72420 Oil and solid fuel heating mechanics

What this occupation covers

Oil and solid fuel heating mechanics install and maintain oil, coal and wood heating systems in residential and commercial buildings. They are employed by heating systems installation and service companies. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 7 main duties for this code.

• Read and interpret drawings or specifications to determine work to be performed
• Lay out oil burner heating system components and assemble components using hand and power tools
• Install oil burner components such as thermostats, motors, piping and safety devices, and connect to fuel supply, ventilation and electrical system
• Test installed unit and adjust controls for proper functioning
• Troubleshoot and repair malfunctioning oil burners, and their components and controls
• Install, maintain and repair coal and wood heating systems
• Perform scheduled maintenance service on oil and solid fuel heating systems.

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 7 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.

• 72302 Gas fitters
• 72402 Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
• 72020 Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades

Excluded from this code

• Gas fitters (See 72302 Gas fitters)
• Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics (See 72402 Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics)
• Oil burner installation foreman/woman (See 72020 Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades)

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.

coal furnace installer · coal furnace installer-mechanic · forced air furnace installer (except gas) · furnace installer and repairer (except gas) · furnace maintenance mechanic (except gas) · furnace mechanic (except gas) · furnace repairer (except gas) · furnace repairman/woman (except gas) · heating mechanic · heating service mechanic · heating system mechanic · heating systems installer · heating systems servicer · heating systems technician · heating technician · oil and solid fuel heating mechanic · oil burner apprentice · oil burner installer · oil burner installer and repairer · oil burner maintainer · oil burner mechanic · oil burner mechanic apprentice · oil burner repairer · oil burner servicer

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school and training courses or a vocational program is usually required.
• Completion of a three- to four-year apprenticeship program or A combination of over four years of work experience and industry courses in heating systems installation and repair is usually required for trade certification.
• Oil heat system technician trade certification is compulsory in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and is available, but voluntary, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
• Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified oil heat system technicians upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.