72402 Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics

What this occupation covers

Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics install, maintain, repair and overhaul residential central air conditioning systems, commercial and industrial refrigeration and air conditioning systems and combined heating, ventilation and cooling systems. They are employed by heating, refrigeration and air conditioning installation contractors, various industrial settings, food wholesalers, engineering firms and retail and servicing establishments. Transport refrigeration mechanics are included in this unit group. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 10 main duties for this code.

• Read and interpret blueprints, drawings or other specifications
• Measure and lay out reference points for installation
• Assemble and install refrigeration or air conditioning components such as motors, controls, gauges, valves, circulating pumps, condensers, humidifiers, evaporators and compressors using hand and power tools
• Measure and cut piping, and connect piping using welding and brazing equipment
• Install, troubleshoot and overhaul entire heating, ventilation, air handling, refrigeration and air conditioning systems
• Start up system and test for leaks using testing devices
• Recharge system with refrigerant, check and test regulators, calibrate system and perform routine maintenance or servicing
• Repair and replace parts and components for entire refrigeration, air conditioning, ventilation or heat pump systems
• May install, maintain and repair equipment in refrigerated trucks used to transport food or medical supplies
• May prepare work estimates for clients.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 10 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 72020 Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
• 72421 Appliance servicers and repairers

Excluded from this code

• Air conditioning and refrigeration mechanic foreman/woman (See 72020 Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades)
• Domestic refrigerator repairer (See 72421 Appliance servicers and repairers)
• Domestic window air conditioner repairer (See 72421 Appliance servicers and repairers)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

air conditioning and heating mechanic · air conditioning and refrigeration mechanic · apprentice refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic · central air conditioner installer · central air conditioner repairer · central air conditioning installer · central air conditioning mechanic · central air conditioning repairer · central air conditioning servicer · commercial air conditioning mechanic · commercial refrigeration mechanic · heating and air conditioning mechanic · heating and cooling mechanic · heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) mechanic · hydronics technician · journeyman/woman refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic · refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic · refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic (non-construction) · refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic apprentice · refrigeration and mechanical technician · refrigeration mechanic · refrigeration mechanic apprentice · refrigeration system installer · refrigeration technician

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school and training courses or a vocational program is usually required.
• Completion of a three- to five-year apprenticeship program or A combination of over five years of work experience and industry courses in refrigeration and air conditioning repair is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
• Trade certification for refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics is compulsory in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and the territories.
• Trade certification for transport refrigeration mechanics is available, but voluntary, in New Brunswick and Alberta.
• Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.