NM HVAC Contractor study plan

Outline the Construction Industries Licensing Act structure: define the four license classifications relevant to HVAC work (MM-98 mechanical, journeyman, contractor, and qualifying party) and state what each authorizes.

Map NMAC Title 14 Chapter 6 citations to the practical duties they impose: qualifying party responsibility, change of status notification, and advertising rules.

Identify the permit, inspection, and certificate-of-occupancy sequence for a residential HVAC replacement in a New Mexico municipality and note where local amendments override state rule.

Compare the NM Energy Conservation Code adoption path with IECC and ASHRAE 90.1/90.2 so you can name which edition governs a given project type.

List the required elements of a New Mexico home improvement or construction contract and the disclosure and notice provisions that trigger contractor liability.

Compute a fully burdened labor rate from base wage, payroll taxes, insurance, and overhead recovery for a two-person crew.

Build a bid for a single-family furnace and coil replacement using a takeoff sheet, material markup, and contingency line.

Explain lien rights, preliminary notice timing, and the complaint and disciplinary process under the licensing act.

Perform a full Manual J block and room-by-room load calculation by hand for a 1,800 square foot house, documenting every input assumption.

Select equipment from a manufacturer's expanded performance table using Manual S sensible and latent capacity checks at design conditions and at the winter heating design temperature.

Lay out a trunk-and-branch duct system, size each run with a duct calculator, and verify available static pressure against the selected air handler.

Diagnose three common air distribution faults (undersized return, excessive flex run, high bypass) and prescribe a corrective measure for each.

Calculate combustion air requirements for a confined space using the standard method and the known air infiltration rate method, and state the venting category of a given appliance.

Determine whether an existing masonry chimney can serve a new mid-efficiency furnace, applying liner, sizing, and orphaned water heater rules.

Size a gas piping run with the longest-length method and verify manifold pressure and input rate at the appliance.

Explain condensing furnace condensate disposal, trap design, and freeze protection requirements for New Mexico's climate zones.

Trace the refrigeration cycle on a pressure-enthalpy diagram and calculate superheat, subcooling, and mass flow for a given set of gauge readings.

Apply EPA Section 608 rules: certification types, leak rate thresholds and repair timelines for comfort cooling and commercial refrigeration, evacuation levels, and recordkeeping.

Diagnose five charging and airflow-related faults from a set of field readings (low superheat with high subcooling, low suction with high superheat, and similar patterns).

State the safe handling, recovery, and cylinder-filling prohibitions that apply to R-410A and to a retrofit involving a substitute refrigerant.

Read and interpret a residential HVAC wiring diagram: identify line and low voltage circuits, transformer loading, and the sequence of operation from thermostat call to blower.

Size conductors, overcurrent protection, and disconnects for a condenser and air handler using nameplate minimum circuit ampacity and maximum overcurrent protection.

Test a compressor and a PSC or ECM blower motor for winding, capacitor, and control faults, and specify the replacement criteria for each.

Explain thermostat wiring, staging controls, and defrost board operation well enough to write a step-by-step troubleshooting sequence.

Identify the OSHA construction standards that most often apply to HVAC work: ladders and fall protection, confined spaces, hazard communication, and lockout/tagout.

Write a jobsite hazard analysis for a rooftop unit replacement covering hoisting, roof access, electrical isolation, and refrigerant exposure.

State New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau reporting obligations and the difference between state and federal enforcement in New Mexico.

Specify correct installation practice for line sets, brazing with nitrogen purge, hangers and supports, flexible duct limits, and sheet metal gauge selection.

Verify a completed installation against energy code envelope, duct insulation, and equipment efficiency requirements, and list what an inspector will check.

Assemble a closeout package: permits, inspection sign-offs, startup records, refrigerant charge documentation, and warranty registration.

Rehearse the licensing exam format with two timed practice sets and review every missed item back to its source rule or code section.

Build a personal weak-topic list with a remediation action and a review date for each item.