HVAC Students Provide Community Assistance and Learn the Trade

First- and second-year HVAC students in Nick DeBlanco’s class at Milliken Tech dove headfirst into the school year’s introductory assignments.

The newest students got to work learning a key foundational skill: properly connecting wires to outlets. According to DeBlanco, this skill is so universal, it is mastered by professionals in other construction trades, such as electrical and plumbing, in addition to HVAC.

“This technique is indispensable,” said DeBlanco. “It is an industry building-block upon which more advanced theory and know-how rests.”

Meanwhile, experienced second-year students helped the community by repairing a Pepsi machine for the local Sayville Ambulance Company.

“The machine is out of warranty and a new one is very expensive,” explained DeBlanco. “So they asked us if we could patch this one up.”

West Islip UFSD senior Justin Anderson worked with other returning classmates to replace the thermostat and one of the fan motors. This involved removing old parts and installing new ones, brazing pipes with a blowtorch to create solid connections, and correctly wiring those new parts into the overall system.

Said Anderson, “I enjoy this. I’m actually putting my knowledge to use. It is very exciting.”

Click https://www.youtube.com/shorts/33UVWi458ck to watch Anderson give a quick tour of his work inside the Pepsi machine!