Install expansion and control valves, using acetylene torches and wrenches.

“Install expansion and control valves, using acetylene torches and wrenches.” is a core task performed by Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers. Among the occupation's 30 rated tasks, workers place it 15th by importance (#16 most important). About 98% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Assemble equipment or components. in Handling and Moving Objects

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E0. No direct exposure — current language models give little or no time savings on this task.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.00. Automation potential label: T0.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Test electrical circuits or components for continuity, using electrical test equipment. · importance 4.6
• Comply with all applicable standards, policies, or procedures, such as safety procedures or the maintenance of a clean work area. · importance 4.5
• Study blueprints, design specifications, or manufacturers' recommendations to ascertain the configuration of heating or cooling equipment components and to ensure the proper installation of components. · importance 4.4
• Discuss heating or cooling system malfunctions with users to isolate problems or to verify that repairs corrected malfunctions. · importance 4.4
• Connect heating or air conditioning equipment to fuel, water, or refrigerant source to form complete circuit. · importance 4.3
• Adjust system controls to settings recommended by manufacturer to balance system. · importance 4.3
• Recommend, develop, or perform preventive or general maintenance procedures, such as cleaning, power-washing, or vacuuming equipment, oiling parts, or changing filters. · importance 4.2
• Repair or replace defective equipment, components, or wiring. · importance 4.2
• Inspect and test systems to verify system compliance with plans and specifications or to detect and locate malfunctions. · importance 4.2
• Install or repair self-contained ground source heat pumps or hybrid ground or air source heat pumps to minimize carbon-based energy consumption and reduce carbon emissions. · importance 4.2
• Install, connect, or adjust thermostats, humidistats, or timers. · importance 4.1
• Install auxiliary components to heating or cooling equipment, such as expansion or discharge valves, air ducts, pipes, blowers, dampers, flues, or stokers. · importance 4.1
• Braze or solder parts to repair defective joints and leaks. · importance 4.1
• Lay out and connect electrical wiring between controls and equipment, according to wiring diagrams, using electrician's hand tools. · importance 4.0

See all tasks on the Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-23566,
  title  = {Install expansion and control valves, using acetylene torches and wrenches.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-23566}
}