Furnace Donation Provides Hands-On Learning For Bartow Students

BARTOW COUNTY, GA -- Move On When Ready students enrolled in Chattahoochee Technical College’s Air Conditioning Technology program at the Bartow County College and Career Academy will now have even

more opportunities to work on equipment thanks to a donation from a community partner.

Georgia Propane Gas Association (GPGA) donated a Lennox High Efficiency Propane Furnace to the program in an effort to support training efforts on propane gas appliances.

The furnace, which has an estimated value of $1,000, will be used in a dynamic hands-on learning environment, where students are taught how to install, maintain and repair heating, cooling, ventilation and refrigeration systems.

“Our hope for this donation is that more HVAC technicians attending your school will graduate with the knowledge of how to service and install propane heating systems and be more inclined to recommend propane to homeowners for their heating needs,” said Mark Dmochowski with Georgia Gas Distributors Inc. “These graduates would also become a recruiting source for our industry when we are looking to fill propane service technicians at the more than 100 propane dealers around our state.”

Instructor Chris Heenan, who teaches Air Conditioning Technology at the Marietta Campus, said many homes in the suburbs of Atlanta have heat pumps and propane furnaces, making this piece of equipment absolutely necessary for properly training students interested in entering the field.

"Many propane dealers in Georgia service residential homeowners in largely rural areas," Dmochowski added. "These are areas where there is typically no access to natural gas. What has been happening with these customers over the years is that when their current propane heating system starts to fail or needs replacing, they will call their local HVAC dealer. The dealer will come out and invariably recommend installing an electric heat pump as a replacement."

Dmochowski went on to say there are many reasons why heat pumps are recommended, but stated the company believed one reason was that many technicians are not familiar with propane heating systems.

The Georgia Propane Gas Association created a task force to address this issue. Their recommendation was to form a relationship with technical schools across the state with the goal of providing a professional detailed curriculum for servicing and installing propane home heating systems. Along with the curriculum, Dmochowski said the task force also realized the schools would need propane furnaces to use in the classrooms.

Georgia Gas Distributor Darrell Whatley of Spalding Gas in Griffin worked with his Lennox supplier to donate many of the 22 gas furnaces to technical colleges across the state. The remaining propane systems were provided by the GPGA.

“The in-kind donation from Georgia Propane Gas Association allows our students enrolled in the Air Conditioning Technology program to train on the residential and light commercial heating and air conditioning equipment they will encounter out in the field,” said Dean of Business and Technical Studies Marcy Smith. “To become a highly qualified technician, hands-on training is absolutely essential. This contribution to our program will greatly help our students as they prepare to enter the workforce.”

Air Conditioning Technology is currently offered at the college’s Marietta and Canton campuses as well as the Bartow County College and Career Academy, which allows high school students in Bartow County the ability to participate in technical college-level education.

The Air Conditioning Technology program is designed to take 64 weeks to complete, and according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average annual salary for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers is about $45,110 per year.

Photo 1: CTC student Rony Sandoval of Marietta is pictured working on a furnace that is similar to the one donated by Georgia Propane Gas Association.

Photo 2: Pictured, from left, are: Tyler Misel, of Georgia Gas Distributors Inc., CTC instructors Curtis Hartig and Chris Heenan, lab tutor Napolean Bradley, students Logan Townsend and Ronald Sandoval, Gordon Cunningham, Georgia Gas Distributors Inc., and student Anthony Burgard.

Credits: Chattahoochee Technical College