Stationary Engineer

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Work Tasks

• Run systems that heat, refrigerate, air-condition, and move fresh air into large buildings
• Start up, control, and shut down equipment and make sure it works correctly
• Fix or replace parts that don't work correctly; test and maintain machines
• Record readings from the equipment and other facts in logs
• Work in engine rooms, power plants, or boiler rooms for power stations, factories, schools, office and apartment buildings, hospitals, hotels, and shopping malls
• Work with air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment, steam boilers, diesel engines, turbines, generators, pumps, condensers, air compressors, gaskets, valves, parts, hand tools, power tools, meters, gauges, and computers

Salary, Size & Growth

• $52,500 average per year ($25.25 per hour)
• A medium occupation (78,900 workers in 2010)
• Expected to decline (0.8% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: On-the-job training
• Employers Prefer: A high school diploma, 18 years of age or older, and an apprenticeship in stationary engineering
• Skills/Courses: Courses in physics, chemistry, blueprint reading, instrumentation, and other technical subjects; able to operate boilers, generators, compressors, motors, and air-conditioning and refrigerating equipment
• Certification/Licensing: Most states require a license for each type of equipment.