Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Career Studies Certificate Program

• Eddie Swain, Dean of Workforce Development
  757-789-1752
  eswain@es.vccs.edu

Program Description

This 13 credit certificate program is designed to train individuals for employment as competent technicians in the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) field. Upon successful completion of the program and of the HVAC Excellence Outcome Assessments graduates will receive a nationally recognized certificate of achievement in Electrical, Air Conditioning, Oil Heat, and Heat Pumps, and classes will count toward the Journeyman and Masters state license in HVAC.

The program will be comprised of the following five courses:

            AIR 121—Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (3 credits)

            AIR 134—Circuits and Controls (3 credits)

            AIR 193—EPA Certification (1 credit)

            AIR 154—Heating Systems (3 credits)

            AIR 235—Heat Pumps (3 credits)

General Program Purpose

Courses will train students in the knowledge and skills needed to successfully install, repair and troubleshoot ventilation systems as well as heating and air conditioning units. Upon successful completion of the HVAC Excellence Outcome Assessments graduates will receive a nationally recognized certificate of achievement in Electrical, Air Conditioning, Oil Heat, and Heat Pumps, and will be working toward the Journeyman’s and Master’s state license in HVAC. The HVAC Excellence Student Outcome Assessment Program helps identify students who have successfully attained the knowledge for entry level positions into the HVAC/R industry.

Program Prerequisites and Co-requisites

Students must demonstrate proficiency in basic math and reading equivalent to MTH 02 and ENG 04. Once enrolled in the program, students must maintain a 2.0 GPA.

Courses and their Objectives 

AIR 121 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (4 credits)—Lecture 3 hours, Labs 3 hours.

Upon completing the course, the student will:

• Know refrigeration theory including the characteristics of refrigerants, temperature and pressure, tools and equipment, soldering, brazing, refrigeration systems, system components, compressors, evaporators, metering devices.
• Learn how to charge and evaluate cooling systems and detect leaks.
• Learn to service and troubleshoot a basic cooling system including small commercial systems. 
• Learn the use and care of oils and additives in cooling systems.

• Learn to read and draw circuit diagrams.
• Know the types of electrical controls.
• Analyze and know the characteristics of air conditioning circuits, components and controls as well as sir conditioning testing and servicing.
• Know and understand electricity for air conditioning including circuit elements, direct current circuits and motors, single and three-phase circuits and motors, power distribution systems and protective devices.
• Understand the electron and its behavior in passive and active circuits and components.
• Demonstrate the use and understanding of electronic components and circuits as applied to air conditioning systems.

• Master EPA Refrigerant Recovery rules and regulations to obtain national certification.

• Know the properties of fuel oil.
• Identify the different parts of an oil burner and the different types of oil burners.
• Explain the method of hooking up oil tanks.
• Understand the theory of combustion and perform combustion tests.
• Know how to test and troubleshoot ignition systems and control circuits.
• Understand and explain the function of a primary control
• Troubleshoot oil burners and know how to size gas piping. 
• Identify different types of gas burners and understand the operation of gas furnace controls
• Test and troubleshoot gas furnaces

• Know and understand the basic laws of refrigeration theory.
• Know and understand the purpose of the components of a heat pump.
• Learn heat pump design and ratings.
• Be able to determine the proper sizing of a heat pump for installation.
• Understand the selection and operation of auxiliary heaters.
• Know and be able to determine the electrical requirements for a heat pump.
• Know the choices for duct design for a heat pump.
• Learn the differences in air to air heat pumps and geothermal heat pumps.
• Install, repair and troubleshoot heat pumps.