Eventually, I realized the thermostat wiring had been connected backwards
Sometimes I really worry about the people that I work with. They seem to be really good guys with everything under control in their lives until you look closer. Suddenly, you realize that these supposed professionals are actually alcoholics with terrible eating habits and no idea how to live a functional life. At the same time, they report to work everyday and give other people advice about functional indoor living. You see, I work at a local heating, cooling, and air quality control dealership in a challenging part of town. We are always repairing busted heating and cooling systems, replacing broken air conditioning units, and upgrading ancient furnaces. I enjoy my work and I don’t have any problem with the indoor air handling control industry, itself. However, the other certified heating, cooling, and ventilation professionals definitely challenged me at times. Sometimes we have to work together on large residential HVAC repairs or installation jobs. These are the times that I think my co-workers might be incapable of maintaining their own lives, let alone high-quality air handling devices. Recently we were on a routine installation job when the brand new heating and cooling system seemed to immediately be on the fritz. When we adjusted the thermostat up to the temperature went down. When we turned the temperature down the furnace started up. We spent hours trying to troubleshoot the brand new furnace and air conditioning unit to figure out what was going wrong. Eventually, I realized the thermostat wiring had been connected backwards. All along, it wasn’t the HVAC devices that were faulty… It was my co-worker.