You’ll need to pickup 608 type I certification to legally buy most refrigerants. It’s inexpensive, the exam is open book, and takes an afternoon to complete.
The “textbook” used is actually a useful reference if you’re just starting out. The material familiarizes you with common terminology, regulations technicians must follow, and the procedural basics for typical jobs, but the emphasis overall is how to handle refrigerants safely and avoid venting them into the atmosphere.
I started looking into that and if the price is right, it's not that far-fetched. (After all, I did get my ham radio license mainly so I could legally transmit up to 1000W in some cases....)
HVAC repair seems to be a lucrative business so it may be something to do on the side. The certification would be a great way to start that, actually.
Sure thing! Yeah the type I cert is an easy choice, same as 609 MVAC. If you’re considering the trade, you might choose universal (I, II, III) to save time. Exam is longer, closed book, and proctored, but not hard.
Among skilled trades, HVAC is notoriously demanding physically (especially residential, where you’ll spend a lot of time in attics and crawl spaces in hot weather) but consensus on hvac forums is that pay’s good and you’ll never be out of a job as long as you take care of your body.