Mini Splits Golden is a Certification program (Hybrid) offered by ACVOLT Tech School in Colton, CA. The program takes 3 hands-on days + 2 months online access to complete, with a total tuition of $1,500. Course price $1,500 plus a $250 registration deposit; the school prints no combined total.
Program Overview
Mini Splits Golden (EPA 608 · 2 months) is one of three levels of the school's in-person single-zone mini split courses: "3 hands-on days installing an R-32 inverter mini split. Choose your level: with or without EPA 608 and A2L certification."
What changes between levels. "All 3 include the same 3 hands-on days. What changes is the website and app access and the certifications."
The Golden level. 2 months of access to the Maestro HVACR website and app: EPA 608 and mini split theory courses. Official EPA 608 certification exam, in person at the school. One attempt included. If you fail, you can retake it 30 minutes later for an additional $160. Does not include A2L. The 3 hands-on days.
Single-zone only. "Single-zone mini splits only. Multi-zone is a separate course."
What sets this Program apart
A real Daikin R-32 system. The course equipment is a Daikin R-32 inverter mini split (FTXC09AXVJU / RXC09AXVJU).
Supervised refrigerant work. "In all 3 levels, refrigerant work during the course is done under the direct supervision of a certified technician."
Exams at an approved school. "Maestro HVACR is an approved school that administers the EPA 608 and A2L certification exams."
Everything provided on the day. Tools, equipment, work area and an assigned seat during the course, and daily lunch: "you don't have to go anywhere, just show up."
Limited seats. "Limited seats: each technician has an assigned seat, tools and work area."
Admission Requirements and Process
Enroll with an advisor. "Enrollment is done with … our student advisors. Message them on WhatsApp, call them or text them; you can also call or text the school office." There is no online payment on the course page: your advisor guides you through enrollment.
Save your spot. "The $250 registration (deposit) saves your spot and lets you schedule your practice date."
Paid in full before the hands-on days. "No student is accepted to the 3 hands-on days until the full course is paid. While you pay, you can keep studying the theory online."
You must bring. Work clothes and your personal protective equipment (PPE): safety glasses, work gloves, safety shoes and long pants.
Important before you choose. "Bronze includes no certification. To handle refrigerant on your own you need EPA 608 certification (included in Golden and Platinum)." "The course equipment uses R-32, an A2L refrigerant. A2L safety certification is only included in Platinum."
General Requirements
- A $250 registration depositThe $250 registration (deposit) saves your spot and lets you schedule your practice date.
- The course paid in full before the hands-on daysNo student is accepted to the 3 hands-on days until the full course is paid.
- Work clothes and PPEBring work clothes and your personal protective equipment: safety glasses, work gloves, safety shoes and long pants.
- Previous experience depends on the programTell the school about your experience and the area that interests you before choosing.
Application Process
- 1Talk to a student advisorMessage an advisor on WhatsApp, call or text, or call or text the school office; your advisor guides you through enrollment.
- 2Pay the $250 registrationThe registration (deposit) saves your spot and lets you schedule your practice date.
- 3Study the theory onlineYour website and app access opens the mini split theory while you pay the course.
- 4Complete the paymentsYou pay for the course over 2 months: 2 payments of $750.
- 5Attend the 3 hands-on daysMonday to Wednesday, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, on the dates you choose.
Program Schedule
Three days, Monday to Wednesday, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. "You choose the calendar dates that work for you."
Dates and seats. "Always the second week of the month, Monday to Wednesday, 7 AM–3 PM. Limited seats."
- First course: February 8–10, 2027
- Next: March 8–10, 2027
- After that: April 12–14, 2027
Your access period. 2 months of website and app access. "Access ends when your months of access are over. To keep studying on the website and the app, the membership is $149 a month."
Exam timing. "The included exam (EPA 608 in Golden; EPA 608 and A2L in Platinum) must be taken within your access period (2 or 3 months). If you take it after the course ends, additional proctor fees apply."
- February 08th, 2027
- March 08th, 2027
- April 12th, 2027
Required Courses
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Campus Location
Why Accreditation Is Important
Attending an accredited school means its training has been reviewed against independent standards.
This school: ACVOLT Tech School does not state an institutional accreditation or a state approval on its website. It lists NCCER (accredited school) — ACVolt Electrical Inc., Accredited Training Sponsor since 2022 — and says it is an approved school that administers the EPA 608 and A2L certification exams.
- A reliable indicator of educational quality
- Reviewed against independent standards
- Recognized by employers and licensing boards
Cost of Attendance and Financial Aid Information
Course price: $1,500, plus $250 registration to save your spot.
- Course price: $1,500
- Registration (deposit): $250
- Payments: 2 × $750
How you pay. You pay for the course over 2 months: 2 payments of $750. The $250 registration (deposit) lets you schedule your practice date; you attend the 3 days once the course is paid in full.
Exam retakes. One attempt is included; a retake 30 minutes later costs an additional $160 (exam cost and proctor time).
Policies. "If you can't attend your practice dates, we give you credit for the next date." "No refunds once you are enrolled and the course has started. If you cancel, your access is revoked." These courses do not include a Telegram or WhatsApp group.
Not included. The mini split or tools to take home (you use them during the course).
Financial aid. The school's website publishes no financial aid, grants or loans and no federal school code.
Curriculum
Program (same in all 3 levels).
Day 1. Piping and pipework, vacuum, nitrogen purge, leak detection and refrigerants.
Day 2. The materials are presented (communication cable, disconnects, fuses and breakers, condenser pads), handed out to each technician, and installation begins.
Day 3. Installation is finished, then startup and system performance. In Platinum and Golden, the last 4 hours are for your final exam.
Online theory. 2 months of access to the Maestro HVACR website and app: EPA 608 and mini split theory courses.
Required Courses
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Career Outcomes
Three careers. The school teaches three trades: HVAC — air conditioning and heating: installation, diagnostics and service; Refrigeration — residential and commercial: refrigeration cycle, cold rooms, ice machines and A2L refrigerants; and Electrical — residential and commercial electrical installations: fundamentals, plans, conductors, raceways, panels and protection.
Official certifications. "We prepare you in class, and you take the official exam at our school. You receive your credential." The school lists HVAC Excellence, ESCO (includes EPA 608), NATE, OSHA through CareerSafe and NCCER. The office confirms requirements, cost and the next exam date.
On your résumé. Use the exact title and an issuer verification link when available, and add only credentials you have already earned. "A Maestro HVACR course certificate and a credential issued by an external organization are different documents."
No outcome is promised. "These credentials document your training; employment outcomes also depend on your experience, skills and job requirements." The salary figures in the school's career videos are U.S. national medians (BLS, May 2025), "not starting salaries or guarantees".
Refrigerant certification. "To handle refrigerant on your own you need EPA 608 certification (included in Golden and Platinum)."
What to expect as an ACVOLT Tech School student
Real equipment, hands on. "These are our classes, not stock photos. In the classroom, workshop and field—wiring thermostats, bending conduit and watching the circuit they just built come to life." The workshop has chillers, commercial racks and equipment that is opened, measured and reassembled: "Here, learning goes beyond a drawing."
If you don't measure, you're guessing. Understanding the system, checking it with measurements and making decisions on a sound basis is the way of working the school seeks to teach.
Who teaches. The school's director is a technician, contractor and educator with 23 years in the trade: five years in residential and commercial electrical work from 2003, and 18 years of field experience in commercial refrigeration and commercial HVAC from 2008. He obtained California C-10 (Electrical) and C-20 (HVAC) contractor licenses in 2015, holds the title Certified Master HVACR Educator awarded by HVAC Excellence in 2024, and began formally as an educator in October 2021.
Classes in Spanish. The school presents itself as a school of HVAC and refrigeration in Spanish ("Escuela de HVAC y refrigeración en español").
Visit us in Colton. ACVOLT Tech School Inc., 484 E Valley Blvd, Colton, CA 92324. The office is open every day, 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; phone (909) 824-4849. School visits are by appointment only.
Testimonials
“I have only been here a short time and taken two classes, but it is a good place to learn. You feel as if you already know the instructor. The atmosphere is great and makes you want to keep learning.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Other Programs at Colton
ACVOLT Tech School in Colton, CA also offers these 6 programs at 484 E Valley Blvd, Colton, CA 92324.
- Commercial HVAC and Commercial RefrigerationOther · 8 months — weekends, 8 hours per week
- La Trinidad del OficioOther · 12 months — weekends, 8 hours per week
- Mini Splits BronzeOther · 3 hands-on days + 1 month online access
- Mini Splits PlatinumCertification · 3 hands-on days + 3 months online access
- Residential HVACR Heating (In Person)Certificate · 3 months — 13 Wednesday classes (39 hours)
- Residential HVACR Heating (Online)Certificate · 3 months — 13 Wednesday classes (39 hours)