Video · Crew Culture, Humor and Motivation
Loud Power Tools, HVAC Humor and an Old Water Heater on Its Way Out
The joke: after a day of grinders, drills and compressors, a tech can't hear a word anyone says. The real part is an old electric water heater coming out, and the ear protection that keeps a tech hearing for decades.
Job footageSwiftPro
- Topic
- Crew Culture, Humor and Motivation
- Length
- 0:13
- Posted
- October 15, 2026
- Shot by
- The SwiftPro crew, Northern Virginia
What you’re seeing in this video
Outside a brick house, a SwiftPro tech in a headlamp and red gloves cuts metal with an angle grinder, sparks flying. It's loud power tools HVAC humor with a plumbing job under it.
Inside, a second tech in a black cap and glasses kneels at an old GE electric water heater and disconnects it. Then the tank rolls out on a hand truck, past a SwiftPro van parked in the driveway.
An electric tank like this one has heating elements threaded into its side and no flue, so the swap is mostly water lines, a drain-down and the electrical disconnect. The grinder is what the on-screen joke is about.
Why it matters in your house
- An angle grinder runs near 100 decibels. NIOSH puts the all-day safe limit at 85, and every 3 decibels above that cuts safe exposure time in half. Good techs wear plugs.
- Electric water heaters often last 10 to 15 years. If yours is in that range and shows rust at the base or water in its pan, plan the swap before it floods.
- Hauling the old tank away belongs in a proper replacement. Ask who disposes of it before the job starts, so a dead tank doesn't end up sitting by your curb.
Why do HVAC techs wear ear protection?
Because the noise adds up. Grinders, hammer drills, reciprocating saws and a running compressor in a tight mechanical room can all pass 85 decibels, and hearing loss from that is permanent. A tech who wears plugs at 25 can still hear customers clearly at 55.
Thinking about the trades? See careers at SwiftPro, or book a visit at (703) 997-9757.
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