Foreign with all kinds of technical problems. We are now live and I'm sitting here with Craig Migliaccio Craig I ran into you a couple years back at the HVAC training Symposium only person and it's uh, it's really cool because your platform has exploded and that is really neat to see all these people nation that you share with everybody. Um so for those that are watching right now, we again are live from the Ah Expo and we are okay. so again Frank when when you started this one? why did you start creating social content like you did? So I was teaching in the high school where I I taught HVAC to adults at night and high school students during the day and I wanted to create some basically substitute planes.

you know, just some some quick videos, some introductions to a subject that will be maybe just a five minute intro. and so we need a bunch of well I made a bunch of videos then and I posted them on YouTube and over the summer time, that's when things kind of exploded in a sense of uh, people were writing in the comments section how much it meant to them and that that is what propelled me to keep making content and so I I have a similar thing like you know. I've been making content for about five years now I Never planned on making content. it started as just a thing for my own employees and then turned into something.

but it's time consuming. it's tedious it it Digs at you even though I appreciate everything. but I Have to say that the comments and the emails that I get even if I only get one email a month saying that you know my content helped them do whatever, it so makes it worth it. And I really do look forward to those emails.

Yeah, the encouragement that we get uh I love when people come up to me here at Ahr and just we get to have a quality conversation I Love You know being able to be here with you and have a quality conversation with you? Uh, you encourage me with your videos and uh, there's a lot of of Hvacc training videos that are out there now for the new technicians so that they can. They can learn and grow. That's fantastic I would love for them to become more knowledgeable, more valuable, and for those that are seeking that knowledge, it's right there for them. especially on all of your uh, your videos going through a diagnosis and then I'll try and again while we're here.

on my platform. we're streaming on Craig's platform too, but on my platform this is Craig Migliaccio from AC Service Tech. Now what is your website? Acservicetech.com and my website is Hvacrvideos.com So pretty easy there. So yeah, so okay.

so you started making content. Um when you started making content and what what led you to the direction you went, you know because you make it. You do a great job of really explaining the process and and you fill a void like there's some things that you do that I Notice that it's It's like opening up the installation manual but it's got a Twist on it because you have clarification and you have Tech tips that seem to come in too. Doing a mini split install of which you just wrote a book about Mini Splits right? Yeah, that's a shameful plug, right? Two years? Uh, a lot of investment trying to dig into all the small components trying to determine how all the mini split systems work.

So inverter mini split systems. and so I was encouraged by a lot of those emails to work on a book in order to be able to demystify how many split systems work. And so in reference to the videos, like you're saying, I always felt that the procedures, these step-by-step procedures were missing. So in a lot of the training that was out there, it was a lot of the theory and that's fantastic.

But I want the theory mixed with the procedures because I need people to be able to do their jobs and that is extremely important. So allowing somebody to not be stuck up against the wall when they're trying to service a system or when they're trying to install a system and it may not be that we're doing the same procedures uh, that say they might be doing in the field but it gives them one path and then it gives them something to start with and that's huge and then they can go off on their own and adjust that procedure and do what works well for them. So for me, my content again was more or less sharing my knowledge and that's what it continues to be. I came from a time I grew up working with my dad I learned everything from my dad.

good and bad. there's value in everything and I'm not saying that that when I say that I mean there was some improper procedures, but that was also a different time. You know he came up in the late 70s early 80s when you know beer can cold was acceptable, right? it was it quite right. Yeah, these have changed and and I struggled to figure out how to do this particular part.

I have electronic defrost clocks for walk-in freezers. They confused me so much. motor starters for exhaust fans. they confuse me, you know.

and once I figured it out. once I dug into them and figured out I felt like I needed to scream into a Mountaintop exactly and that's what again never planned on it with my channel, but it slowly evolved into that. Like you know, I struggled so hard to find this smoke detectors that you install in an RG unit. They're so confusing, but when you actually demystify them, it's like seven different relays that are dry contacts and that's it.

And if you follow the instructions, you can tie them together with other smoke detectors. It's confusing. and but once I figured it out, it's like hey, I could I think I can make a video here right? and I I made a training board and then I started uh at the time I was involved in my local Rscs chapter. uh, very involved and so I started doing educational sessions like hey, I'm going to discuss duct detectors and this is actually before YouTube you know and so it's like hey, I'm gonna, you know, do a class on dunk detectors and then so then we go down that path and I realized that I really enjoyed this.

Yeah, I Love how you get on a service call and you're willing to just kind of walk through it with those that are watching you and you're thinking through it and you're saying you know, maybe this isn't the best thing or maybe this is the best thing and you're trying to give your step-by-step thought and process as you're going through that diagnosis. and I've watched a lot of even your early videos and I I was just uh I just put a smile on my face because seriously, and uh, it was really cool because you you're just working through it, but you're able to articulate it and so I can see that passion that you have to help demystify and help walk somebody through something because if it's only in an instruction manual, not everybody learns that same way. Some people, they can't read and process that. so you need to deliver it in multiple forms, video written, you know, the step-by-step Some people can just watch you do it.

Yeah, some people listen, some people read and everybody processes it differently. So if you can give them that open book, they can easily download that into their brain in order for them to become more valuable, more skilled. And it's helping raise up the community. Uh, the new technicians that are coming coming in.

So yeah, you do a fantastic job with that. Well thank you, thank you very much and I appreciate that. But you know when I was in trade school, um I was I would work with my dad because I grew up working with my dad, I had my dad and then I had our senior mechanic. Both of them were my mentors and then I had trade schools and between three of them it would be difficult.

My dad would try to explain something to me and it wouldn't play and then my senior mechanic would do it and then I'd be in school and they would do it. But then one day something all of a sudden just clicked and this is what I tell students all the time because people say hey, I'm just entering School and I don't have all the answers. okay but I they say hey, I'm just entering school Do you have any tips for me and look, do your best to absorb everything. You can pay attention, do the book work, understand that you're not going to absorb it all, but it's still there.

In one day it's gonna click. And for me, um, learning about uh, motor Starters for exhaust fans, right? it's a three-phase contactor with an overload on it and they just didn't make sense. But I remember I Remember that my dad tried to explain it and I was sitting in school and we were in a three-phase motor class and all of a sudden it was like boom. So that's what I always tell people is that you're never going to know everything, just absorb what you can listen and you know just it'll play.

I Love seeing that aha moment with a student or anybody when they email in and say it. Finally it finally clicked and I remind them it's because of all that background information that they've been delivering to them the teachers in the classroom the entire time. It's just that that video helped it all sink in and click and it's a huge thing. and people look at, say like me or probably you and obviously you and uh, and they think oh, hey, we know a lot of things.

It's easy for us to go and diagnose a system. it actually takes me a lot longer I tend to try to absorb all the information, internalize it, and in order to really fully understand it so that I can then teach it properly And so it takes me longer to absorb that information. But the whole point is you split these big fancy systems into small little components so you you can think about hey, high voltage, low voltage. if it's fuel gas, you think about the combustion, you think about the sequence of operation.

so you just split it up into each of those things and you just take one thing at a time. And if you get that one thing, it's going to add that extra bit of confidence and ability and it'll help you understand a new thing that you haven't seen before because we're always seeing that it's running into something that's similar to what we just worked on, but just slightly different. and you have to be able to read the wiring diagram. It's every little skill that you build it.

it helps you. Another tip that I give to people quite often is it's very easy to get tunnel vision, especially for newer guys. They they get excited and they're like hey, you know I'm in a van and I'm going to do a service call and they want to do their best and they're super excited because they're like I'm gonna do this The whole time they're driving there, they're thinking about it. They're like what can it be I bet you it's the defrost clogger I bet you it's this or I bet you it's a compressor contactor I bet you it's this.

It's like hey, hey, this is what I tell them stop, Stop doing that. What I tell them to do is instead of focusing on that job when you're driving to it, if your brain's just rambling, start thinking of a sequence of operation of that system. Don't think of that location right. Think of what kind of system it is.

Okay, it's a heat pump system and how does the heat pump work? Well, this happens. This happens. This happens. So instead of just focusing on the one thing, you're focusing on the sequence of operation.

And then you get there and it's like, okay. All right. So I remember this is how this works and it helps. It helps.

So much. understanding that. Yeah. And so as you're driving to the job site, you may be thinking in your head, whatever.

Certain components are bad. Potentially. But really. like you said, you want to think about what are your first steps when you get there.

Are you going to listen to the customer? Are you going to really listen? Or are you just going to ignore? You know what I mean like. So that's one thing because they're with that system all the time. Yes and then the next. So you're thinking, okay, what is my first, say four steps Getting into this particular system based on what I already know, Uh, potentially could be a problem and so like you said, don't go 10, 15, Steps and just Target on on this uh specific component because you could be wasting your time because think about the steps you're going to take when you arrive at the job site.

Yep, and you know, understanding the sequence operation. I cannot stress that enough and that is the most important thing. And I'm going to advise and then I know some people get upset, but if you're new, if you're young, if you're coming into the trade, don't let people throw you into something that you don't feel comfortable with yourself. You know your skills, you know your abilities and that's what I tell them all the time too.

I'm not talking about, you know, quitting a job, but at the same time it's like hey, everybody needs a proper training. Everybody needs to go through the steps and they need to be properly trained. And I realize that you know the entire industry's short on technicians right now and some people have to push people out a little bit further. and I hope that you know our content collectively can help people you know.

I don't know everything nor will I ever know everything. All I can do is try my best. Yeah, absolutely. And so with that new technician, they were a helper for somebody.

Never are you going to have somebody hired into a company and then hey, just go off on your own unless they at least have some type of information on how the company. Works What's going on? You at least have some time with a senior. Tech And if you're if you don't have that, yeah, yeah, you know a company that's gonna and again I'm sorry if I'm upset anybody, but a company that's going to throw a technician straight out of trade school and start sending them on service calls. You know what? I Tell people too is.

remember an interview is two ways. The company is interviewing you and a lot of people like. Okay, I got to do a good job, but you need to interview the company at the same time. Yeah, absolutely.

And that's going to allow them to know that you're serious and it's going to allow them to know how you articulate yourself and how you think through a problem. It's a communication thing. so they're assessing your communication, They're assessing your problem-solving abilities and the whole the whole nine yards. So if you're interviewing them all, they're interviewing you.

That's a that's a huge, uh, huge thing. It's a huge respect thing. and I I wanted to just, uh, chime in on this that time that you do have that helper or that new technician in the truck with you I'm talking about the senior text. Now that's what.

I'm talking to. Invest in them. Invest. Don't worry about them Like don't think of them as a threat.

Invest in them. And because if you are the senior Tech that is investing in the new text coming in, that's going to make you even more valuable. So it's like it's good all around. for the company, it's It's huge.

Don't waste the time that you're driving to the job sites with that, with that helper or with that new technician in the truck with you. Invest in them. So oftentimes what I would do when I was driving with an apprentice or something is it was free. In What? What? My schedule's the first thing in the morning, you need to give me my half hour, give me a half hour to wake up.

but then I'm open game. You have questions. This is the time to ask them because when we're on the job, there's a time and place for questions. Yes, right? And you know, as a tech, as a new technician coming in, you need to gauge the situation.

Also, as a new technician understand, there's nothing wrong with being a gopher. The person that's going to go to the band to get things, and in fact, a good new technician is going to start paying attention. They're going to start predicting what they might need. If you're going to the band and you're doing a compressor replacement and you're getting the vacuum pump? Well, are you going to get the mic on gauge at the same time? Are you going to wait for you to take the vacuum pump up there? And then you're sick to say Hey Where's my Micron Start paying attention as a new technician too when you're on a roof when permitting.

and when you can do this, take picture now. I Say this because there's some sensitive locations. There's places you're not allowed to take pictures, but take pictures of equipment that you don't understand. Say you know I don't know what that is.

So I'm going to take a picture of the tag and when you go home, guess what? Your day is not done. That's when the research starts and you start typing and learning and listening to podcasts and researching. And that's going to make you a better technician. And for the senior techs, don't be afraid to share your knowledge.

You are not going to be replaced in today's day and age. If you are a competent, well-mannered skilled technician, you will be employed for life. So don't be afraid to share that little bit of knowledge that you have in your head. There's the old school Mantra that this knowledge is mine and I I spent a lot of money I Literally got that email recently and I felt really bad for the person he said I need you to stop making videos and I said why because I paid a lot of money and you're giving it away for free And it's unfortunate that he paid a lot of money for that.

You know it is. It is unfortunate, But times change. So guess what? How's that senior guy? What you should do in my opinion is share that and help the next guy so he doesn't have to go through it right? right? Yeah. Take the uh, take the barriers down.

You know what is life about the Life. You know if you are a technician, you are fixing the system so you're taking pride in that. So you have the the job site or the fix or the rescue that you have done. So that's your job, Your, your relationship with your customers, your your other co-workers.

But really, what life's about is investing in other people. So although we work on these machines, we we become we become good at working on these machines. But in order to then invest in other people because there's only so much time you have on the earth. Yep, and so you want to make sure that you are investing and other people don't take, don't put any barriers in their way.

And yeah, that's it's. unfortunate when you hear emails like that and I do I get them to. Uh, but but hey, you know what times are changing right? I Was at an event you were at last night at the HVAC Tactical Awards I said something on stage is social media is new. We don't even know the potential of it yet.

This what we think. Oh my gosh, this is nothing because where it's going we don't even know and it's going to be bigger than it is. But Social Media is a powerhouse. It's a force to be reckoned with and the potential is amazing.

And the ability people look to social Media to learn. They look to social media to be educated. They look to social Media to be entertained and it does all of those for us. But I really really like the idea where you said invest in other people.

Oh yeah, that is. and I think I heard that a while back from you and I I may have heard it elsewhere too. But it really struck the chord when you first said that to me because inadvertently I have been investing in other people and I didn't even realize it right because you found joy in it I found it and you found that these are the struggles that you had and you don't want somebody else to have to go through them. No, you don't want the customers to suffer.

You don't want the system to fail. You want the right information to get out there to improve the lives of everybody, the customers, and the technicians servicing the equipment. So I can remember and again you know this guy was probably having a bad day. but I can remember calling Tech Support in my infancy.

as a technician. it was for an ice machine manufacturer. It was laid it well towards the end of the day and I called Tech Support and and he asked me what the super heat was I was probably four or five years into the trade and I had no idea what super you was and I said what's super here and then the phone went dead. He hung up on me.

You know what? Looking back, yeah, there were some things he could have done differently, but I was driven by the fear of not knowing something again. So that night that's when I went home and I think at the time I found a website called HVAC Talk Hvac-talk.com that's where everybody went and this was before Facebook and I I found that and I just absorbed as much as I could and that's where I learned about the organization Rscs. If you guys are interested, Rscs.org is a great training organization. the regional um but but they're a great resource and that's what we had before social media.

We have Rscs meetings that we would go to and you would in the first time I went to an RCS meeting. it was just like the camaraderie. It's like hey, I'm around people that do what I do. Now we have the power for social media to share a little bit of knowledge that we have and I think that is awesome.

Well I think it's time that we wrap this up. Craig I Really appreciate you and I'm hoping we can. Let's do something like this again in the future. like I Hope we can interact and communicate Craig It has been awesome! Yeah, thank you so very much.

Thank you for what you do First man, your Hvacr videos You have a fantastic Channel You're providing solutions for people and regardless of whether you feel it sometimes or not, you know in the in the middle of a long work that you are investing in other people and that's making a big difference. And I get encouraged by watching it and a lot of other people do too. So thank you so much. Well thank you Craig All right that really appreciate it.

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