure Regulators, Burners, and Heat Exchangers
      3. Standing Pilot Systems
      4. Electronic Ignition
      5. High-efficiency Furnaces
      6. Troubleshooting Gas Burner Systems
7. HVAC Heating 2
   1. HVACR Boilers
      1. Boiler Fundamentals
      2. Classifying Boilers
      3. Combustion
      4. The Heat Exchanger
      5. Controlling Energy Sources
      6. Boiler Accidents and Hazards
   2. Hydronics
      1. System Concept
      2. Materials and Tools
      3. Boilers
      4. Pumps
      5. Heat Transfer Units
      6. System Accessories
8. HVACR Heat Pumps and HVACR Accessories
   1. Heat Pumps
      1. What Is a Heat Pump?
      2. Heat Pump Installation and Quality Criteria
      3. The Heat Pump Cooling Mode
      4. The Heat Pump Heating Mode
      5. The Heat Pump Defrost Mode
      6. Heat Pump Components
      7. Heat Pump Troubleshooting
   2. HVACR Controls I
      1. Building and HVAC Systems
      2. Air Circulation and Air Quality
      3. Control System Characteristics
      4. Process Characteristics and Control Systems
      5. Control System Components
      6. Control System Categories

Demo

Additional Info

Languages

English

Course Length

320.00 hours

Duration of Access

All programs are mentored and self-paced. There are 16 sections total. You’ll complete the sections in sequential order within a maximum of 60 days each. You don’t need to wait 60 days before starting a new section; you can complete them as quickly as you wish. If you need more time, you can purchase a 30-day extension for $45.00 or a 60-day extension for $75.

Instructor

Chris Compton has a total of 28 years of experience in the HVACR field. He's certified at the Installation and Service level in all five of the NATE certifications. In 1998 he was selected as one of the top 10 outstanding Trades and Industry Educators in the U.S. by ACTE (Association of Career and Technical Education, formerly AVA, American Vocational Association). He received the Imperial award from RSES for his CMS (Commercial Refrigeration) in 1997 and is a CMS member of RSES.

Seven years ago, Chris Compton was an HVACR instructor at North Idaho College looking for a way to implement HVACR curriculum on the Internet. He saw a unique opportunity to help traditional students as well as non-degree seeking students, people interested in starting a career in HVACR, contractors, the industry in general, and all those searching for a way to educate their workers to be successful in the ICE and NATE exams.

Since then, Chris has taken many telelearning courses on how to set up online curriculum, the psychology behind online learning, how to create Web pages, and video instruction and design for the Web. Currently, Chris is the project director and content development manager (as well as chief cook and bottle washer) of the online effort called HVACReducation.net.

Additional Faculty Biographies are available at http://www.hvacreducation.net/Faculty_About.htm.

HVACReducation.net provides online education in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration industry.

Our courses are NATE-recognized and teach the knowledge and skills needed by HVACR industry workers. If you wish to see what the industry recommends for study, ARI and NATE both have a curriculum guide/outline posted on their Web site.

HVACReducation.net is an organization of professional HVACR educators using proven distance-learning methods and technology. We believe that a comprehensive distance-learning system is one of the better options to help solve the current shortage of trained technicians

Prerequisites/Audience

To enroll in this program, you should be willing to study and ask questions, and you should be motivated to gain entry-level knowledge for HVACR employment or to improve skills you've already developed and move up in the HVACR industry.

This program is for you, whether you're ready to start a career in the HVACR industry or you already work in the HVACR industry. You'll begin your studies by learning the foundational concepts that support the installation, operation, design, and analysis of heating and cooling systems. Then you'll build on that foundation and learn about all of the common residential and light commercial HVAC systems.

Requirements/Materials Included

This course is compatible with the Windows Vista operating system.

Technology is constantly updated and maintained to offer reliable access to the most common user settings and hardware configurations. Here are the minimum requirements:

System:

• Windows 98, 2000, XP*, or Vista
• Macintosh OS 10.3 (or the most recent market version available)

*Note: Because of Microsoft's decision to extend support for Windows 98, VCampus will also continue support for Windows 98 users until the discontinuation of official Microsoft support. However, please note, at this time there are no known compatibility issues with Windows 98 users of the VCampus, so any future change in policy isn't likely to impact users.

Browser support for PC users:

• Internet Explorer 6.0 (SP2 or most recent service pack) and above
• Mozilla Firefox 1.5 (most recent product version available)
• Browser settings: cookies, Java, and JavaScript enabled

 

Browser support for Mac users:

Macintosh users (those with the supported configurations listed above) will need to use the Mozilla Firefox browser 1.5 (most recent product version available). The Safari browser is not supported.

Ad Blocking, Personal Firewall, Anti-virus Software Packages:

If you've installed consumer products such as Norton AntiVirus, McAfee, Symantec, Zone Alarm, or other ad-blocking software, you may need to adjust the programs' settings to ensure that you don't encounter issues when accessing the VCampus system.

As a general rule, you should configure these applications to "trust" the www.vcampus.com site and domain. Refer to the respective software's instructions for more details on configuration.

Resolution:

800 x 600 (minimum and recommended)

Internet Connection:

• 56.6 KBPS (minimum)
• DSL/T1/Cable modem recommended

 

Sound:

At your discretion, as sound is only required in programs featuring audio.

Accessibility Requirements for Disabled Users:

VCampus maintains compliance to the U.S. government-mandated (through Section 508) versions of JAWS, Dragon, and Magic applications.

Note on Plug-ins:

Program authors can choose to insert content that requires plug-ins. Typically they use common multimedia formats found on the Web, such as Macromedia Flash, Windows Media, QuickTime, and Real video. In these cases, their programs will require the respective plug-in to view this content. It is the author's responsibility to make this requirement clear to learners using the material. The VCampus platform, by itself, does not require you to download plug-ins or players (unless otherwise noted above.)

You'll receive the following textbooks as part of this program:

• Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology, 5th Edition
• NORA Oilheat Manual
• Low Pressure Boilers, 3rd Edition
• Manual J AE Residential Load Calculations, 8th Edition