HVAC Replacement Protocol

The HVAC Replacement Protocol class is Total Tech’s HVAC install program: a 5-day, 40-hour course that prepares students for proper removal, installation and start-up of new equipment. Proper installation and start-up are essential to system operation; shortcuts can cause callbacks and shorten the equipment’s lifespan. Today’s HVAC equipment is much more sophisticated than in years past, and with the use of R410A refrigerant there is no room for error. The course is designed to help prevent service callbacks and to know the equipment will run to designed specifications for years to come.

Each day students are taught the applied theory for that day’s hands-on training, and brief online video sessions each evening, Monday through Thursday, prepare them for the next day. The course teaches proper usage of gauges, the recovery process, line set sizing, silver brazing, wire and breaker sizing, superheat, sub-cooling, airflow and more. The EPA 608 exam is given on request.

Total Tech offers a unique approach to technician training, melding the lessons of years of experience with a systematic progression for diagnostics. Theory is taught in relation to the technician’s viewpoint: service technicians learn by hearing, seeing and then doing. Total Tech’s labs incorporate real-world service scenarios into every lab exercise, and each lab exercise exemplifies the classroom theory, which in turn develops technician competency.

• The facility has state-of-the-art equipment in both classrooms and labs, with HVAC, plumbing and electrical training units for hands-on learning — the lab is where “the rubber meets the road.”
• Training covers more than equipment: the school teaches that the competent tradesman must understand system operation and diagnostics as well as customer retention and business acumen.
• Total Tech was founded in 2006 by Don Miller, then Customer Assurance Manager at Carrier Mid-South in Nashville, who has worked in the HVAC industry for about five decades and holds NATE and RSES certifications. Instructors come from the field, several from Hiller Plumbing Heating Cooling Electrical, which Total Tech partnered with in 2013.
• Small classes: HVAC Service and Electrical classes are limited to 12 students, Plumbing to 8 and HVAC Replacement to 6.

The school’s mission: to bring the most competent tradesmen to the most complex workforce by the most passionate instructors in the world.

Admission to each Total Tech course requires one of the following:

• A high school diploma, or
• A GED, or
• A “passed” Wonderlic Scholastic Level Exam with a minimum score of 15.

Class enrollment is accepted until the class is full or until the day before the first day of class, whichever comes first; no late enrollment is accepted. Registration must be made under the name of the student attending.

Total Tech is a special purpose institution whose purpose does not include preparing students for further college study. It does not accept credits earned from prior education and training, and contact hours earned at Total Tech may not transfer to another institution.

HVAC Replacement Protocol classes are held from 7:30am to 4:00pm over five days, with online video sessions Monday through Thursday nights. Classes are limited to 6 students, and additional install classes may be added if requested.

2026 class weeks: January 5–9; January 19–23; February 2–6; February 16–20; March 2–6; March 16–20; March 30–April 3; April 13–17; April 14–18; April 27–May 1; May 11–15; June 1–5; June 15–19; July 6–10; July 20–24; August 3–7; August 17–21; August 31–September 4; September 14–18; September 28–October 2; October 12–16; October 26–30; November 9–13; November 30–December 4; December 14–18.

The class schedule is subject to change; check the website for the current schedule.

Course costs. Tuition is $2,300.00, plus books and supplies of $300.00, for a total of $2,600.00. You can reserve a seat with a $200 deposit or pay the full price when registering.

Veterans. Total Tech’s programs are approved for veteran training, and students may use VA education benefits (GI Bill®). Covered individuals using Chapter 31 or 33 benefits may attend while VA payment is pending without penalty. Students are responsible for any difference between their financial obligation and the VA benefit. Because of the nature of this course, VA students have no absences allowed and will be dropped immediately if absent.

Refunds. Cancellation must be in writing. Withdrawing on or before the first day of class refunds all amounts paid less a $100 administrative fee; within the first 10% of the enrollment period, 75% less $100; between 10% and 25%, 25% less $100; after 25%, the student may owe 100% of charges.

The course familiarizes students with the theory and hands-on training to install HVAC equipment properly. Students with no prior experience learn proper install guidelines and start-up procedures, and on completion will have the knowledge to remove and install residential equipment and perform capacity checks for proper operation, checking the system by gathering applicable data. After completing the course, the school says, students will feel confident in their trade and will be an asset to any company.

Placement assistance. Total Tech will assist each student as much as possible toward a potential hiring employer but does not guarantee employment. Career Services Manager Kathy Witzel assists graduates with employment on completing their programs.

Hands-on labs. Total Tech has separate HVAC Service, HVAC Replacement, Plumbing and Electrical labs. Students wire high-voltage components, complete Total Tech Troubleshooting Guides, practice brazing, install gas furnaces, join pipe and tubing, troubleshoot installed water heaters and set breaker panels.

Attendance. All students are expected to attend every session. An absence or tardy costs 1% of the final grade per day, and a student absent 2 days may be dropped and required to re-enroll in the next available class.

Grading. Grading is done through the Total Tech Portal, where you can see your grades in real time once posted; no progress reports are given during attendance. A Certificate of Achievement is awarded with an overall score of 61% or greater, along with a Total Tech Level from 1 to 5 based on your total score (61–71.9% Level 1 up to 95–100% Level 5).

Supplies. Most class materials are in the online Portal. A Student Resource Center has computers and a printer, and Total Tech provides pens, pencils and paper. If weather is questionable, closings are posted on the Total Tech website, Facebook page and WSMV Channel 4.