HVAC Watch Mechanic , Facilities Services

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging makes it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

Facilities Services works to continuously improve the campus in partnership with all members of the University community to ensure that classrooms, laboratories, and offices support teaching, learning and research. Through the efforts of over 400 dedicated staff members and serving over 10M building square feet and 1100 acres, Facilities Services includes the asset management program, custodial services, maintenance operations, engineering and technical services, environmental services, grounds operations, and the Cal Zero Waste program.

This position maintains and repairs the steam and refrigeration equipment on campus. The HVAC/Steamfitter engages in projects requiring highly specialized steamfitter/refrigeration mechanical work for campus clients under general supervision.

• Repair and maintain large chiller systems.
• Repair and maintain air conditioning, refrigeration, and heating systems.
• Maintain all equipment pertaining to each system, including low, medium, and high‑pressure steam lines and traps, pressurized, gravity, and vacuum condensate return systems, condensate and steam-operated pumps.
• Repair or replace pneumatic control valves relating to pressure‑reducing stations, radiators, heating coils, convectors, unit heaters and boiler controls.
• Maintain steam distribution systems in steam manholes as required.
• Install and repair lab steam, vacuum, air, oxygen lines, hard pneumatic lines and control valves.
• Repair heat exchangers for heating, domestic and industrial hot water.
• Repair, maintain autoclaves, cage washers, dishwashers, warm rooms, cold rooms, constant temperature rooms, growth chambers, incubators, dehumidifiers and humidifiers.
• Repair and replace controls on heat exchangers for heating and domestic hot water.

• Adhere to scheduling of work through the work management program.
• Consult the shop superintendent and/or lead for technical information.
• Support maintenance projects and programmatic work assignments.
• Keep accurate work records and complete paperwork in a neat and timely manner.
• Define and describe materials, tools and/or equipment, work methods and task sequences.
• Serve as liaison with clients, relaying their needs and requirements to the appropriate department or superintendent.
• Obtain materials and equipment.

• Adhere to all university and departmental safety guidelines.
• Attend job‑related and safety training as required.
• Be personally responsible for following health and safety guidelines and instructions.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Must possess five years apprentice or equivalent work experience and two years journeyman experience in a craft‑related trade.
• Experience using a variety of craft techniques and all tools pertaining to the trade, including welding, brazing, soft and hard solder and pipe fitting.
• Ability to access small or tight areas and operate around obstacles that require stairs and ladders; ability to lift up to 75 lbs.
• Repair and test boilers, including all piping, gas valves, low water and make‑up valves, replacement of controls and failed components.
• Tra uniquhp, repair and replace heat exchangers and their components for hot, domestic and industrial hot water, replacement of heating and cooling coils, and all control valves larger than one inch.
• Repair or replace radiators, convectors, baseboard heaters, heating and cooling coils and their actuators.
• Repair, replace and, when necessary, adjust controls on hy‑, domestic and industrial hot water heat exchangers.
• Install hard pipe pneumatic control lines for new and existing control systems.
• Repair or replace pneumatic diaphragms over one inch in diameter.
• Perform maintenance on permanent chillers, air conditioning, humidity control systems, absorbers, growth chambers, cold rooms, warm rooms, constant temperature rooms,…